50 Cent's 2 Kids: All About Marquise and Sire

50 Cent is a father of two.

The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, welcomed his first child, son Marquise Jackson, with Shaniqua Tompkins in 1996. 50 Cent's second son, Sire Jackson, was born in 2012 to his then-partner Daphne Joy.

50 Cent became a father before he found success as a rapper. However, Marquise and 50 Cent have had a turbulent relationship in the decades since. The two have been estranged for many years and much of their drama has played out on social media, most notably in 2018 when 50 Cent left a disturbing comment on his firstborn's Instagram post.

On the other hand, 50 Cent appears to have a close relationship with his younger son Sire, with whom he’s shared several photos over the years. In 2019, he posted an image of himself and Sire for Father’s Day that read “Best Friends Forever!”

Currently, 50 Cent is seeking sole custody of his 11-year-old son due to the allegations in Rodney Jones’ March 2024 lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs that Sire's mother Joy worked as a sex worker, according to a representative for the rapper. Later that month, Joy accused her ex of physically and sexually assaulting her, though 50 Cent's representative told PEOPLE the accusations were "false and baseless."

Here's everything to know about 50 Cent's two sons.

Marquise Jackson, 27 

50 Cent's older son Marquise was born in October 1996 to the rapper and his then-girlfriend Tompkins. The "In Da Club" singer and Tompkins had dated on and off throughout the '90s before eventually splitting. The exes had an extended custody battle over Marquise and didn't reach an official arrangement until October 2008.

During the custody fight, 50 Cent told MTV in the summer of 2008 that his relationship with his son was “changing because he and his mom aren't friends anymore.”

The artist added, "There's different channels I have to go through. He has lawyers appointed to him through the court. So I have to talk to his lawyer to get things situated for me to actually get him. The relationship between my wallet and his mom has changed. When people have expensive habits, it's a hell of a transition for them when that money is not there anymore. She said all kind of things about me I never would expect."

In the official custody agreement, 50 Cent received visitation rights and was allowed to see Marquise one weekend every month and to share holidays and vacations with Tompkins. However, a source told PEOPLE in 2018 that while the rapper supported his son until he turned 18, 50 Cent has been “estranged from his son for many years.”

Marquise told Rap-Up in 2017 that his relationship with his father “completely went south” when he was “probably like 10 or 11.” Marquise said, “He wasn’t really around enough. It kind of dwindled down as time went on and certain events happened. For me, I just started feeling differently about him because growing up, my dad was my superhero. He’s on television, he does this, he does this, he would take me to school. It was like having a father who’s Superman, more or less."

He continued, “But then, as I got older, you start realizing things or you start seeing certain patterns and it takes an effect on your relationship with people. That’s what happened with me and my father. He’s still alive but I can’t tell you our last conversation or the last time we even had a dialogue.”

In December 2018, their father-son relationship hit a new low when 50 Cent posted a disturbing comment on an Instagram photo of Marquise with the son of Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, a rival of 50 Cent. (Criminal investigators previously alleged McGriff was involved in a plot to kill 50 Cent which culminated in the rapper’s May 2000 shooting, a search warrant unsealed in 2005 revealed. McGriff is currently serving a life sentence on unrelated charges.)

50 Cent commented on the picture, "If both these little n------ got hit by a bus, I wouldn't have a bad day."

A source later told PEOPLE that “people started commenting on the photo, tagging 50 and saying it was disrespectful.” The source said that Marquise “does this kind of stuff to get a rise out” of his father, adding, “Any time 50 is having a problem with anyone on social media, his son will seek out that person and then make it a point to post it."

Following the backlash to his comment, 50 Cent posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he had “zero ill will towards anyone living on this Earth.” The Power actor continued, “The people Shanquois son looks up to and associates with is a reflection of the negative energy he embraces towards me. I paid his mother $1,360,000 in support to afford him opportunities I never had."

