Before 50 Cent broke through to the mainstream with ‘In Da Club’, the rapper (real name Curtis Jackson) was on the New York underground. Before Jackson signed to Shady Records and got catapulted into the limelight, Nas helped 50 Cent as an up-and-coming Queens rapper by providing him with a co-sign and spreading the word around the industry.
However, it was Eminem, under Interscope, who ultimately chose to sign 50 Cent to his label Shady Records. 50 Cent has previously spoken about how Eminem helped him in his career as a mentor and why their relationship is so important to him.
Time and time again, Jackson has detailed the gift of having Eminem’s mentorship and has sung the rapper’s praises. On one occasion, the rapper even revealed that he idolised Mathers and his achievements. So naturally, when Eminem was battling his drug and alcohol addiction, Jackson felt it was his duty to protect him as best he could.
In a self-written article, a vulnerable Mathers opened up about how 50 Cent saved him while he was high on drugs and alcohol, writing, “I remember things started getting really, really bad when me, 50, and G-Unit did BET’s 106 & Park. We performed ‘You Don’t Know’ on the show, and then we did an interview afterwards. That’s when the wheels started coming off,” he wrote.
He continued, “One of the hosts was talking to me, and I could not understand a word she was saying. 50 had to cover for me and answer every question.” Mathers even opened up about the death of his close friend, rapper Proof, writing, “Then the thing happened with Proof, and my addiction went through the f*ckin’ roof. I remember just after Proof died, I was in my house by myself, and I was just laying in bed, and I couldn’t move, and I just kept staring at the ceiling fan. And I just kept taking more pills.”
Since 2010, the year in which Mathers released his album Recovery, the rapper has been drug-free. However, he is very open about his relapses and past addiction.
