Members
(A.K.A. Guerilla Unit)

50 Cent (A.K.A. Ferrari F-50) (Born Curtis James Jackson, III, July 6, 1976 in Queens, NY)
Lloyd Banks (Born Christopher Charles Lloyd, April 30, 1982)
Tony Yayo (Born Marvin Bernard, March 31, 1978)

Former:
Young Buck (Born David Darnell Brown, March 15, 1981)

See Also: Eminem, D12, Olivia, Mobb Deep, Ma$e & DJ Whoo Kid

Albums
G-Unit - Beg For Mercy
G-Unit - All Eyez On Us: G-Unit Radio Vol. 5
G-Unit - T.O.S.: Terminate On Sight
50 Cent - Power Of The Dollar
50 Cent - Guess Who's Back
50 Cent - Guess Who's Back Again
50 Cent - That's What's Up
50 Cent & G-Unit - God's Plan
50 Cent - No Mercy, No Fear
50 Cent & G-Unit - Automatic Gunfire
50 Cent - Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
50 Cent - Bulletproof
DJ Whoo Kid - Smokin' Day 2: The Official G Unit/Tha Pound Blunt Wrap Mixtape
50 Cent & G-Unit - Extortion
50 Cent - 2050: Before The Massacre (G-Unit Radio Part 10)
50 Cent - The Massacre
Lloyd Banks - Mo' Money In The Bank
Lloyd Banks - The Hunger For More
Young Buck - Straight Outta Ca$hville

Singles
50 Cent - Fully Loaded Clip (Single)

DVDs
50 Cent - The New Breed (DVD)

Also Featured On...
Aftermath Mixtape
The Alchemist - 1st Infantry (Lloyd Banks)
The Alchemist - The Chemistry Files (Tony Yayo)
Avant - Director (Lloyd Banks)
Barbershop 2: Back In Business
Big Proof & Iron Fist Records Present Hand 2 Hand (50 Cent)
Big Syke - Reincarnated Volume 1 (50 Cent)
Big Wy - What It Do Mixtape Vol. 1 (50 Cent)
Mary J. Blige - Love & Life
Mary J. Blige - The Making Of A Queen Volume One
Mary J. Blige - The Breakthrough (50 Cent)
Booth Blasters Rip-Up The Mic!!
Daddy V & Snoop Dogg Present Blaze It Up: High 'Till I Die (50 Cent)
Daz Dillinger - Game Respect Game
Daz Dillinger - So So Gangsta: The Mixtape (Young Buck)
Devin The Dude - On The Grind: Smoke One 4 Your Brother (Young Buck)
Disses & Hot Shit Cornerstore Mixtape Vol. 3
DJ Finesse - The One And Only R&B King Pt. 4 (50 Cent)
DJ Green Lantern - Invasion Part II: Conspiracy Theory
DJ Green Lantern - Invasion Part Three: Countdown To Armageddon (Lloyd Banks & Young Buck)
DJ Jam Presents WBALLZ 187.4 FM Vol. 1 (50 Cent)
DJ Kay Slay - Underground Part 1: Well Connected
DJ Kayslay - The Streetsweeper Vol. 1 (50 Cent)
DJ Muggs - Soul Assassins: Hits For Hire
DJ Muggs - Take Aim
DJ Smallz & LeToya - Dirty RNB 14 (Young Buck)
DJ Whoo Kid - Westside Reloaded
DMX - Grand Champ (50 Cent)
DMX - Here We Go Again (Promo)
Tha Dogg Pound - Westcoast Gangstas (50 Cent & Young Buck)
DysFunktional Family (Young Buck)
8 Mile (50 Cent)
Eminem - Encore (50 Cent)
Eminem - Get The Guns (50 Cent)
Eminem Presents The Re-Up (50 Cent & Lloyd Banks)
Essential Underground Hip Hop (50 Cent)
Friday After Next
The Game - Live From Compton (50 Cent)
The Game - Nigga Witta Attitude
The Game - Niggaz Wit' A Additude Vol. 2 (50 Cent)
The Game - Charge It To The Game
The Game - The Documentary (50 Cent & Tony Yayo)
The Game & Snoop Dogg - Westside Connection
The Game - Ghost Unit (Lloyd Banks)
The Game - Stop Snitchin', Stop Lyin' Mixtape (50 Cent)
The Game - Put You On The Game
The Game - Compton King (Tony Yayo)
Hi-Tek - Hi-Teknology³ (Young Buck)
In Too Deep (50 Cent)
Lyfe Jennings - The Phoenix (Young Buck)
JOE - And Then...
JOE - Ain't Nothin' Like Me (Tony Yayo & Young Buck)
Donell Jones - Where I Wanna Be (50 Cent)
Donell Jones - Eight Unreleased Jams EP (50 Cent)
Julio G - Westside Radio Vol. 3
Krondon - Crack Music (50 Cent)
The Last Shall Be First
Lil' Kim - La Bella Mafia (50 Cent)
Lil' Kim - Ms. G.O.A.T.: Greatest Of All-Time (50 Cent)
MC Eiht Presents Tony Smallz: Smoke In Tha City (Young Buck)
Mobb Deep - Free Agents: The Murda Mix Tape (50 Cent)
Mobb Deep - Infamous Allegiance Pt. 1 (Lloyd Banks)
Musiq Soulchild - Luvanmusiq (Young Buck)
Nas - Nastalgic (50 Cent)
Nas - Nasir Jones: Carry The Cross Mixtape (50 Cent & Lloyd Banks)
Nas - The Lost Tapes Vol. 2 (50 Cent)
Next - Welcome II Nextasy (50 Cent)
Onyx - Shut 'Em Down (50 Cent)
Outlawz - New World Order (50 Cent)
Outlawz - Can't Turn Back Mixtape (Young Buck)
Phil The Agony - Steady Aromatic 2: The Purple Pack (50 Cent)
Prodigy - Return Of The Mac (Advance)
Proof - Searching For Jerry Garcia (50 Cent)
Ras Kass - Institutionalized (Young Buck)
Ras Kass - Eat Or Die (Lloyd Banks)
Rawkus Radio The Mixtape (50 Cent)
The Régime - All Out War Volume II (50 Cent)
Scipio - Young Scipio: The Mixtape
Snoop Dogg - R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece (50 Cent)
Spider Loc Presents: Bangadoshish (50 Cent & Young Buck)
Spider Loc - The King Of R&B (Rapping & Banging) (Lloyd Banks)
Strong Arm Steady - L.A. Ballin' 2004: All-Star Edition
Terror Squad - True Story (50 Cent)
Thug Radio Mixtape 20: Real Shit (Young Buck)
Too $hort - Pimpin' Incorporated (50 Cent)
Obie Trice - Cheers To Obie Trice (50 Cent & Lloyd Banks)
Obie Trice - Cheers
Obie Trice - Second Round's On Me (50 Cent)
Tupac Resurrection (50 Cent)
2Pac - Loyal To The Game
2Pac - Pac's Life (Young Buck)
Urban Hip Hop Volume 1 (50 Cent)
Violator - V3: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Promo
Welcome To The Chuuch Mixtape Volume 1 (50 Cent)
Kanye West - I'm Good
Woo (50 Cent)
Young Noble & JT The Bigga Figga Present Street Warz: The Untold Story Chapter 1 (50 Cent)
Young Noble - Soldier 2 General (Young Buck)
Yukmouth - Lord Of War

