In 2005, hip-hop star 50 Cent (née Curtis Jackson) appeared in a loosely autobiographical film, Get Rich or Die Tryin'. Two years prior, the Eminem protégé had released his debut album of the same name. The album was a critical and commercial success; the same can't be said for the movie. Either way, while nine bullets legendarily attempted to fell Jackson in his youth, it's safe to say 50 has achieved his goal of impressive wealth. In September, "Fiddy" appeared second on Forbes list of "Hip-Hop Cash Kings," banking $32 million in 2006 alone.

In May 2007, Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) purchased a little company called Glaceau, which makes Vitaminwater. The soft-drink giant's $4.2 billion cash and stock purchase translated into a payout of $400 million for 50 Cent, who held a sizable stake in the brand (his estimated profit after taxes was around $100 million). Other 50 Cent projects include the G-Unit record label, a clothing line, a sneaker line through the Reebok brand, ring tones, and video games -- to name only a few.

But Jackson wasn't simply busying himself with entrepreneurial ventures in 2007; he also went back into the studio and released his third studio album, Curtis, on September 11. There were shallow rumors of a sales-number feud with Kanye West, whose Graduation album was released on the same day. Kanye may have won the battle after the first week, but Curtis sales were still quite impressive, at 691,000 for the first week. As of early December, more than 1.1 million albums have sold in the U.S. alone.

He may have almost died trying, but Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson is certainly rich.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

Be sure to check out more Money Winners of 2007.