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.

Hunker down with your iPod and set "Just a Lil Bit" to repeat mode ... you may be hurting for new 50 Cent tracks if he leaves the business. Last month, the Eminem protégé (née Curtis Jackson III) made a flippant statement to reporters that he would leave show business if Kanye West's latest release, Graduation, topped 50 Cent's new album, Curtis, in its first week of sales. Both albums "dropped" on September 11.

The publicized sales battle was resolved today, and to Kanye went the spoils. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the man behind the 2005 smash single "Gold Digger" sold 957,000 copies in its first week of release, while 50 Cent's new album sold just 691,000. 50's last album, The Massacre, hit shelves in 2005 and sold 1.1 million copies in its first week. A publicized temper-tantrum after the Video Music Awards and a self-mocking appearance on Sunday's Emmy's broadcast may have helped give Kanye the edge.

Graduation was released on Roc-A-Fella Records, co-founded by Jay-Z, while Curtis was on the Aftermath label, which is owned by Dr. Dre. Both are ultimately distributed by Universal Music Group, a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal.