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The 50th Law

by 50 Cent, Robert Greene

3.91 · rating details · 360 ratings · 74 reviews

In The 50th Law, hip hop and pop culture icon 50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) joins forces with Robert Greene, bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power, to write a bible for success in life and work based on a single principle: fear nothing.
With intimate stories from 50 Cent's life on the streets and in the boardroom as he rose to fame after the release of his album ...more

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published September 8th 2009 by HarperStudio (first published January 1st 2009)

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Sep 14, 2011

Dora Okeyo rated it

I always did ask myself why 50 Cent ventured into other areas than his music, because I found his music had message-it was not only about parties and the hot girls, and the fights-it was about being able to rise above any bad situation.
So, when I got a hold of the 50th Law-I realized that I have always been wrong in my view of musicians-and with someone as brilliant and observant as 50 Cent-then there exists other sides to him. He has the Vitamin water, G-Unit books and much more, but now I...more

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Feb 18, 2010

Micah Smurthwaite rated it

Shelves: business, psychology, bios

Accepting your own mortality. What prevents us from doing what we really want to do is fear. Fear of failure, fear we won't be accepted, fear of death. When we accept the fact that one day we will die, we are empowered. Most of us don't touch death daily so when we experience a death in our lives it rattles us. Just say this out loud and notice how you feel, "I will die." If we think about it, confront it, and accept mortality we are liberated, energized, and empowered to live li...more

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Nov 29, 2009

Jonny99 rated it

The 50th Law is as much about the hip-hop artist 50 Cent as the movie “Titanic” is about the “The Heart of the Ocean” diamond. If you are a picking up this hefty tome as a fan of “fitty” you are to be disappointed as he appears as author only with brief chapter intros written in a seemingly unauthentic style and as subject only in the well-trod stories of his relatively short life (in a nutshell; he sold crack, got shot for it, was signed to Eminem’s Shady records and later to a number of endor...more

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Oct 21, 2009

Nicholas rated it

Shelves: war-theory, lifestyle

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Best one yet. Far more applicable to your life than the others.

Fear Nothing.

Quotes:

"Understand: no one is born this way. It is unnatural no not feel fear. It is a process that requires challenges and tests. What separates those who go under and those who rise to the above adversity is the strength of their will and their hunger for power."

"The greatest fear people have is that of being themselves. They want to be 50 Cent or som...more

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Nov 17, 2009

Hans rated it

Shelves: biographies, adventure-survival, inspirational, leadership

This book was a delightful surprise. It was just what I was looking for on a topic that I am very interested in, Fear. Often I have thought if in life all human emotions and feeling could be boiled down to basic forces fear and love. This has always been an elusive and easily misunderstood topic for me. Fear is like a shadow that is always present but rarely noticed. My interest in this subject stemmed from the idea that fear may be the opposite of love. This intrigued me because I thought...moreThis book was a delightful surprise. It was just what I was looking for on a topic that I am very interested in, Fear. Often I have thought if in life all human emotions and feeling could be boiled down to basic forces fear and love. This has always been an elusive and easily misunderstood topic for me. Fear is like a shadow that is always present but rarely noticed. My interest in this subject stemmed from the idea that fear may be the opposite of love. This intrigued me because I thought the two couldn't be more different, let alone have any relationship towards each other.

This book is about fear without the love. Which is fine, I just think some people could easily misuse the contents of this book for ill. Essentially this book is about overcoming fear with the backdrop story being the life of rapper/entrepreneur Curtis Jackson also known as 50 cent. He defied all odds from an early age and even though he was set back, shot at, threatened, he never backed down from life and living what he believed his destiny. Powerful and life-altering lessons can be drawn from his experience and that is where Robert Greene comes in and points them out. Underneath everything Fear is nothing more than an unacceptance of our mortality. It is repressed, ignored, avoided and run from really at our own ironic peril. Fear means we can't come to grips with death. We hold on to things when we should let go, we care about things when we shouldn't, we let ourselves be dominated when we are stronger. Death to comes to us all, the rich and powerful as well as the weak and poor. The sooner we accept and confront this reality the sooner we can be liberated from it. Through that liberation life takes on a dazzling new perception and depth. Death isn't the Tragedy, the life not lived is. The greatest irony of all is that we are more afraid of ourselves than we are of anything else. Lifetimes are wasted making excuses for ourselves on why we aren't good enough, fast enough, smart enough, strong enough, caring enough and it is all a lie we feed ourselves to escape the responsibility of being more.

