@Stackgoldent

1999 - 2000: "Ghetto Qu'ran" Recorded
• 50 Cent records "Ghetto Qu'ran (Forgive Me)" — a
track that name-drops real street legends from Queens like Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff and others tied to the Supreme Team.
The lyrics include details only someone close to the
streets would know.
2000: Track Leaks + Industry Pushback
• The track leaks and makes waves in the
underground.
Columbia Records shelves 50's debut album and drops him. Word spreads that the content of his music is too hot.
• Rumors start: Did he just dry snitch in a rap song?
May 2000: 50 Cent is Shot 9 Times
• Outside his grandmother's house in Queens, 50 is ambushed and shot nine times.
Streets speculate the hit was retaliation for exposing
real names and business in his lyrics - particularly targeting the Supreme Team.
2001-2002: Rebuilding & Mixtape Domination
50 survives and comes back harder with mixtapes
like 50 Cent Is the Future, continuing to reference street politics.
Despite respect for his grind, some in the streets
still see him as a liability for talking too much.
2003: Get Rich or Die Tryin' Explodes
50 drops his debut major-label album. He leans into
the bulletproof image and fearlessness.
He disses Ja Rule and Murder Inc. — whose ties to
Supreme create even more street tension.
Post-2003: Split Opinions
Fans see 50 as a survivor, real, and fearless.
Others (especially in certain street circles) still label
him a dry snitch or rat, saying he fed the system with lyrics, not statements.
His enemies use this against him. His supporters say
he exposed the truth and lived through it.