Kelvin Martin

Kelvin Darnell Martin (July 24, 1964 – October 24, 1987), also knownas 50 Cent, was an American criminal from Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Martin is primarily known as the inspiration for the name of the rapper, 50 Cent.

Born in 1964 in The Bronx borough of New York City, Martin was partially raised by his grandmother Irene Martin in The Bronx. Martin later moved to Brooklyn, New York City, New York, residing in the Fort Greene neighborhood. Martin was possibly known as '50 Cent' due to his reputation of being prepared to rob anyone, regardless of how much money they were carrying at the time. Another story is that it came from an incident when he entered a game of dice with 50 cents and ended up walking away with $500. Martin spent time in Rikers Island as a youth.

The nickname may also be an allusion to his physically tiny stature - he weighed only 120 pounds (54 kg) and his height was 5'2" (157 cm). Martin was shot on October 20, 1987, on the stairway of his girlfriend's project building in the Albany Projects, dying in Kings County Hospital four days later. Julio "WeMo" Acevedo was convicted of first-degree manslaughter and "served about a decade" in prison for Martin's killing.

Legacy

Martin's life and influence were chronicled in an in-depth, biographical documentary, starting from his upbringing and carrying through past his death. The documentary is called Infamous Times: The Original 50 Cent. Another documentary about him is called, The Original 50 Cent: The True Story of The Legend Who Inspired The Biggest Name In Rap.