Curtis Jackson III’s stage name ’50 Cent’ is iconic, but do you know the inspiration behind it?

You may have already known why Eminem’s rap name isn’t completely random, but what about 50 Cent? While you wait for more news about whether or not the pair of legendary performers are going to release an album together, after the Real Slim Shady admitted it would be ‘great’ to work with the ‘Candy Shop’ rapper, let us inform you.

Did he find 50 cents left on the street one day? Did he make 50 cents for his first ever performance? The possibilities are endless.

However, it turns out Curtis Jackson picked the stage name as a result of someone from his childhood.

Jackson grew up in Queens, New York and just around the corner in Brooklyn lived a kid named Kelvin Martin.

Jackson was a drug dealer and was known as – you guessed it – 50 Cent. Why?

Well, Uproxx claims there’s various stories about the origin of the name, however, one includes Martin going into a dice game with 50 cent and leaving with $500.

Another tale alleges Martin used to rob anyone for any amount of money – even just 50 cents.

Now, these may not sound like terribly positive experiences to inspire a stage name, however, Jackson has eluded to his inspiration for the name in past interviews.

Do you know how 50 Cent got his stage name? (Prince Williams/WireImage)

Rather than it being simply based off Martin – who reportedly passed away after getting shot at the age of 23 – Jackson saw it as a metaphor for change.

Jackson himself was a drug dealer prior to becoming a rapper and was shot at in May 2000.

Jackson said: “I took the name 50 Cent because it says everything I want it to say. I’m the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means.”

And it’s not taken long for people to flock to social media to weigh in on the backstory.

One Reddit user said: “He said it’s metaphor for change. 50 CENT is the future.”

However, some OG fans are way ahead of the game, one resolving: “The people that didn’t know that are either casual 50 fans or are just too young. Probably were born after ‘05. Cuz they literally made a whole documentary about Kelvin Martin ‘The 1st 50 cent’ & even 50 himself (Curtis) was in that documentary… he was in it a lot actually.

“50 even said where he got the name from in ‘The New Breed’ documentary GRODT deluxe edition back in ‘03… but yea a lot of history there & behind the name.”

Warning: This article contains discussion of domestic violence which some readers may find distressing.

Rapper 50 Cent has responded to rumors about Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs ‘spooning’ a male music producer.

The speculation began when social media star Josh Ostrovsky claimed that he saw Diddy ‘hooking up‘ with another man at a party in Miami.

He made the claims back in 2015, but recently spoke about the incident again in a recent episode of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast.

Ostrovsky said he had seen Diddy with another man (YouTube/Not Skinny But Not Fat)

Ostrovsky said he has walked into a room he ‘shouldn’t have’ and asked if it was the bathroom.

“I walked in a room I shouldn’t have walked into, and I saw him hooking up with a dude,” he said.

“Basically, like, full spooning situation.

“Everyone in the room stopped. I was like, ‘Is this the bathroom?”

Apparently, he was told: “This is a room where male celebrities hook up.”

Ostrovsky claimed that Diddy‘s team asked him to say he was joking about the incident.

Earlier this week, 50 Cent weighed in on the comments, sharing a clip from the podcast on his Instagram account.

“Don’t feel bad I told them something wasn’t right,” he captioned the since-deleted post. “They just couldn’t see it till now. The Diddler in full Effect.”

UNILAD has reached out to Diddy and 50 Cent for a comment.

Earlier this month, CCTV footage dated as being from March 5, 2016 was shared by CNN showing Diddy physically assaulting Cassie Ventura in the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles.

Diddy later took to Instagram to apologise for his actions in the video.

He said: “So difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, sometimes you got to do that. I was f**ked up.

“I mean, I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses, my behavior in that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video, I’m disgusted.

“I was disgusted then when I did it, I am disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help, I got into going to therapy, going to rehab.

“Had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I am committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness, I’m truly sorry.”

CCTV footage shows Diddy assaulting Cassie Ventura (MEGA/GC Images)

And Ventura has since spoken out too.

The post reads: “Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet. The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning.

“Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.

“Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to take this matter seriously. My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in.

“I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don’t cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone. This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me. Thank you. Love Always, Cassie.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline on 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. You can find a list of local resources here.

50 Cent wasn’t best pleased when Taco Bell suggested he changed his stage name.

Back in 2008, (arguably at the height of the ‘Candy Shop’ rapper‘s fame) Taco Bell brought out a new campaign.

