Taglines: Live in your dreams or die in someone else’s.
An orphaned street kid (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) makes his mark in the drug trade, but finally dares to leave the violence of his former life behind to pursue a promising career in the music business as a rapper.
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, one of the biggest and most popular stars in hip-hop, is the charismatic driving force behind “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” a hard-hitting drama directed by six-time Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan about an orphaned street kid who makes his mark in the drug trade but finally dares to leave the violence behind and become the rap artist he was meant to be.
In this drama enriched by parallels to Jackson’s own life, Marcus (Jackson) has always known he was going to be a rapper, but when his mother is murdered, he turns to dealing — hustling drugs pays the rent. Only his grandmother (Viola Davis), girlfriend Charlene (Joy Bryant), and violent-but-loyal friend Bama (Terrence Howard) keep him grounded as his world spirals out of control.
As Marcus applies the same manic intensity to his writing as he does to dealing, he finds that writing down his words helps him to stay sane. For years, he endures this living hell until a tragedy that nearly kills him forces Marcus to change his life.
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, one of the biggest and most popular stars in hiphop, is the charismatic driving force behind “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” a hardhitting drama directed by six time Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan about an orphaned street kid who makes his mark in the drug trade but finally dares to leave the violence behind and become the rap artist he was meant to be.
In this drama enriched by parallels to Jackson’s own life, Marcus has always known he was going to be a rapper, but when his mother is murdered, he turns to dealing – hustling drugs pays the rent. Only his grandmother, girlfriend Charlene, and violent but loyal friend Bama keep him grounded as his world spirals out of control. As Marcus applies the same manic intensity to his writing as he does to dealing, he finds that writing down his words helps him to stay sane. For years, he endures living hell until a tragedy that nearly kills him forces Marcus to change his life.
Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is a 2005 American Hip-Hop Rap biopic crime film starring 50 Cent, in his feature film acting debut. It was released on November 9, 2005, and was known as Locked and Loaded during production. Similar to the 2002 Eminem film 8 Mile, which it used as a template, the film is loosely based on 50 Cent’s own life and was directed by Jim Sheridan. The name of the film is shared with 50 Cent’s 2003 debut album of the same name.
About the Story
“I guess you could say that ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’’ is a collage of my life,” offers Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, the hip hop star who makes his motion picture debut in the new film from Paramount Pictures. “It’s not so much my life story, as it is a story that has incidents similar to some that happened in my life.”
One of the biggest stars in hip hop, 50 Cent burst on the scene with his debut album, “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” which set the mark for the all time best debut with 900,000 units sold in its first week. The album went on to be certified six times platinum. With his 2005 follow up, “The Massacre,” 50 Cent became the first artist to have four songs in the top ten of Billboard’s Hot 100 since the Beatles in 1964. The album debuted at No. 1 and has sold more than 4 million units to date.
Director Jim Sheridan has long been a fan of rap and the culture surrounding it. “I thought that a story that mirrors elements of 50’s life had enormous dramatic potential,” says the six]time Academy Award nominee. “It’s pretty powerful and interesting material to put on film. I’d seen 50 in videos and thought he had a great presence, but when we met, I knew after half an hour with him that I wanted to make a film with him. He’s tremendously talented, focused, and disciplined, but he’s also a very funny, charming person. And, because he knows he’s lucky to be alive, he’s a joy to be around. He’s totally committed to the story we’re trying to tell.”
Since his meteoric rise to music super stardom, Jackson has entertained numerous film pitches but none of them felt right until now. “It wasn’t so much that I was waiting for a starring vehicle as I was waiting for the right project with the right people,” he explains. The opportunity to make his motion picture debut under a director the stature of Jim Sheridan sealed his decision to star in “Get Rich or Die Tryin’.”
“I couldn’t pick a better director to work with for the very first time,” says Jackson. “Jim is a real actor’s director and absolutely the best person for me to begin a new endeavor with. I try to stay as close as possible to the best – Eminem and Dr. Dre for music production, and now, Jim Sheridan for the film. You know me,” he laughs, “I try to start at the top and stay there. The fight is fixed and I’m gonna win.”
“When we have a new, young actor like 50, who better to have than Jim Sheridan to work with him?” asks producer Jimmy Iovine, who also serves as chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records. “We knew Jim would be able to hone in on the rawness of 50’s acting and his abilities.”
As for Sheridan, he was very enthusiastic about doing a film about rap culture. Aside from his longtime interest in rap music, he “suspected that the rap world was closer in structure to film than any other form of music because of its narrative underpinning.”
Iovine says that Sheridan’s skill as a director of films in which characters face enormous challenges – including illness, poverty, and racial bigotry – make him the perfect choice. “This movie is more about the ‘why,’” says Iovine. “Why there are more single mothers in the African American community than any other in America? Why is rap music the way it is? Why was Marcus forced to do what he had to do?”
