Kelvin Martin

Kelvin Darnell Martin (July 24, 1964 – October 24, 1987), also known  as 50 Cent, was an American criminal from Brooklyn, New York City, New York. He is primarily known as the inspiration for the name of the rapper, 50 Cent.

Biography
Born in 1964 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, Martin later moved to Brooklyn, New York City, New York.  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 50 cents 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.

Legacy
Martin's 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.

References

Category:1964 births
Category:1987 deaths
Category:20th-century American criminals
Category:African-American mobsters
Category:American mobsters
Category:American male criminals
Category:American criminals
Category:American robbers
Category:Criminals from New York City
Category:Murdered African-American people
Category:People from the Bronx
Category:People from Brooklyn
Category:Deaths by firearm in Brooklyn