Despite his history of violence and initiating beefs with fellow rappers, 50 Cent has signed on to pen a young adult novel titled Playground that takes a stand against bullying. The semi-autobiographical book, which will be published by Penguin Young Reader Group, is expected to hit stores in January.

"I had a strong desire to write Playground because I wanted to explore how a kid becomes a bully," the rapper said in a statement announcing the book's release. "I drew on events from my own childhood and adolescence, but was excited to see the story take on its own life. This book would have been very helpful for me growing up and now that I have a teenage son, it is my goal that this will have a positive influence on all teenagers."

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Playground will be 50 Cent's debut as a novelist. He published a memoir titled From Pieces to Weight in 2005 and co-wrote a self-help book called The 50th Law with The 48 Laws of Power author Robert Greene in 2009.

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