Get Rich or Die Tryin' is a 2005 American hip-hop crime drama 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,[2] 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 debut album of the same name.
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, producer, and entrepreneur. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of the borough of Queens, Jackson began selling drugs at age twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic. He later began pursuing a musical career and in 2000 he produced Power of the Dollar for Columbia Records, but days before the planned release he was shot and the album was never released. In 2002, after Jackson released the compilation album Guess Who's Back?, he was discovered by Eminem and signed to Shady Records, under the aegis of Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.