50 Cent fans were shocked when images of the now-gaunt rapper were posted on his website, ThisIs50.com. The Queens superstar lost a dramatic amount of weight for a movie he wrote and stars in called "Things Fall Apart," in which Fif plays a football player diagnosed with cancer.

"I lost 54 pounds for it," 50 said of his role, inspired by a friend of his who died of cancer. "I was starving."

50 reportedly dropped down to 160 pounds from 214, while also losing 6 inches from his waist. He ditched his muscles during a nine-week training session, comprised of a liquid diet and daily walks on a treadmill for up to three hours.

Tony Yayo spoke to MTV News recently about his boss' dedication to his burgeoning acting career. "50 doesn't party, he doesn't drink. For his new film, the guy was, like, 130 pounds," Yayo said. "He was running from the airport to the hotel. And I was like, 'Man, he has the three D's: desire, determination and [direction].' "

This isn't the first time [article id="1585785"]50 has lost weight for a movie role[/article]. Two years ago, during an MTV News interview, the rapper spoke about shedding his muscle mass and growing out his hair, into a mini-afro, for a part in "Microwave Park."

MTV News readers reacted to that drastic weight loss, with one fan commenting: "50 needs a damn cheeseburger!"

50 Cent has begun to pack the pounds back on in anticipation of [article id="1637500"]his next tour, kicking off this weekend[/article].

What do you think about 50's dramatic weight loss? Let us know in the comments!