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Though he would later struggle with the nature of his fame as well as market expectations, 50 Cent endured substantial obstacles throughout his young yet remarkably dramatic life before becoming the most discussed figure in rap, if not pop music in general, circa 2003. Following an unsuccessful late-'90s run at mainstream success (foiled by an attempt on his life in 2000) and a successful run on the New York mixtape circuit (driven by his early-2000s bout with Ja Rule), Eminem signed 50 Cent to a seven-figure contract in 2002 and helmed his quick rise toward crossover success in 2003... ~ Jason Birchmeier Follow @50cent on twitter! Follow @chrisbrown on twitter! Follow @SonnyDigital on twitter! smarturl.it/50ImTheMan

LORD TOPH pays tribute to his musical roots in this new collection of music. Growing up in the South and being deeply influenced by the sound of Delta Blues, Classic Rock and Soul, he creatively finds a way to infuse these essential genres of music to create a sound all his own. Follow @thelordtoph on twitter! www.montecristophmusic.com https://itunes.apple.com/artist/lord-toph/id371072296 http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Toph/e/B00LBN0RXA https://soundcloud.com/user512331353

Latino rapper Fat Joe (aka Fat Joe da Gangsta, Joey Crack, and his real name, Joe Cartagena) was raised in the South Bronx area of New York. It was through an older brother that Cartagena learned the ways of the street, as well as discovering rap music via the sounds of such groundbreaking artists as Theodore, Funky 4 + 1, and the Furious Five. Eventually going by the name of Fat Joe, the rapper secured a recording contract with the Relativity label in the early '90s, resulting in the release of his full-length debut, Represent, in 1993 (which spawned the single "Flow Joe," peaking at the number one spot on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart). Two years later, Fat Joe issued his sophomore effort, Jealous One's Envy, which included a cameo appearance by KRS-One as well as production contributions by the likes of DJ Premier, L.E.S., and Domingo. Around the same time, Fat Joe appeared on LL Cool J's big hit "I Shot Ya" (along with Foxy Brown and Keith Murray) and collaborated with Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon on a track from the "Envy" single, called "Firewater." By the late '90s, Fat Joe had switched record labels (signing on with Atlantic) and tried his hand at other non-musical career ventures such as opening a clothing store called Fat Joe's Halftime, a barber shop, and a fashion line, FJ560. In addition, he signed a production and distribution deal with Atlantic Records and Mystic Entertainment (which he ran with a partner named Big Greg). Fat Joe's debut for Atlantic, 1998's Don Cartagena, featured cameo appearances by the likes of Puff Daddy, Nas, Raekwon, Big Pun, and Jadakiss (the LOX), and was followed up in 2001 with Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.), which included contributions from Ludacris, Petey Pablo, M.O.P., R. Kelly, and Remy. Loyalty followed in 2002, and All or Nothing arrived three years after that. The raw Me, Myself and I from 2006 found the rapper on his own Terror Squad imprint, which was distributed by EMI. His second album for the label, The Elephant in the Room, appeared in 2008. A year later, Jealous Ones Still Envy arrived with a star-studded guest list. In 2010 the "(Ha Ha) Slow Down," single announced the coming of that year's The Darkside. The album was the rapper's first release for the E1 label. ~ Greg Prato Follow @fatjoe on twitter! Follow @realremyma on twitter! Follow @FrencHMonTanA on twitter! instagram.com/fatjoe