Titled ‘Why Pay More?’, the popular fast food chain released its value menu in May that year and had a series of items are prices from 79¢, 89¢, and 99¢ – a far cry from its current prices.

As part of the campaign, Taco Bell made a tongue-in-cheek suggestion to 50 Cent (real nameCurtis James Jackson III) to change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent.

It went down like a lead balloon with the rapper though, who went on to sue Taco Bell for an eye-watering $4 million and accused the company of using his name in its campaign without his permission.

The lawsuit stated at the time, as per The Guardian: “Without seeking or obtaining Jackson’s authorisation, defendant Taco Bell made him the star and focus of its nationwide advertising campaign by using his name, persona and trademark to promote Taco Bell’s business and products.”

Taco Bell released it’s ‘Why Pay More?’ campaign in 2008. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

“As Taco Bell intended, many customers believed that 50 Cent had agreed to endorse Taco Bell’s products. Indeed, postings on numerous internet ‘blogs’ castigated 50 Cent for ‘selling out’ by his apparent endorsement of Taco Bell,” the lawsuit continued.

But spokesman for Taco Bell at the time Rob Poetsch went on to say in the wake of the suit: “We made a good faith, charitable offer to 50 Cent to change his name to either 79, 89 or 99 Cent for one day by rapping his order at a Taco Bell, and we would have been very pleased to make the $10,000 donation to the charity of his choice.”

The following year it was revealed that the rapper won the lawsuit, but terms of the settlement were never revealed.

50 Cent went on to file a $4 million lawsuit against Taco Bell. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

“As is often the case in these situations, the parties have agreed not to discuss anything about the settlement except to say both sides are satisfied,” 50 Cent’s lawyer said at the time.

The only information shared was that both parities paid for their own respective legal fees as part of the deal.

It’s not uncommon for celebrities to find themselves in legal battles with huge brands – something which John Cena knows all about.

In 2017, the WWE favorite was slapped with a $500,000 lawsuit from Ford after he sold his brand new GT without the car manufacturer’s permission.

12 months later they settled the suit out of court and Cena issued a public apology to Ford.

50 Cent showed his dedication to a role by losing an impressive amount of weight… but no one saw the flick and those that did, didn’t like it.

50 Cent has had a successful rap career and this has allowed him to venture into other avenues and business.

However, when it comes to acting, it hasn’t always worked out for the star.

For a 2010 movie, the music star showed just how dedicated he was to the role, however, and dropped a whopping 24kg for the flick.

In the film, the rapper looked near unrecognizable, deviating from his usual buff appearance.

The film, All Things Fall Apart, followed promising college football player Deon, played by Jackson, struggling with cancer in his senior year and was loosely based on the rapper’s childhood pal. You can watch the trailer below.

The star lost an astounding amount of weight on a liquid diet in just nine weeks and shared several shots of his gaunt frame on social media at the time, much to the concern of fans.

Speaking to the Associated Press back then, he said: “This time it was a lot tougher for me. I had to discipline myself not … to actually have myself be in the physical state to convey the energy I felt.

“It’s a passion project for me.”

The now-47-year-old explained that when his extreme diet got tough, he would Google other actors that had lost weight for a role for inspiration.

50 Cent showed his dedication to a role by losing an impressive amount of weight… but no one saw the flick.(Cheetah Vision Films)

The hitmaker added: “I actually got on the computer. When it started getting difficult, I was looking to see what their experience was like and I got a chance to see all of the interviews they had at different time periods when they were doing promotion for the projects.”

However, 50 Cent’s performance in the drama, which also starred the late Ray Liotta, didn’t have quite the impact on moviegoers that he had probably hoped.

Critics in fact panned his performance, with one critic, Brian Orndorf, writing: “Straining to be meaningful until its blue in the face, All Things Fall Apart is a hackneyed, stilted production, held back in great part by Jackson’s decision to insert himself in the lead role.”

In the film, the rapper looked near unrecognizable and it makes sense since he has always appeared rather buff since hitting the music scene. (Astrida Valigorsky/WireImage)

At the time, it received a 58 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes – and went straight to DVD after premiering at the Miami International Film Festival in 2011.

Although his first movie endeavour slightly missed the mark, 50 Cent has enjoyed much success with his series Power, which he starred in and executive produced, as well as it’s spin-off Power II: Ghost and ABC show For Life.