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Rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has taken on several entrepreneurial ventures and his latest, a book titled Playground, takes a look at school bullying -- but not from the victim's perspective.
While on the Today show Wednesday, Jackson spoke of his role as a school bully when he was younger. He says that through his book, he hopes to connect with a population of teen bullies that are hard to crack.
"When I present something it's different because of the energy and material I created in my music," Jackson says. "A lot of the times the kids that would actually be a part of the problem are listening. When I offer it, they'll take the time to stop and read it."
The story is written from the perspective of its protagonist, Butterball, an overweight student who is bullying others because he doesn't know how else to deal with his emotions.
"I had more experiences where I was a part of the problem, where I was actually bullying," Jackson says. "To know now from an adult's perspective and be able to write things, I can look back on those actual situations and say, 'That was completely wrong.' But I know what was motivating it now."
50 Cent isn't the only celebrity to join the national campaign against bullying. Most recently, supermodel and TV personality Tyra Banks is calling on fans to join her and the battle against bullying, also noting, like Jackson, that she was doing the bullying as a "mean girl" when she was in school.
Referring to the Stop Bullying: Speak Up campaign that has garnered the support from other celebrities, Banks posted on her Facebook wall that "Being kind is the fiercest move you can make!" and noting in a video post that she's been on "both sides of the fence," becoming a bullying victim later.
Instances of school bullying have driven youth to extreme measures, from plastic surgery to a number of suicides across the country.
Prominent figures like Lady Gaga have called on an end to bullying through legal measures, and popular children's show Sesame Street recently launched its own anti-bullying campaign.