50 Cents House Burns Down

A house owned by rapper 50 cent burned to the ground early this morning in a Dix Hill blaze.

Six people went to the hospital with non-serious injuries, Newsday reported on its Web site.

The rapper’s ex-girlfriend, Shaniqua Tompkins, lived in the home with their son, according to the report.

Police told Newsday that arson squad investigators were on the scene, but officials would not say if the fire was suspicious.

The L.I. home had been at the center of a legal battle as 50 had been trying to evict his ex-girlfriend, Shaniqua Tompkins, and their son, Marquis Jackson, from the residence. In April 2008, Tompkins filed a lawsuit against the rapper for breach of contract, claiming he had promised to buy the $2.4 million home for her, but put the home under his name instead.

A source told People Magazine at the time that 50’s reasons for not following through with the deal stemmed from the discovery that Tompkins was living in the mansion with her new boyfriend. “She’s supposed to be finding separate housing for her new family, and she hasn’t, and that’s why [they're] in the situation [they're] in,” a source close to the rapper said.