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Dec 28, 2011

Nicholas rated it

This books entire philosophy is centred around the idea of fearlessness. This book (when applied) will ingrain you with the spirit of a bold fearless person and shift you into a new paradigm one where you learn to turn your negatives into prosperities and are not afraid to be yourself (and explains why you should be) which is ultimately attractive and something society conditions you against. It pushes you to be genuine and escape your comfort zones. Even if that is just walking up to a hot girl...more

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Aug 09, 2010

Jean-Luc rated it

· review of another edition

If you haven't already read Robert Greene's 48 Laws of Power, then definitely pick this book up. It's a self-help book disguised as an autobiography of 50 Cent.

If I had to pick 2 books that belong in every library in America, then it'd be Ramit Sethi's "I Will Teach You to be Rich" and The 50th Law.

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Feb 03, 2010

Desiree rated it

Normally, I would not have read this book, but I picked it up for a friend who is a huge fan of 50 cent. Soooo, I decided to give it a try.

I found it to be the most repetitious book I have ever read in my entire life! The same story is repeated over and over and over again! If I thought it was worth my time, I would count the number of times the story of his shooting and being dropped by his record label is repeated. Also, we are told over and over again how his name used to be Curti...more

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Aug 22, 2009

Tosh rated it

Robert Greene is a friend, but also someone I am a fan of as well. This is a book that he put together with 50 Cent, regarding the role one has to play to obtain a sense of success - which of course can be financial but as well as success on an everyday level.

Although this book is sort of a re-mix of Robert's "48 Laws of Power" it is a little bit more, because one of the focus points is the life and times of rapper 50 Cent. Who in turn is a fascinating figure, in that h...more

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Jan 23, 2010

Anna rated it

I know I'm probably biased because of my ties to the author, but reading this book has helped me immeasurably in my life since I started to read it. The ideas are simple and yet profound, and they work almost subconsciously to produce productive ways of thinking that can help you to get rid of bad habits such as self-pity and living in a fantasy world. It lays out the principles of fear in such a clear way that one can see instantly how one's attitudes hold one back in life, and it's also entert...more

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Jan 08, 2010

Ryan rated it

Eh, was hoping for some of that profound/inspiring/give you new swagger writing, but got a rehash of the broader points of The Prince with only sketches about 50 himself that seemed to be suspiciously tailored to whatever topic was at hand. I am not saying the stories aren't true, they just had the waist let out a little here and the sleeves shortened there etc. With that said, a healthy dose of fear about fear can't really hurt, unless you are considering jumping your bicycle over a gorge or ...more

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Jan 20, 2010

Damon rated it

I loved The 48 Laws Of Power and this book, essentially ten additional laws patterned after rapper/businessman 50 Cent, is more an addendum than a stand-alone product.

While Greene's other books have a heavy literary, if not academic weight, The 50th Law is comparatively breezy and light. That said, I had a really hard time putting the book down - I read the whole thing during two very late nights - and I enjoyed seeing the Machiavellian ideas grafted onto the rough Queens neighborhoo...more

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May 11, 2011

Karen Sheena added it

This book is a collaboration of the hip hop artist 50 cent and John Green. The main topic of 50th law is Fearlessness. That there are two ways of dealing fear. One is passive and the other is active. Passive mode , we seek to avoid the situation that cause us anxiety. And the Active variety, the risky or difficult situation that we fear is thrust upon us. One of the sayings that I like most is
“ The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. This book is a great motivation for us. Especial...more

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May 03, 2010

Stephanie W rated it

Recommends it for: moderate fans of 50 cent

Shelves: nonfiction, biography-memoire

Part biography, part self help book and extremely repetitive throughout. It wont be satisfying for fans of 50 cent and it won't be satisfying if you're looking for a biography of other historical figures because it manages to touch on everyone only briefly. It doesn't pay enough attention to any one subject and Greene tells the same story of 50 Cent as a hustler over and over again. Seriously, theres only so many times I need to hear about him being shot with 9 bullets.