“Jim gets it,” says Lighty. “He understands that community. The struggle in Jamaica, Queens or the Bronx is not much different than Jim’s own struggle as a youth in some of the tougher districts of Dublin. We’re just different colors; it’s the same struggle of trouble, despair, and violence.”
The film started coming together when Iovine and Shady Records’ Paul Rosenberg signed 50 Cent to their label. As producers of some of the most successful music acts in the business, as well as the very successful Eminem vehicle “8 Mile,” they were instantly struck by Jackson’s “charisma and vibe” (in Iovine’s words) and decided they should try to make a movie with him. With Jackson’s manager, Chris Lighty, the producers hired Terence Winter to begin writing a screenplay.
The choice of Winter, a two]time Emmy winner for “The Sopranos,” was obvious. “We felt there were many similar parallels between the Italian gangster world and the urban gangsta culture,” says Iovine. “They share a language.” Winter traveled with Jackson on his Rock the Mic Tour, and talked to him every day for two months. Since “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” is Jackson’s entrée into Hollywood, “we wanted him to work with the best,” says Lighty. With that in mind, the producers looked to director Jim Sheridan, whose friend Bono had earlier maneuvered a meeting between Sheridan and producer Jimmy Iovine.
Sheridan responded immediately to themes of Jackson’s life story. “I’ve been telling family stories; what fascinated me about this story was the search for the father,” says Sheridan, whose other stories about families include “In America,” “In the Name of the Father” and “My Left Foot.” “I thought that was a great starting off point for a film.”
“The film’s title says it all: It’s about trying to excel and getting out of the ‘hood by any means necessary without getting killed or ending up in jail,” says Lighty. “I think every stock broker on Wall Street is living that life. Every American is trying to buy a Mercedes; we’re all trying to get rich, or die tryin’. This is just 50’s version of it.”
About Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
At the center of “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” is Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, the charismatic and groundbreaking hip hop artist. Born and raised in Queens and coming of age in the drug scene of the late 1970s, the young, fatherless Curtis was forced into manhood at an early age when his mother became a casualty of the drug game. The rest of the story has become modern folklore: the quick and deliberate ascension as a dealer, the lengthy rap sheet, the long hours perfecting his rhyming craft, the recording deal, and the nine gunshot wounds that nearly took his life. Dropped by his label, Jackson was determined not to let his dream of being a rapper fade away. With the help of his friend Sha Money XL, Jackson released an independent bootleg.
The CD caught the ear of Eminem and Dr. Dre, who signed the rapper to a million]dollar record deal in 2002. Hip hop history was made. Since then, Jackson has earned widespread acclaim and achieved fantastic success. Earlier this year, he became the first recording artist since the Beatles to have four songs in the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
Indeed, Jackson’s plunge into the drug trade started after his mother’s death. He went to stay with his grandparents, who did what they could “to keep me in a great space,” says Jackson. “But I didn’t feel like I was where I should be at, so I turned to the people that appeared to have it all with no problem. They were people from my mother’s life – from when she used to hustle. And they would look out for me, and do things for me,” explains Jackson. “So that’s how I got started. They were helping me to provide for myself.”
The birth of Jackson’s son probably saved his life. “I had him and my priorities changed,” says Jackson. I had to think about how I would be able to provide for him. He’s the reason I went towards music; I couldn’t have helped him if I was locked up.”
“He represents something fundamental coming out of black culture,” observes Sheridan, who initially gained the star’s confidence with his knowledge of rap music. “Historically in America,” adds Sheridan, “we had two ways of coming out. One was the Martin Luther King method and one was the Malcolm X method. Both of those doors closed in the late ‘60s, and so the black culture kind of had nowhere to go until it found expression in the least likely place – commercial music.”
“It allowed the kid that lived in Beverly Hills or Burbank to see what was going on in Crenshaw; the kid that lived on 125th Street to see what was going on with the kid that lived in Livingston, New Jersey,” adds Lighty. “It was a safe way to see what was going on in the inner cities. It allowed minorities to express themselves – it was their form of expression.”
“People buy my music for the same reason they buy the newspaper,” says Jackson. “You know there isn’t a lot of good in it, but it’s the facts. And they want to know what happened.”
In making his acting debut, Jackson handles the challenge with his characteristic confidence. Still, Jackson notes that Jim Sheridan’s advice and guiding hand eased the process: “Jim made sure I was exactly the way I needed to be in the scenes. It was great having someone there that you knew was in your corner.”
Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005)
Directed by: Jim Sheridan
Starring: 50 Cent, Joy Bryant, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard, Rhyon Nicole Brown, Serena Reeder, Ashley Walters, Marc John Jefferies, Russell Hornsby, Joseph Pierre
Screenplay by: Terence Winter
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, pervasive language, drug content, sexuality and nudity.
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: November 9, 2005
Visits: 88
