G-Unit (short for Guerrilla Unit) is an American hip hop group originating from South Jamaica, Queens, New York, formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks. The group released their debut album Beg for Mercy, in 2003, which went on to sell over 2,000,000 copies in the US and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album, which followed the success of 50 Cent's major-label debut Get Rich or Die Tryin', served as a platform for Banks, Buck and Yayo to release their respective debut solo albums, The Hunger for More (2004), Straight Outta Cashville (2004) and Thoughts of a Predicate Felon (2005). In 2008, the group released their second album T·O·S (Terminate on Sight).
During Tony Yayo's imprisonment, the group recruited Tennessee-based rapper Young Buck, who was featured throughout the Beg for Mercy album. In late 2004, California-based rapper The Game was also added to the group, a proposition made by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, to promote the Aftermath/Interscope newcomer. However, due to The Game's "disloyalty" in the eyes of 50 Cent, he was soon removed from the group. In April 2008, 50 Cent revealed Young Buck was no longer a part of the group due to his "excessive spending" and "inconsistent behavior". In early 2014, after Yayo and 50 Cent separately stated G-Unit was no more, the original members of the group reconciled and reunited at Summer Jam 2014, along with Young Buck after his six year departure from the group. G-Unit Records rapper Kidd Kidd was also added to the group upon its reformation.