50 Cent posts his Junior High yearbook showing classmates voted him “Most Likely to Succeed;” Clowns Caddillac Tah as “Special Ed”

The Queens Mogul Dug Up the Proof, Named Old Schoolmates and Declared “I Think I Made It”

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has the receipts. The rap mogul posted pages from his Junior High School 72 yearbook on Saturday. They show his Queens classmates voted him “Most Likely to Succeed.” He signed off with a blunt verdict: “I THINK I MADE IT.”

The throwback did more than flex. Jackson named several former schoolmates, including onetime Murder Inc. rapper Cadillac Tah, and joked about where they stood back then. The post ties a teenage prediction to one of hip-hop’s most improbable careers. It also reopens the Queens hallways that later fed a defining rap feud.

Naturally, he closed the trip down memory lane with a link to his merchandise store.

Using a Yearbook to Execute a Rap Diss

50 Cent shared three photographs of the yearbook. Rows of graduation portraits fill the first. One is labeled “Curtis Jackson,” a teenager in cap and gown. Candid group shots of students cover the second page.

Class superlatives for homeroom 9-4 appear on the third. Under “Most Likely to Succeed,” two names are printed: Christine Kemp and Curtis Jackson. Other categories include Class Clown, Most Popular, Best Dressed and Class Couple.

In the caption, 50 wrote that he was “voted most likely to succeed” at Junior High School 72. Three former schoolmates came next. Cadillac Tah, he said, was in special education. A classmate called Mookie was in “SP.” However, that was a term Jackson did not explain. “AB son Sha key,” the third, was described as “bad.”

Those descriptions are Jackson’s own recollections. His yearbook pages confirm the vote but not the claims about the other three. “LOL CRAZY” followed the list, then the line “I THINK I MADE IT.” A link to his G-Unit Brands store closed the post.

More Than Anything, This Is a Southside Jamaica Queens Story

Born on July 6, 1975, Curtis Jackson was raised in South Jamaica, Queens long before he became 50 Cent. His mother, Sabrina, was a teenager when she had him. She died when he was eight. From then on, his grandparents raised him.

Junior High School 72 sits on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard in Jamaica. Today the building carries the name Catherine & Count Basie Middle School. Jackson attended in the late 1980s, as crack cocaine spread through the neighborhood. By his own account, he was selling drugs at about age 12.

School and street life ran side by side during those years. Even so, class 9-4 chose him as one of two students most likely to succeed. Nothing in the posted pages explains why.

Trouble followed after junior high. Drug possession incidents led him to leave Andrew Jackson High School without graduating. A GED came later, along with a stint in a boot-camp-style program. In May 2000, he was shot nine times outside his grandmother’s home.

Survival led to a record deal with Eminem and Dr. Dre. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ arrived in 2003 and sold millions of copies. Television followed with the “Power” franchise, and liquor with Sire Spirits. Saturday’s post traces that run back to one line in a junior high yearbook.

Directly Acknowledging His History with Caddillac Tah

Cadillac Tah, born Taheem Crocker, is the best-known name in the caption. He came up in the Jamaica and Hollis sections of Queens. Both men attended the same junior high before either had a record deal. Neither was a public figure at the time.

Tah has confirmed that connection in past interviews. In those conversations, he described the two as friendly classmates who talked often. Rapping was not yet the focus for either of them, he said. Their relationship predated the music business entirely.

Jackson’s yearbook now puts that shared history on the page. His claim about Tah’s special education placement is a separate matter. No documentation for it appears in the post. It rests on 50’s memory alone.

Fans Respond to the Throwback

Replies leaned positive and amused. Many fans treated the yearbook as proof the outcome was foretold. Several tied the superlative to the title of his debut album. “The Kid that made it,” one commenter wrote.

Several responses treated the post as motivational, with comments noting the outcome aligned with the superlative or observing that “it was written.” One reply highlighted the special-education reference to Cadillac Tah with an emoji sequence indicating amusement. Another user questioned the “72” designation, interpreting it as a calendar year rather than a school number and stating 50 was not alive in 1972, an apparent misreading given his 1975 birth year and the documented location of J.H.S. 72.

Additional replies included brief affirmations such as “It’s been get rich or die trying lol respect,” casual local-school comparisons from other users, and isolated promotional comments. Cross-platform comments under a parallel post contained similar patterns: expressions of pride or recognition, curiosity about other named yearbook figures such as Christine Kemp, and humorous asides linking the superlative to the album title Get Rich or Die Tryin’. One comment referenced the shooting incident in a light, retrospective manner.

Reactions emphasized the archival novelty of the yearbook images more than extended analysis of the special-education or peer claims.

From Classmates to Rival Camps

Ultimately, careers pulled the two in opposite directions. Tah signed with Murder Inc. Records, the label run by Irv Gotti and anchored by Ja Rule. His credits there included “Pov City Anthem” and appearances on several label projects. At its peak, Murder Inc. was one of the most successful imprints in rap.

Jackson took a different road after the shooting. Eminem and Dr. Dre signed him, and G-Unit became his banner. Conflict with Murder Inc. soon dominated New York rap. “Back Down,” a track on his 2003 debut, took direct aim at Ja Rule. Ja Rule answered that same year with the album “Blood in My Eye.”

Tah joined the fight on record. One of his tracks, “There’s a Snitch in da Club,” targeted Jackson by design. Years later, Tah said industry pressure drew him into the dispute. He has also spoken publicly about loyalty and attempts at mediation.

Final Thought

50 Cent ended the caption with a link to G-Unit Brands. That site sells merchandise tied to his name and label. Pairing personal stories with product links is a long-running habit of his. Saturday’s yearbook post followed the same formula.

His business reach extends well past clothing. G-Unit Film & Television produces the “Power” franchise and other series. Sire Spirits handles his cognac and champagne lines. A studio operation in Shreveport, Louisiana, is also part of the portfolio.

Mookie and Sha key remain publicly unidentified beyond the caption. Tah has discussed Jackson openly before and has his own platforms to answer. Any response would add a new chapter to a relationship that began in a Queens classroom.

The post 50 Cent posts his Junior High yearbook showing classmates voted him “Most Likely to Succeed;” Clowns Caddillac Tah as “Special Ed” appeared first on Hip Hop Vibe.

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