G-Unit's Bio From All Music.Com
Practically every East Coast hardcore rapper has a posse to back him, and 50 Cent is no different, with G-Unit as his particular crew. The Unit began as a trio comprised of 50, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo (often with the accompaniment of either DJ Whookid or Cutmaster C as their DJ), and this particular lineup resulted in a series of popular mixtapes: 50 Cent Is the Future, God's Plan, No Mercy, No Fear, and Automatic Gunfire. Before the group had a chance to record its debut album for Interscope in the wake of 50's breakthrough with Get Rich Or Die Tryin', Yayo was sentenced to prison for a gun-possession charge. His replacement, Young Buck, stepped up soon afterward, and the group continued its activity, working on yet more mixtape recordings and scoring some big-time success on the "G-Unit Remix" to 50's "P.I.M.P.," which also featured Snoop Dogg and got heavy rotation on MTV. Meanwhile, G-Unit recorded their debut album, Beg For Mercy, over the course of 2003, and Interscope finally rush-released the album on November 14 (to combat bootlegging), preceding it with a lead single, "Stunt 101." Several other singles followed, including "Poppin' Them Thangs" and "Wanna Get to Know You." Yayo rejoined the group when he was released from prison in 2004. Other G-Unit affiliates included the Game, Olivia, and Mobb Deep. As 50's stature began diminishing in the late 2000s, however, several of his G-Unit affiliates either defected or were let go. - Jason Birchmeier

