50 Cent says he never felt embarrassed about his mother being a lesbian, even though he was too young to understand her romantic relationships while she was alive.
The rapper opened up about his late mother, Sabrina Jackson, during a revealing interview with Variety, explaining how his grandmother eventually helped him recognize that the women he remembered spending time with his mother were more than friends.
“When your mom has friends around, you look at them and just see friends,” he explained. “As a child, I just saw two women hanging out. My grandmother informed me later that there was more going on and they weren’t just friends, and I was like, ‘Oh! Now I know what that was!'”
For 50 Cent, the discovery brought clarity rather than embarrassment. He explained that growing up around his mother’s relationships made her sexuality a familiar part of his childhood.
“I’m not ashamed of that in any way,” he added. “I grew up around that.”
His comments also brought renewed attention to one of the more personal moments in his music career. On his 2005 collaboration with The Game, “Hate It or Love It,” 50 Cent referenced his mother’s sexuality while describing the confusion he experienced growing up.
“Coming up I was confused, my mommy kissing a girl/Confusion occurs coming up in the cold world.”
According to Variety, the rapper believes including such a personal childhood memory made the record more meaningful. He acknowledged that some artists might avoid discussing similar experiences because they worry about how others will perceive them. However, he felt that sharing his own reality “made it more powerful.”
This is not the first time 50 Cent has discussed his mother’s sexuality. In a 2012 interview, he explained that his grandmother helped him distinguish between ordinary friendships and romantic relationships.
He recalled her explaining that “that kiss was a little different from all the other kisses you saw.”
During that period, he also publicly expressed support for marriage equality, referencing Barack Obama’s endorsement of same sex marriage.
But beyond her sexuality, 50 Cent’s mother remains one of the most influential figures in his life, despite their limited time together.
Sabrina was only 15 when she gave birth to Curtis Jackson in Queens, New York. In an excerpt from his autobiography published by The Guardian, he described her as a tough, protective young mother who worked to provide for him. He also recalled spending considerable time at his grandparents’ home while Sabrina supported herself and her son through drug dealing.
Their time together ended tragically when he was just eight years old.
In a 2003 interview with XXL, 50 Cent described his mother’s death as a killing. According to his account, someone put a substance in her drink before leaving her inside an apartment with the gas turned on and the windows closed.
The rapper said he learned the details gradually from his grandmother as he grew older. His description of the circumstances reflects his personal account, rather than independently verified investigative findings.
Following Sabrina’s death, his grandparents became his primary caregivers. With his father absent from his life, the loss left him struggling to understand why his mother would never return.
During his latest Variety interview, he admitted that losing her was the period when he felt most confused and vulnerable. He remembered refusing to accept that she was gone, believing she would eventually come home.
The tragedy also affected how he navigated adolescence. In a 2009 interview with The Guardian, 50 Cent connected his behavior in school to the grief he experienced after her death, describing how much his world changed without her.
Interestingly, his latest interview also touched on another hip hop mogul with a similar family experience.
When asked whether he and Jay-Z had ever discussed having lesbian mothers, 50 Cent responded, “No, but it is something we have in common.”
He then suggested their responses were different.
“But then, find the line. We just reacted differently to it. One of us doesn’t mind, and the other one kind of minds a little bit.”
However, Jay-Z has publicly expressed support for his mother, Gloria Carter. According to CBS News, he revealed in 2018 that he cried tears of happiness when she openly discussed her sexuality and romantic relationship. Their experience also inspired his 2017 song “Smile.”
As for 50 Cent, he is preparing to revisit his childhood in an upcoming Hulu documentary about his life, according to Variety. He indicated that the project will explore his mother’s death and other experiences that shaped him long before his rise to fame.
Nearly a lifetime after losing Sabrina Jackson, 50 Cent continues to speak about her with a combination of pride, vulnerability, and grief, making it clear that her sexuality was never the painful part of his childhood. Losing her was.
