How many times was 50 Cent shot? A look at the leaked song 'Ghetto Qu'ran' that led to his attempted murder
From a rough past and a long history of violence to becoming one of the most familiar names in hip-hop, 50 Cent's history has been both turbulent and successful. Occasionally, you may hear of an interesting fact about the rapper – that he was shot. For those who are unaware, 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III, has come a long way from when he grew up in Queens, New York, where he lived with his mother Sabrina who dealt drugs. He would also spend a lot of time visiting his grandmother, and after his mom died when he was eight, he moved in with her. When Curtis was 12, he got into selling drugs himself and even got arrested at high school for drug possession.
Fast-forward to now and with an impressive resume where he can add rapping, songwriting, acting, television production and entrepreneurship to his name, Curtis is commonly regarded as an artist who has impacted the hip-hop industry.
Critics have noted the rapper's craft as being catchy even with his usage of simple lyrics. HotNewHipHop described it as an ability "to master the nuanced art of brevity, adding weight to even the simplest bars." Recalling some of his classic tracks like 'In da Club', 'Candy Shop', or 'Just A Lil Bit' and you may be inclined to agree. But it was 50 Cent's lyrics that allegedly led to his shooting - more specifically, from an unreleased song titled 'Ghetto Qu'ran'.
50 Cent's shooting
'Ghetto Qu'ran' leaked around the year 2000 and contains lyrics about drug dealers from the 1980s in 50 Cent's neighborhood of South Jamaica, Queens.
A particular kingpin that didn't take kindly to the song is one Kenneth McGriff, a notorious drug trafficker with a crack distributing organization. Federal investigators had claimed that McGriff felt the song was too revealing of details about him, thus the reason for arranging 50 Cent's attempted murder, according to reports.
The same year the song leaked, Curtis was sitting in his friend's car outside his grandmother's home when the incident happened. Another car pulled up to their side and alleged shooter Darryl 'Hommo' Baum shot Curtis with a 9mm handgun in the arm, hand, both legs, hip, chest, and left cheek, and he was left with a permanently swollen tongue and a slur in his voice. The slur is said to have been caused by a fragment of a bullet stuck in the inside of his mouth which his doctor decided to leave lodged as it could potentially do more damage to remove than help.
Curtis had to spend 13 days in the hospital for his recovery, after which he returned home to his girlfriend and son. He would then have to use a walking frame and exercise at home to stay in shape.
How many times was 50 Cent shot?
And finally, the answer you were looking for is – nine times.
In 2012, 50 Cent spoke of the shooting and what the pain feels like with Oprah Winfrey, according to BBC. "It doesn't hurt as much as people imagine it hurts - because of the adrenaline. But it hurts after."
The rapper continued, "Going through that experience, when you get hurt that bad either your fear consumes you or you become a bit insensitive. He explained, "There was a point where I was afraid... and then in the recovery process I got tired of being afraid. The only way to cover those emotions was to be a bit more aggressive. And to be angry about the situation opposed to how I was actually feeling at that point."
Whether he has a tough exterior, as alluded by the above man of steel pic, or not, Curtis has a lot to be thankful for.