Kelvin Darnell Martin

I ask myself why is it that rappers oftentimes name themselves after criminals. Is because the names of criminals already carries a certain notoriety or street fame in most cases?

50 Cent borrowed the his name from Kevin Darnell Martin (July 24, 1964 – October 24, 1987.) He was also known as 50 Cent. He was an American who grew up in the Bronx, New York but, later moved to Brooklyn, New York. He is primarily known as the inspiration for the rapper, 50 Cent.

Kelvin 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 a 50 cent stake and ended up walking away with $500. 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)

He was shot on October 20, 1987 on the stairway of his girlfriend's project building, 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.

His 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.

Martin is interred in Silver Mountain Cemetery.

Comments

Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni, Jr. (born June 7, 1943 - )

Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee , to Yolande Cornelia, Sr. and Jones "Gus" Giovanni. She grew up in Lincoln Heights , a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio , though she returned to Knoxville to live with her grandparents in 1958, and attended the city's Austin High School . In 1960, she began her studies at her grandfather's alma mater, Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee . She had a difficult time adjusting to college life and was subsequently expelled. However, she realized that she needed an education, drove back to Nashville, spoke with the Dean of Women, and was readmitted. In 1967, she graduated with honors with a B.A. in History. She returned to Cincinnati and established the city's first Black Arts Festival. Giovanni also began writing the poems that are included in her first self-published volume, Black Feeling, Black Talk (1968). Afterward she went on to attend graduate school at the University o...

PHYLLIS LINDA HYMAN (July 6, 1949 – June 30, 1995)

Phyllis Hyman was born in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , and grew up in St. Clair Village , the South Hills section of Pittsburgh . Born to an Italian mother, (Louise), and African-American father, (Phillip), Hyman was the eldest of seven children. Through her paternal great-grandparents Ishmael and Cassandra (Cross) Hyman, she was also the first cousin once removed of actor Earle Hyman (best known for his recurring role on The Cosby Show as Cliff's father, Russell Huxtable). After leaving Pittsburgh, her music training started at a music school. On graduation, she performed on a national tour with the group New Direction in 1971. After the group disbanded, she joined All the People and worked with another local group, The Hondo Beat. At this time, she appeared in the film Lenny (1974). She also did a two-year stint leading a band called "Phyllis Hyman and the P/H Factor". She was discovered in 1975 by...

369th Infantry Regiment “Harlem Hellfighters”

First organized in 1916 as the 15th New York National Guard Infantry Regiment and manned by black enlisted soldiers with both black and white officers, the U.S. Army’s 369th Infantry Regiment, popularly known as the “Harlem Hellfighters,” was the best known African American unit of World War I. The regiment was nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters, the Black Rattlers, which was given to the regiment by the French. The nickname "Hell Fighters" was given to them by the Germans due to their toughness and that they never lost a man through capture, lost a trench or a foot of ground to the enemy. The "Harlem Hellfighters" were the first all black regiment that helped change the American public's opinion on African American soldiers and helped pave the way for future African American soldiers. Federalized in 1917, the 369th prepared for service in Europe and arrived in Brest, France in December. The next month, the regiment became part of the 93rd Division (Provisio...

Enlightened Free Thinking Nubian Kings And Queens

Search This Blog