50 Cent: Author?

By: Shannon Gossage

The books will feature members of his G-Unit Posse - Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, Tony Yayo, and Olivia - as characters. Pocket/MTV Books will release the books, and according to the press release, will "tell the truth about 'The Life': the sex, guns, and cash; the brutal highs and short lives of the players on the streets." No word on whether or not Fiddy himself will actually pen a novella, but Nikki Turner will write the first novella inspired by Fiddy's "life in the hood" which is slated for a 2007 release. Turner wrote such hits as The Glamorous Life and The Hustler's Wife.

The rapper's publicist Marc Gerald said, "50's always been a voracious reader, whether street fiction by Donald Goines...or business books, and he's always felt like getting books out in the community that reflect the lifestyle and also encourage people to read." He went on to say, "I think 50 ultimately tells a really inspiring story of making it. I think all of his books, even though there might be violence, are all about optimism and getting there. And the opportunity to get young people to talk about books in a meaningful way, that in itself is an achievement."

50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson, is a former crack dealer who has overcome his past to become a success. He has two hit albums, 2003's Get Rich or Die Tryin' and this year's The Massacre. He recently launched his own G-Unit clothing line and his first video game Bulletproof is set to appear in stores next week. His first movie Get Rich or Die Tryin' was released last week and has already grossed upwards of $12 million despite some controversy over the billboards which feature the rapper with a gun in one hand and a microphone in the other. A Philadelphia movie theater yanked the film after a man was shot and killed at its opening night last week.