Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, the 50-year-old rap legend whose journey from Queens’ streets to global stardom epitomizes the American dream, stunned the world on November 7, 2025, by announcing he will donate his entire $5 million in prize money from his recent Final Lap Tour extension and sponsorship earnings to construct a network of homeless support centers in his native New York City borough, creating 150 permanent homes and 300 beds for those sleeping rough in the community that shaped him. The initiative, dubbed “G-Unit Housing: From the Block to a Bed,” marks a full-circle triumph for Jackson, who rose from a 2000 shooting that nearly ended his life to a $520 million empire built on Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (13M sales) and savvy investments like Vitaminwater’s $100M payout.

At a tearful press conference outside the Queensbridge Houses—where Jackson grew up amid poverty and violence—the rapper, flanked by Mayor Eric Adams and housing advocates, declared, “I’ve seen too many people in my hometown struggling through cold nights without a roof, and I promised myself if I had the chance, I’d help. No one should sleep outside in the cold.” The $5 million, earned from sold-out arenas in Asia and Europe plus Reebok and Effen Vodka deals, will fund three centers: a 50-unit family shelter in Jamaica, a 60-bed youth facility in South Ozone Park, and a 40-unit veteran home in Far Rockaway, each with job training, mental health services, and childcare—addressing NYC’s 91,000 homeless (2025 Coalition for the Homeless).

Jackson’s roots fuel the fire: orphaned young, dealing drugs by 12, shot nine times in 2000, he turned pain into power. “Queens made me—now I’m giving back,” he said, voice cracking. The tour, grossing $100M globally, was his “victory lap”; this donation his victory for others. “Fif’s not just talking unity—he’s building it,” said Adams, pledging city land. Partners include the Robin Hood Foundation ($2M match) and G-Unit Films, producing a doc on the build.

Fans erupted with 4.2 million #50GivesBack posts: “From bullets to beds—legend!” tweeted one. Critics who mocked his bravado now eat crow—Jackson’s 2023 Houston hospital ($3M) and 2024 Texas youth center ($1M) preceded this. “I got rich, but I never forgot the struggle,” he told Billboard.

As winter looms—1,200 died homeless in NYC 2024 (NYC DHS)—Jackson’s gift is lifeline. The first center opens 2026, with Jackson vowing, “Every bed has my name on it—literally.” From In Da Club to in the community, 50 Cent proves: Real power builds homes, not just hits.