G-Unit

G-Unit is an American hip hop group from Queens, New York, formed in the early 2000s around rapper 50 Cent. Its name stands for Guerrilla Unit, reflecting the crew's tough, street-hardened image and its origins in the New York mixtape scene. The group's classic lineup included 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and later Young Buck, with The Game briefly affiliated during the label's early days.

G-Unit broke through commercially with their 2003 album Beg for Mercy, which rode the momentum of 50 Cent's solo success and cemented the crew's place in mainstream rap. Their sound blended aggressive, hard-edged verses with radio-friendly hooks, drawing on East Coast gangsta rap traditions while embracing the polished production style of the mid-2000s. Beyond music, G-Unit became a brand encompassing a record label, clothing line, and video games.

Over the years the lineup shifted, with Lloyd Banks and Young Buck departing amid well-publicized industry disputes, while Kidd Kidd later joined. Despite the turnover, G-Unit remains one of the defining crews of 2000s hip hop, remembered for anthems like Poppin Them Thangs and Stunt 101 and for shaping a distinct chapter of New York rap culture.