50 Cent's Bio From All Music.Com
Though he would later struggle with the nature of his fame as well as market expectations, 50 Cent endured substantial obstacles throughout his young yet remarkably dramatic life before becoming the most discussed figure in rap, if not pop music in general, circa 2003. Following an unsuccessful late-'90s run at mainstream success (foiled by an attempt on his life in 2000) and a successful run on the New York mixtape circuit (driven by his early-2000s bout with Ja Rule), Eminem signed 50 Cent to a seven-figure contract in 2002 and helmed his quick rise toward crossover success in 2003. The product of a broken home in the rough Jamaica neighborhood of Queens and, in turn, the storied hood's hustling streets themselves, 50 Cent lived everything most rappers write rhymes about but not all actually experience: drugs, crimes, imprisonments, stabbings, and most infamously of all, shootings. Of course, such experiences became 50 Cent's rhetorical stock-in-trade. He reveled in his oft-told past, he called out wannabe gangstas, and he made headlines. He even looked like the ideal East Coast hardcore rapper: big-framed with oft-showcased biceps, abs, and tattoos as well as his trademark bulletproof vest, pistol, and iced crucifix. But all-importantly, 50 Cent may have fit the mold of a prototypical hardcore rapper, but he could also craft a catchy hook. As a result, his music crossed over to the pop market, appealing to both those who liked his roughneck posturing and rags-to-riches story as well as those who liked his knack for churning out naughty singalong club tracks. And too, 50 Cent didn't forget about his posse. He helped his G-Unit crew grow into a successful franchise, spawning platinum-selling solo albums for his group members, lucrative licensing deals for the brand name, and sell-out arena tours to promote the franchise internationally. By the time of his third album (Curtis, 2007), however, 50 Cent faced a formidable backlash, particularly among hip-hop purists, who were displeased by his turn toward crossover pop-rap and thus away from street-level credibility.

Born Curtis James Jackson III on July 6, 1975, and raised in Southside Jamaica, Queens, New York City, 50 Cent grew up in a broken home. His hustler mother passed away when he was only eight, and his father departed soon after, leaving his grandmother to parent him. As a teen, he followed the lead of his mother and began hustling. The crack trade proved lucrative for 50 Cent, until he eventually encountered the law, that is, and got arrested repeatedly in 1994. It's around this point in time that he traded crime for hip-hop. His break came in 1996 when he met Run-D.M.C.'s Jam Master Jay, who gave him a tape of beats and asked him to rap over it. Impressed by what he heard, Jay signed the aspiring rapper to his JMJ Records label. Not much resulted from the deal, though, and 50 Cent affiliated himself with Trackmasters, a commercially successful New York-based production duo known for their work with such artists as Nas and Jay-Z. Trackmasters signed the rapper to their Columbia sublabel and began work on his debut album, Power Of The Dollar. A trio of singles preceded the album's proposed release: "Your Life's on the Line," "Thug Love" (featuring Destiny's Child), and "How to Rob." The latter generated a significant buzz, attracting a lot of attention for its baiting lyrics, which detail how 50 Cent would rob specific big-name rappers. This willingness to rap openly and brashly and the attention it attracted came back to haunt him, however. His first post-success brush with death came shortly after the release of "How to Rob," when he was stabbed at the Hit Factory studio on West 54th Street in Manhattan. Shortly afterward came his most storied incident. On May 24, 2000, just before Columbia was set to release Power Of The Dollar, an assassin attempted to take 50 Cent's life on 161st Street in Jamaica, Queens (near where Jam Master Jay would later be fatally shot two and half years later), shooting him nine times with a 9mm pistol while the rapper sat helpless in the passenger seat of a car. One shot pierced his cheek, another his hand, and the seven others his legs and thighs, yet he survived, barely. Even so, Columbia wanted nothing to do with 50 Cent when they heard the news, shelving Power of the Dollar and parting ways with the now-controversial rapper.

During the next two years, 50 Cent returned to the rap underground where he began. He formed a collective (G-Unit, which also featured Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo), worked closely with producer Sha Money XL (who had also been signed to JMJ around the same time that 50 Cent had), and began churning out mixtapes (selections from which were later compiled on Guess Who's Back? in 2002). These mixtape recordings (many of which were hosted by DJ Whoo Kid on CDs such as No Mercy, No Fear and Automatic Gunfire), earned the rapper an esteemed reputation on the streets of New York. Some of them featured 50 Cent and his G-Unit companions rapping over popular beats, others mocked popular rappers (namely Ja Rule, who quickly became an arch-rival), and a few discussed his shooting. This constant mixtape presence throughout 2000-2002 garnered industry attention as well as street esteem, particularly when Eminem declared on a radio show his admiration for 50 Cent. A bidding war ensued, driving up the signing price into the million-plus figures in the process and slowly moving the rapper into the up-and-coming spotlight once again as word spread. Despite the bidding war, Eminem indeed got his man, signing 50 Cent to a joint deal with Shady/Aftermath -- the former label Em's, the latter Dr. Dre's. During the successive months, 50 Cent worked closely with Eminem and Dre, who were both credited as executive produced on his upcoming debut, Get Rich Or Die Tryin', each of them producing a few tracks for the highly awaited album. Before Get Rich dropped, though, Eminem debuted 50 Cent on the 8 Mile soundtrack. The song "Wanksta," previously released on the No Mercy, No Fear mixtape, became a runaway hit in late 2002, setting the stage for "In da Club," the Dre-produced lead single from Get Rich. The two singles became sizable crossover hits -- the former peaking at number 13 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, the latter at number one -- and Interscope (Shady/Aftermath's parent company) consequently had to move up Get Rich's release date to combat bootlegging.