However, it is...more

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Aug 03, 2011

Angus rated it

This is actually a very well-written book about the life's lessons and overcoming fear as an obstacle to success. I was initially skeptical as to whether a book coauthored by 50 Cent could possibly be of worth, but it is an engaging, engrossing read with quite a bit of social relevance and usefulness. Somewhat of a retread of Robert Greene's The 48 Laws of Power with a slight flavour of Machiavelli's The Prince, and admittedly repetitive at times, it references 50 Cent's trials and tribulation...more

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May 01, 2011

Zuunzuu rated it

· review of another edition

I had already read the Greene's 48 Laws Of Power - it was great, but in my opinion the hole or imperfection of this book is in the number of laws, 48 is just too many, and too many laws made some laws useless or repeated. if it was 10-20 laws it would be JUST PERFECT. But this year, Greene made come back with his new book "50th Law" written with famous rapper 50 Cent. 50th law of power is the continuation to the previous 48 laws of power. And in this book Greene's has filled all his ho...more

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Feb 07, 2011

Juan Carlos Velasquez rated it

Es cierto lo que se lee en muchas otras revisiones de GoodReads sobre este libro, la historia del cantante se repite muchas veces, quizá demasiadas. Sin quitar mérito a un ejemplo de superación tan notable, a su éxito y determinación ante vivencias tan difíciles durante su niñez y parte de su adolescencia, encuentro a menudo artificiosa la idea de hacer ver todos sus actos como parte de un plan maestro.
Por otra parte la historia de la vida de 50 Cent contada por Greene difiere en algunos as...more

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Jun 16, 2010

queen esther rated it

Shelves: memoirs, must-reads-for-musicians, must-reads-for-vocalists, essays

i don't like 50 cent. i never have and i probably never will, in spite of the way he's recently cleaned up his image and repackaged himself to mainstream/middle (white) america, readying all of us for his next incarnation. he's not stupid. he knows that his gangsta rap moment has played itself out and it's time to move onto the next -- probably acting (he's getting his tatoos removed for this purpose) and producing. there's an astonishing amount of money in film/tv, no matter which side of the c...morei don't like 50 cent. i never have and i probably never will, in spite of the way he's recently cleaned up his image and repackaged himself to mainstream/middle (white) america, readying all of us for his next incarnation. he's not stupid. he knows that his gangsta rap moment has played itself out and it's time to move onto the next -- probably acting (he's getting his tatoos removed for this purpose) and producing. there's an astonishing amount of money in film/tv, no matter which side of the camera you're on. truthfully, he's become more of a businessman and haberdasher, like most of his ilk who are successful -- with a line of clothing, vitamin water and whatever else makes him more money, all the while maintaining a menacing dangerous image to validate his brand.

and therein lies the problem.

it started out with its heart in the right place, as a way to report what the black urban underclass was experiencing, something that the rest of america was blissfully unaware of. but eventually, when hip/hop and rap saw the money, it branded and sold itself to the highest bidder in the name of multiculturalism and opportunity. now it's pretty much a black-faced caricature of itself. the thug posturing and posing that's supposed to represent all black american men of a certain age. the idea that bitch=(black) women. the casual/liberal use of the "n" word. and many more things that have fostered a climate in our culture that's perpetuated almost as many stereotypes about black people to the world as stepin fetchit, arguably. all for the sake of money, material things, and beef/"reputation" (whatever that is).

i hope it was worth it.

so i was thinking all of these things and more as i read this book. i read it because a friend suggested it and admittedly, i am a huge fan of Robert Greene. i've read pretty much all of his books and i think he gives an interesting and thought-provoking take on media, power and societial dynamics. this book is basically mr. greene taking on the idea of fear, the 50th law, and using 50 cent's life story and personal philosophy to augment and illustrate his intent. mr. greene didn't take this lightly. he followed 50 cent for years and was a fly on the wall in his life in and out of boardrooms, heady confrontations and power moves. he did his homework, and it shows.

it's a provocative premise. curtis "50 cent" jackson is probably the only gangsta rapper out here that was actually a gangster in real life and not a wangsta, someone that cultivated that image to make money. rick ross (the boss), for example, was a corrections officer in florida for years -- and in spite of him insisting that it's not true, there are pictures and paperwork to prove it.

we've all heard tell of what it takes to be a gangster. why not hear it from the source?

this is what makes the book a fascinating read. it delves into the details of mr. jackson's life as a drug dealer in queens and his rise as a gangsta rapper to pull up details that augment this idea: all of us have the capacity to live a fearless life, and to live life to the fullest, and to live to the fullest of our potential, we must find a way to eliminate that fear by any means necessary.

apparently, curtis has come a long way. it's no surprise that what he has observed by working for gangsters initially and usurping them to create his own power base has come in handy when doing business in the corporate world and the entertainment industry.

i don't want to get into too much detail. it's a very juicy read and in the end it didn't tell me anything that i didn't already know about fear and how it can undo you. but i must admit, mr. greene found a very interesting way to tell it. (less)

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Feb 07, 2010

Theresa rated it

This book can be summed up in a single concept: sometimes fear gets in the way of achievement.

