Before stepping into the limelight, you had to wait around the deserted corner to start work and be careful not to get caught by the cops. Some ended up in prison anyway. And that time behind bars has been a wake-up call to clean up the mess and get her life moving in the right direction. Here are some of the celebrities who changed their lives with determination and willpower.

• 50 Cent

50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson, has openly discussed his troubled childhood growing up in the South Jamaican neighborhood of the borough of Queens. Jackson’s mother, Sabrina, who gave birth to him when he was 15, was a cocaine dealer and was murdered in 1988 when Jackson was just 12. Jackson himself began dealing drugs at the age of 12, bringing drug money and guns to school. He was arrested by an undercover police officer with four vials of cocaine. After another raid on his home, he was sentenced to three to nine years in prison. However, he served six months in a boot camp and earned his GED.

The birth of his first son Marquise made Jacksonchange his priorities in his life. In several interviews he has revealed that his son inspired his music career. And rest, as we all know, is history. Worth $140 million, 50 Cent is the fifth richest American hip-hop artist.

• Frank Ocean

With “Nostalgia, Ultra,” Frank Ocean heralded his grand arrival as one of the finest emerging artists. He’s worked with leading artists, he’s worked with Jay Z, he wrote a song for Beyoncé’s album that won the coveted Album of the Year award at the Grammys. Long before Ocean became everyone’s favorite lyricist, he was selling drugs at school. In a rare face-to-face interview with Oyster magazine, he revealed that he sold a lot of cocaine and crack during his teenage years. Ocean blamed his drug use on the lack of a father figure in his life to guide and discipline him for bad decisions.

Luckily he realized that in order to become what he wanted to become, he would have to get his life in order. He quit drug dealing and focused more on honing his skills and abilities, which has now made him a premium star.

• Mark Wahlberg

Before he got noticed for his sexy physique in Calvin Klein commercials, Mark Wahlberg had several run-ins with the law. He reportedly got into trouble with the Boston Police Department about 20 to 25 times during his youth. By the age of 13 he was addicted to cocaine and other substances. At the age of 15, a civil lawsuit was filed against him for his involvement in two separate incidents in which racial slurs were used against African American children.

He decided to improve his behavior after he was sent to prison in a single day for assaulting two Vietnamese men. In prison, he realized that this wasn’t the life he wanted or the place he wanted to be again. Since then, Wahlberg has been a successful actor and producer.

• T.I.

TI, real name Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. is one of the top rappers and record producers. To date he has released nine studio albums, the last seven of which have proved commercially successful. He has also won widespread critical acclaim, including three Grammy Awards for his music. However, had he continued selling drugs, he probably wouldn’t have tasted the monumental success he’d achieved over the years.

In an interview, he revealed that he sold drugs to gain independence and to support his family. However, after serving time in prison for drug-related offenses, he found that he couldn’t do it and began to pursue his career as a young man.

• Kinderrock

Kid Rock, after running away from home, has joined a local mountain. Clemens drug gang known as “Best Friends” who sold drugs from the car wash where he worked. Luckily, a good man from the neighborhood organized a rap group to keep kids away from the troubles. The band was known as “The Beast Crew”. Kid Rock did several gigs for the band and met D-Nice from legendary hip hop group Boogie Down Productions. D-Nice convinced an A&R rep from Jive Records to perform Kid Rock. They were so impressed with the performance that they signed a record deal that same day. Since then he has sold 25 million albums in the US and won five Grammy Award nominations.

• Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg has never hidden his love for marijuana. He loved it so much that he sold it when he was a teenager. He was rumored to be a member of Rollin’s 20 Crips gang in east Long Beach. He has repeatedly denied this rumor. Shortly after graduating from high school, he was arrested for possession of cocaine. For the next three years, he made regular visits to and from the prison. A few years later, famous record producer Dr. Dre a homemade mixtape recorded by Snoop Dogg. And soon the platinum-selling musician began his incredible rise. The certified marijuana cardholder has sold 35 million albums worldwide.

• Fetter Joe

Fat Joe admitted in interviews that he started stealing from a young age to feed his family. However, his involvement in the drug trade was short-lived. During his drug days, he was nicknamed Joey Crack. It’s possible his drug-buying days were influenced by hip-hop culture. However, he soon realized he didn’t want to get involved in drug dealing any further and was clean within months. In addition to releasing ten studio albums, he is also the CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment .

• Tim Allen

Tim Allen, who was just beginning his comedy career, suffered a severe blow on October 2, 1978 when he was arrested at Kalamazoo International Airport for possession of over 650 grams (1.43 pounds) of cocaine. He pleaded guilty, giving the names of other dealers, and received a sentence of three to seven years instead of life in prison. After two years behind bars at the Federal Correctional Institution , Tim returned to his comedy and with hard work has now become one of the most well-known comedians.

• Jay-Z

With $520 million, Shawn Carter is probably the most powerful and richest man in the music industry. He has sold more than 100 million records and received 19 Grammy Awards for his musical work. He is also a successful entrepreneur, co-owner of the 40/40 Club and co-founder of the clothing line Rocawear . He recently launched Tides , a subscription-based music streaming service that combines lossless audio and HD music videos with curated editorial. However, in his teenage years, he was known for selling everything from cocaine to marijuana. He even ranted about selling crack cocaine.

• The Notorious B.I.G.

The Notorious BIG, real name Christopher Wallace, sold drugs during his late childhood and early adolescence to earn much-needed money. Wallace’s mother used to work two jobs to support her family. Wallace started selling drugs at the age of 12. By the time he was 17, he had dropped out of school and continued to be involved in the crime. In 1989, he was sentenced to five years’ probation after being arrested on a weapons charge. A year later, he was arrested for relocating cocaine, for which he served nine months in prison before being released on bail.