Amid all this, 50 Cent made headlines repeatedly. Most notably, he was tied to Jam Master Jay's shooting in October 2002, the F.B.I.'s investigation of Murder Inc's relationship to former drug dealer Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, and a shooting incident at the offices of Violator Management. Furthermore, he made more headlines when he was jailed on New Year's Eve 2002 for gun possession. The media recounted his life story ad nauseam, particularly his storied brush with death -- and not just the expected media outlets like MTV -- even such unlikely mainstream publications as The New York Times ran feature stories ("Amid Much Anticipation, a Rapper Makes a Debut"). By the time Get Rich finally streeted on February 6, 2003, 50 Cent had become the most discussed figure in the music industry, and bootlegged or not, his initial sales figures reflected this (a record-breaking 872,000 units moved in five days, the best-selling debut album since SoundScan started its tracking system in May 1991), as did his omnipresence in the media. Late in the year, following another round of popular hits, "21 Questions" (which charted number one on the Hot 100) and "P.I.M.P." (number three), 50 Cent made his group debut with G-Unit, Beg For Mercy. The album charted at number two and spawned a couple Top 15 hits, "Stunt 101" and "Wanna Get to Know You." In 2004, 50 Cent stayed on the sidelines for the most part as G-Unit affiliates Lloyd Banks and Young Buck released popular solo albums. Another G-Unit affiliate, the Game, released his debut in January 2005, and it proved the most successful among these solo spin-offs, in particular the singles "How We Do" and "Love It or Hate It," both Top Five hits that prominently featured 50 Cent. As these singles were riding high on the charts, however, 50 Cent and the Game were feuding, and the latter was acrimoniously booted out of G-Unit. There were also feuds with Fat Joe and Jadakiss (instigated by the song "Piggy Bank") during the run-up to the March 2005 release of The Massacre, 50 Cent's second album. Nearly as popular as Get Rich Or Die Tryin', The Massacre debuted at number one, sold millions (over ten million worldwide), and spawned a series of smash hits ("Disco Inferno," "Candy Shop," "Just a Lil Bit").

By this point in time, 50 Cent's fame overshadowed his music, thereby predicating "street" credibility issues that would haunt him in the years to follow. For instance, the marketing rollout of The Massacre carried over into ventures such as the video game 50 Cent: Bulletproof, the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin', and the soundtrack to that film -- all released in 2005, along with other product. The fallout from 50 Cent's overexposure was evident via the singles from the film soundtrack ("Hustler's Ambition," "Window Shopper," "Best Friend," "Have a Party"), which failed to gain much traction in the marketplace, charting modestly relative to past singles. The next round of G-Unit solo releases (Tony Yayo's Thoughts of a Predicate Felon, 2005; Mobb Deep's Blood Money, 2005; Lloyd Banks' Rotten Apple, 2006; Young Buck's Buck the World, 2007) didn't perform commercially well, either, and it's wasn't entirely surprising when plans for another, Olivia's Behind Closed Doors, were shelved. The grim outlook didn't bode well for 50 Cent's next album, which was pushed back repeatedly and retitled a couple times. The final title, Curtis, was inspired by yet another feud, this one with Cam'ron, who taunted 50 Cent, somewhat oddly, by addressing him by his born name. After a pair of lead singles, "Straight to the Bank" and "Amusement Park," failed to connect in the marketplace, Curtis was reworked one last time and pushed back from a summer release date to a fall one (i.e., the memorable date September 11, which -- to the glee of industry observers -- pitted the album against Kanye West's Graduation). A second round of singles, "I Get Money" and "Ayo Technology," was released in the latter half of the summer, while the video for a fifth single, "Follow My Lead," was leaked to the Internet -- to the frustration of 50 Cent, who reportedly cursed out Interscope for endangering the commercial prospects of his album -- over a month before street date. — Jason Birchmeier