There. Now I've just spared you from having to read it. Or, if you still feel the urge to read it, take my advice and read only the first 50 or so pages. The rest just takes the message in the opening chapter and drills it relentlessly.

Those opening chapters are insightful and entertaining. It just wasn't enough for a whole book.

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May 31, 2010

Robin rated it

Robert Greene and Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent) teamed up to write a book about success. Hustling drugs in South Side Queens isn't really that different from marketing products on Madison Avenue. It's all about connecting with your customers and understanding what they want. Another important quality is fearlessness. This is necessary to overcome all the obstacles and competitors that will get in your way. There are some references to figures from history that overcame major hurdles and achieved ...more

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Oct 18, 2010

Samantha Clark rated it

I seriously can. not. believe I read, well, skimmed this. It was decent. I especially liked Fiddy's take on Fearless Approach: "Every negative is a positive. The bad things that happen to me, I somehow make them good. That means you can't do anything to hurt me."
They should teach that to kids. Minus the fact that he's probably talking about getting shot multiple times and drug deals going south.

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Jan 12, 2010

Beullah is currently reading it

Firstly a well written book,I am absolutely enjoying it.What a great book ,I am finding my courage and will not let others deter me from finding and living my purpose.Thanks to Curtis you surprise me always.Robert Green has captured it so well.I am learning so much.You Power Belongs to You,you owe it to yourself to read this book.I am enjoying it so much.
Thanks

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Nov 22, 2010

Randomweights rated it

Greene's books = Machiavelli for the 21st century. Greene argues that “fear” is the basic denominator that holds most people back from living great lives. Using the urban context and street wise savvy of 50 Cent's life as his template, Greene provides “laws' to living fearlessly. Along with Greene's other works, a guidebook to life. 5 stars.

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Dec 14, 2009

Yonnibardavi rated it

Curtis and Robert out did them selves this time. Though I enjoyed the entire book. I found chapters 9-11 especially captivating.

Coming to terms with death is the only way to approach one's life. Death gives life meaning. MLK was heard to have said "If an man has not found something worth dying for, is not fit to live."

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May 01, 2011

Steven Smith rated it

Straight forward advice. Along the lines of most existential visions of stepping up your game, this book centers around "getting real." (And my enjoyment of this theme knows no bounds.) Curtis Jackson (a.k.a. 50 Cent) and his history offer valuable, if aggressive, insights into powering up life and living.

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Dec 09, 2009

Christine Palau rated it

i would have never thought i'd read this book, let alone like it. understand: there are very annoying things about it. but over all, it's about kicking ass rather than envisioning and making collages. he's got some good quotes, nietzsche and dostoevsky, and historical anecdotes that aren't just about men. and yeah, it was co-written by fiddy cent, who turns out to be quite the inspiration.

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Aug 22, 2010

Shauna rated it

The book reminds each reader that their self-worth and self-acceptance is crucial to true success in life no matter what life circumstances appear. This is a very empowering book in a world where most peoples' worth is generally defined by what other people think of them.

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Aug 22, 2010

Rahul Jain rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 09, 2010

Kenzie-Divine Conner rated it

I have now found my true bible. The book I open in times of crisis and distress, deppression and confusion...especially confusion. It tells you what it takes to be fearless and really live your life to the fullest. Enough said. . .

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Apr 11, 2011

Mary rated it

great read. interesting about how 50 cent changed his life from street life to business life. i cant agree with everything he says because his philosophy is too libertarian/ayn rand for me, but its never dull reading.

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50 Cent is a hip-hop artist who founded the G-Unit Books imprint.

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Quotes from The 50th Law

“Understand: people judge you by appearances, the image you project through your
actions, words, and style. If you do not take control of this process, then people will see
and define you the way they want to, often to your detriment. You might think that
being consistent with this image will make others respect and trust you, but in fact it is
the opposite—over time you seem predictable and weak. Consistency is an illusion
anyway—each passing day brings changes within you. You must not be afraid to
express these evolutions. The powerful learn early in life that they have the freedom to
mold their image, fitting the needs and moods of the moment. In this way, they keep
others off balance and maintain an air of mystery. You must follow this path and find
great pleasure in reinventing yourself, as if you were the author writing your own
drama” — 9 people liked it

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