Dedication This book is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Sabrina Jackson, and my nana, Beulah Jackson. They might have departed in their physical forms, but their love, support, and guidance continue to inspire me every day. Contents Cover Title Page Dedication Introduction 1. Finding Fearlessness 2. Heart of a Hustler 3. Constructing Your Crew 4. Knowing Your Value 5. Evolve or Die 6. Power of Perception 7. If We Can’t Be Friends 8. Learning from Your Ls 9. The Entitlement Trap Acknowledgments About the Author Copyright About the Publisher Introduction For years people have been encouraging me to pen a self-help book. Even waved a couple of big checks in my face. I always passed. Not that I didn’t come close a few times. I even got as far as coauthoring one (The 50th Law) with the great Robert Greene, but I still never felt totally comfortable writing one on my own. I just didn’t like the idea of presenting myself as an expert on life. That might sound strange coming from the one who has never been shy about telling you how much money he has, how many records he sold, or the TV shows he’s produced. Yes, I’ve been comfortable sharing my successes publicly, but privately I’m sensitive to the fact that those accomplishments haven’t made my life all the way right. There are many things I’ve fucked up: money, relationships, opportunities, friendships . you name it. I’ve absolutely failed as many times as I’ve succeeded. Which, ultimately, is the very reason I finally decided to write a book. There aren’t many people who have experienced success on the level I have. Within that elite group, even fewer had to pull themselves up from the bottom like I had to. It’s a story I’ve told many times before but is worth repeating here: my mother had me when she was just fifteen. As a single mother, she was forced to turn to selling drugs to support me. For several years she prospered on the streets, but as they do with almost everyone, those streets eventually caught up with her. She was killed when I was eight years old, and I was forced to move in with my grandparents, who were already raising nine children of their own. By the time I was twelve, I was selling drugs on the same streets that had claimed my mother. It was the kind of circumstances that knock most people down and keep them there. But I never stopped pushing. I got into hip-hop, made a little noise, and then got shot nine times over a neighborhood beef. That would have been the end of the road for most people, but I was just getting started. I recovered, kept working on my music, and ended up releasing one of the bestselling debut albums in history. By the time I hit thirty, I’d sold tens of millions of albums, produced and starred in my own biopic, and become one of the first hip-hop artists to create a mainstream brand. I figured I’d left the struggle behind me once and for all, but I was wrong. Over the next few years, my manager/mentor Chris Lighty died under tragic circumstances, I became a target for lawsuits, and most of the money in the record industry literally streamed out the door as MP3s replaced CDs. In my unprecedented success, people couldn’t get enough of me. Even when things became complicated, I grew in popularity, but for the wrong reasons. The forces that built me up were now taking pleasure in my potential destruction. It was never a true rock bottom—very few rock bottoms are lined with Gucci wallpaper and have Lamborghinis in the garage—but my life felt like it was headed in the wrong direction. So what did I do? I rethought my approach and shed people and excess baggage like a snake sheds skin. I hustled harder and smarter. And, in dedicating myself to building a relationship with my youngest son, Sire, I would like to think I also became a better person. Within a few years, I made a series of moves that led to some of the greatest successes of my career. I created and executive-produced a hit show for Starz, Power. Soon I was dominating shows in the ratings the way I used to dominate other rappers on the charts. But Power was just the start of my master plan. This past October, my company, G-Unit Film and Television, Inc., signed a four-year deal with Starz/Lionsgate that is said to be the biggest deal in premium cable history. And that’s just one of the many projects I have in the pipeline. The most accomplished and lucky ones achieve success once; I’ve managed to make it to the top twice. In many ways, I’m prouder of my second trip to the summit than my first. A lot of people wrote me off. Said that I was done. Even, to borrow a phrase from one of my albums, self-destructed. I saw all of the headlines. Heard all of the talk. Caught all of the celebrations of my failures. Which has only made my success in the television field even sweeter. It’s also what finally spurred me to write this book. I need people to understand that there is no such thing as “making it.” That no matter how much money you stack, fame you achieve, or success you taste, there are going to be more struggles in your future. More drama to deal with. More obstacles placed in your path. The goal is not just to be successful. It’s about learning how to sustain that success, too. A skill I had to learn the hard way. And one I’m going to teach you in this book. Today I’m forty-four years old, an age I once thought I’d never come close to reaching. Hell, just making it to twenty-one seemed like it might be too much to ask at one point. Yet here I am in my fourth decade, with a few grays peeking through my beard and the wrinkles starting to set in (still got a six-pack and strong hairline, though). But I’m comfortable where I’m at. It’s a more mature age, one that allows me to look at my life and accurately assess what’s made me who I am. And when I try to sum up my ability to keep finding ways to stay on top, I can see it comes down to two main characteristics: I’ve got the heart of a hustler. And I’m fearless. My primary goal for this book is to help you develop those same characteristics. But before we get into how, I want to talk about those words: “fearless” and “hustler.” Coming from me, those words probably make you think of 50 Cent the Gangsta. The guy who openly bragged about selling drugs. Who got shot nine times and didn’t seem to mind. Who got into beefs with some of the most feared names both on the streets and in hip-hop and never once backed down. Those exploits all belonged to 50 Cent, a persona I adopted in order to help deal with the chaos and insanity that I saw all around me growing up. But this book isn’t designed to turn you into the next 50 Cent. Don’t get it twisted: 50 Cent was, and still is, a real part of who I am. But if that persona was all there was to me, I never would have been able to maintain the success I’ve achieved. That’s why, in this book, I’m going to share the thinking of both 50 Cent and Curtis Jackson. I didn’t start going by “50 Cent” till I was older, but ever since I was a kid, I’ve always felt like there were two sides to me. Two identities I had to be comfortable with. The side that allowed me to exist in my grandmother’s home, where cussing wasn’t tolerated and Sundays were for church, and the side that allowed me to survive on the streets. I needed both of those sides to get by. There were times when I would actually wonder if there was something off about me. Did everyone else have that sense of duality inside of them? Or was I slightly off in the head? Today, I can see that there was nothing off about it. Just the opposite. My ability to harness both personalities has been one of my greatest strengths. 50 Cent propelled me to the top. Curtis Jackson is the man who has been able to keep me there. At this point I’ve been moving in corporate America longer than I was hustlin’. I was only making dirty money from the age of twelve to twenty- four. I’ve been earning legal, corporate cash from twenty-five to forty-four. That’s almost twice as long. Not surprisingly, at this point, the streets and the business world often don’t seem that different to me. Neither play fair. Both are ultracompetitive. They’re both ruthless. And you can still dominate each one if you follow several basic principles: Be fearless. Most people run from what they’re afraid of. I run toward it. That doesn’t mean I think I’m bulletproof (I’ve learned the hard way that I’m not) or that I’m unaware of danger.