50 Cent Pens A Letter To His Younger Self

For a special feature from The Big Issue, they grabbed 50 Cent and asked him to write an open letter about his life as a youngster and what makes him who he is today. He talks about his grandmother’s death, Jam Master Jay, his mother’s death, Eminem, the change in Hip-Hop culture and more.

Read a touching excerpt below and the entire letter here.

It scared me half to death when my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. My aunt would call me with updates all the time and she always said, don’t worry, she’s fine. I’ve never told anyone this but two years ago, the day she called to tell me… It was early in the morning and I was on a treadmill in the gym. I got to the hospital and the whole family was there. My aunt told me the doctor said she’d had a stroke and there was nothing they could do. They took me to her and she was the smallest I ever saw her. I said ‘Hello?’ I saw her eyes jump when she heard my voice, like she was trying to see where I was at. Everyone else left and I talked to her for a little bit. Then they all came back in and her heart rate started to drop. My aunt said, shit, she was waiting for you. I’ve seen a lot of people pass in the neighbourhood, I’ve lost them to motorcycles or altercations or drugs. But none of them impacted like when my grandmother died. She was the love of my life.