Lloyd Banks' Bio From All Music.Com
Lloyd Banks was raised in Jamaica, Queens by his Puerto Rican mother—his father spent much of his son's childhood behind bars. Like many young men, he found solace amidst the poverty and ruin of his community through ghetto poetry and the work of rappers like Big Daddy Kane and Slick Rick. He dropped out of high school at the age of sixteen, finding the structured environment a hindrance to his developing talent for rhyming. After appearing on numerous local "mixtapes", Banks, along with childhood friends Tony Yayo and 50 Cent formed a crew called G Unit, a group that proceeded to redefine the term "street marketing" with a series of self-released albums that included original numbers and quality artwork. Banks stayed on with 50 Cent, appearing on the artist's—now classic—2003 debut Get Rich Or Die Tryin'—November of that same year saw the release of G Unit's Beg For Mercy. His long awaited solo debut for G Unit/Interscope Records, Hunger For More, was released in June 2004. He followed it two years later with Rotten Apple. - James Christopher Monger

Tony Yayo's Bio From All Music.Com
A street legend before the recording of his debut even started, rapper Tony Yayo is a lifelong friend of 50 Cent and a member of his G-Unit crew. Yayo had been with 50 during his career-building years in the world of mixtapes. Along with 50 Cent, Yayo was arrested on New Year's Eve 2002 on weapons-possession charges. During a background check, police discovered Yayo had an outstanding warrant for a previous weapons-possession charge. Early 2003, he was sentenced for bail-jumping and would remain in jail until the beginning of 2004. During this time, 50 Cent and his G-Unit crew were blowing up. Videos featured the group wearing "Free Yayo" shirts, but Yayo himself was unaware of all the attention he was getting. The prison inmates Yayo shared a television with preferred watching sports to music videos, but when Eminem and 50 where scheduled to make an appearance during the Grammy Awards, he convinced everyone to change the channel. It was the first time he saw a "Free Yayo" shirt — this time worn by Eminem. Inspired by the shirt, he started working extra hard on his rhymes while keeping in touch with the G-Unit crew let him know he was going to get his chance once he was a free man. Come January 8, 2004, Yayo was back on the streets, but presenting a forged passport to his parole officer a day later put him back in prison for a few weeks. Out again, Yayo was finally able to start work on his debut. Some mixtape appearances on the G-Unit Radio series announced his comeback at the street level while the "So Seductive" single let the rest of the world know in the summer of 2005. In August and while the single was dominating urban radio, MTV, and BET, Yayo dropped his debut, Thoughts of a Predicate Felon. - David Jeffries

Young Buck's Bio From All Music.Com
To most, rapper Young Buck was a fresh face when he became a member of 50 Cent's crew G-Unit, but he spent a long time waiting on the bench before that. The Nashville, TN, native started rapping at 12 and was in a recording studio by 14, the same age he was when he began peddling narcotics. Cash Money's main man, Brian "Baby" Williams, caught a 16-year-old Young Buck at a rap battle and soon the rapper was out of high school and in New Orleans, crowded into a small apartment with the rest of the Cash Money crew. Dedicated heart and soul to the crew, Buck "secured" the expensive cars for Juvenile's 1999 "Ha" video and spent the next four years working behind the scenes. It was too long for him not to get his own shot at stardom, so Buck left Cash Money and headed home. Back peddling and pushing, Buck paid the price when his door was kicked in by one man, guns blazing. He made it out the back with two gunshot wounds. Around this time, Buck partnered with rapper D-Tay and the duo released the Thuggin' Til the End album on Next Level in 2000. The album didn't make much of an impact, but Cash Money was back on the phone, asking Buck to return to the label. He did, but after two weeks of just sitting around the office, Buck felt he was stuck once again. He ran into Juvenile — who was ready to split with Cash Money at the time — and hit the road with the rapper. When the tour hit New York City Buck met 50 Cent and was soon asked to join his G-Unit crew. He did — with Juvenile's blessing — and co-wrote and appeared on the 50 Cent track "Bloodhound." G-Unit's full-length debut, Beg For Mercy, brought Buck to everyone's attention in 2003. It had gone double platinum by the time Buck's first G-Unit associated record, Straight Outta Cashville, appeared on Interscope in 2004. Three years later he returned with the hard hitting Buck the World. - David Jeffries

Official Sites: 50 Cent, Shady Records, G-Unit, LLoyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Young Buck, G-Unit's MySpace, 50 Cent's MySpace, Lloyd Banks' MySpace, Tony Yayo's MySpace & Young Buck's MySpace

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