50 Cent and Marquise's drama continued in October 2022, when Marquise offered his father $6,700 to spend 24 hours with him. “Since y’all think $6,700 is sooo much money someone tell my pops I will pay him $6,700 for just 24hr of his time so we can do everything I ever wanted to do with him as a kid,” he wrote on Instagram.

Later that month, 50 Cent appeared on The Breakfast Club, where he said his son does not want to sit down with him, explaining that he would call him and not TMZ to “say you want to sit down.”

50 Cent noted, “If you’ve mailed someone a million dollars, right, and they have zero respect for you, how much you think you gotta give them before they have a little bit.” He also admitted that he does not think “the relationship works.”

Following his dad’s interview, Marquise wrote on Instagram, “Now y’all all see I tried to reach out to talk to my pops as a MAN in front of the 🌎 & behind the scenes. I have no phone number for you & You’ve had me blocked on social media for years so I can’t DM you personally & everybody that is mutual is scared to touch the topic bc they’re scared of you. This seems to be the only way to reach you.”

He continued, “I’m not a kid anymore. No mommy involved. I don’t want nor need money from you. I stand on my own 2. I don’t like attention I had so many opportunities to get that and I choose not too. I saw the breakfast club interview and it didn’t sound like much accountability there just ego, blaming and more so about money as if you were the child in the situation. Those text messages was ME I was waiting outside for you that was the day you broke my heart. I forgave you for it. I’m ready when you ready to sit down & talk.”

Through it all, Marquise has followed in 50 Cent's footsteps and launched a career in music. He released his first single, "Different," in 2017 and has dropped several tracks since.

Sire Jackson, 11

50 Cent's second son, Sire, was born in September 2012. He shares Sire with his ex-girlfriend Joy.

The rapper and his younger son seemingly enjoy a close relationship. On Father’s Day in 2019, 50 Cent shared a photo of himself cuddling with Sire on Facebook, writing, “My little man is my buddy, when ever he thinks something not going right he go 😟🤷🏽‍♂️can you please just call my dad. LOL.”

Ahead of Christmas that year, the "Candy Shop" artist treated Sire to a shopping spree at a Toy ‘R’ Us store that he had shut down. Joy shared photos from the father-son outing on Sire's Instagram page, which she runs. “When I asked my Dad for the 'WHOLE Toys R Us Store' for Christmas I didn’t think he would actually do it, but he did 😱🤩❤️ Thank you Daddy! Best Christmas Ever! 😱🙏🏽 🎄 🎁,” read the post.

50 Cent and Sire have walked the red carpet together, too. In January 2023, Sire joined his father at the season 2 premiere of BMF. The father-son duo coordinated with matching suits and ties for the outing in Los Angeles.

The rapper's relationship with Sire's mom Joy, however, is fraught. In March 2024, Joy accused her ex of sexual and physical assault. "Let's put the real focus on your true evil actions of raping me and physically abusing me. You are no longer my oppressor and my God will handle you from this point on," she wrote on Instagram, adding, "You have permanently damaged the last hope I had for you as a father to preserve our family with these last and final false claims made against me. You have broken our hearts for the last and final time." 50 Cent has denied the claims.

Joy's allegations against 50 Cent came following the rapper's decision to pursue sole custody of their son, Sire. Per the artist's representative, 50 Cent is doing so because of the allegations in Jones’ lawsuit against Diddy that Joy worked as a sex worker. (Joy has refuted Jones' claims against her.)

A representative for 50 Cent told PEOPLE in a statement, "The disturbing allegations in the sworn pleadings recently filed in a court case related to Daphne Joy, the mother of my twelve year old child, has required me to take all necessary legal actions to protect my son Sire."

In 2013, the rapper was charged with domestic violence against Joy. He pled guilty to a lesser charge of misdemeanor vandalism resulting from an incident where he allegedly kicked Joy in the stomach and destroyed her property during an argument. 50 Cent struck a deal with Los Angeles prosecutors for three years of probation and 30 days of community service.