How can you not know who 50 Cent is?  50 Cent has done something that hasn't been done in a while.  A COMPLETE DEEBO of the Industry.  Strategy or fate?  A little of both.  His controversial How To Rob garnered much attention.  Then consequently he was shot multiple times and survived through it all. (there's your street cred).  By this time, the bootleg of his supposes debut 'Power Of The Dollar' was hot on the streets and the internet.  Quickly following that, 50 gets dropped from a deal.  Later on he releases Guess Who's Back and again has the streets talking.  By this time his beef with Ja Rule & Murder Inc. is in full effect.  Somehow Eminem gets tapes of 50 Cent and they begin chitter chatter.  Then in an almost assassin like fashion 50 releases THREE mixtapes to the street featuring his crew G-Unit (50 Cent Is The Future, No Mercy No Fear, God's Plan).  Uh oh...now he has the streets on lock...only one more step.  50 Cent signs to Shady Records, features on the biggest hip hop movie soundtrack at the time (8 Mile) and releases his first single entitled "Wanksta" and grabs the media by the throat.  By the time everyones singing on Wanksta, Dr. Dre produces the hit "IN Tha Club", an instant club anthem, and has everybody EAGERLY anticipating the album.  The album soon follows and sells nearly 900, 000 copies the first week...topping Snoop Dogg's debut album record for most copies sold in the first week.  Hook, Line, sinker.