Alas, 50 Cent’s classic early tapes have to make the transition to streaming services. Truly unfortunate, given how enjoyable Power Of The Dollar and the street classic Guess Who’s Back remain to this day. And while diving into Fif’s pre-Shady-Aftermath catalog has become a difficult endeavor, relatively speaking, Fif himself has never been afraid to take his fans down memory lane in a different manner altogether.
Easily one of hip-hop’s most active Instagrammers, 50 has kept fans in tune with his come-up by way of throwback pictures, uploading a few vintage snapshots to his page ever so often. Today, Fif has shared a picture from thirty years ago, 1991 to be precise, along with an anecdote about his grandmother.
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“Yo I was 15 in this picture on the South Side you have to grow up faster,” captions Fif, alongside the picture of his defiant teenage self. “I made a lot of mistakes I was already in juvie, I remember my Nana coming to see me, she is my angel. She love me unconditionally.” Twelve years later, he would go on to make history, signing a joint deal with Dr. Dre and Eminem and dropping one of the greatest debut albums of all time.
Given everything he has since built, including a substantial (and still growing) television empire, it’s always welcome to see a reminder of 50 Cent’s formative roots. And from the sound of it, he couldn’t have risen to where he is today without his Nana, who he still considers to be his angel. Check out the vintage picture below, a snapshot of 50 Cent’s time in juvie before a rap career was ever on the table.