Jacques: “Many Men,” from Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s major label debut,
‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’’ dramatizes a defining event in the rapper’s life.
Jacques: From when he was shot nine times in May 2000 to his album’s release in 2003,
a host of events would propel 50 Cent to the stratosphere of pop culture
and turn hip-hop on its head.
Jacques: After signing to Columbia Records, 50 Cent’s original debut ‘Power of the Dollar'
was shelved and his contract was terminated after his shooting.
50 took to the streets for his comeback.
50 Cent: To me you gotta figure out how to market yourself.
Because when you signed to a major label, it might be a hundred acts on that also,
so now you gotta give them a reason to make you the focus.
Jacques: In April 2002, 50 took leftovers from ‘Power of the Dollar,’ added in
fresh freestyles over hits like Wu-Tang’s “Y’all Been Warned”
and released the compilation album, ‘Guess Who’s Back.’
It wouldn’t be long until the gatekeepers came calling.
Eminem: I got the ‘Guess Who’s Back’ mixtape and I remember just listening to
the first song and it was like, 'Wow.' It was like every single song that came on,
ended up becoming, like, one of my favorite songs.
Jacques: That same year, Eminem and Dr. Dre signed 50 Cent to a million dollar deal
to Shady/Aftermath under Interscope Records.
50 and his crew, called G-Unit, then consisting of Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo and later on
Young Buck, The Game and others, churned out tape after tape of remixes of popular songs.
No one’s single was safe.
50 Cent: I'ma drop those joints, every month.
radio host: OK, the street joints?
50 Cent: Yeah.
radio host: You know, um, 'No Mercy No Fear'
50 Cent: I’m not gonna stop, I’m going to keep taking everybody’s single and doing it over.
Jacques: 50 wasn’t the first to use this technique but he left his mark.
Legendary ‘Gangsta Grillz’ creator DJ Drama categorizes the mixtape game as before 50
and after 50 saying quote,
“Mixtapes destroyed the demo tape; nobody cared about your demo tape anymore, it was like,
‘What are you doing with your mixtape, and how are the streets selling it?’"
As the hits kept coming, 50 Cent kept rising—and artists would copy his format to similar success
for years to come.
Jacques: In the early 2000s, hip-hop was still recovering from the recent deaths
of its two brightest stars,
2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G..
For hip-hop and music at large, keeping the peace was paramount
but not for the Southside Jamaica, Queens native.
50 picked fights and wore a bullet-proof vest wherever he went.
His buzz grew with each tape and even lead to a tour.
Jackson, who rolled with a large heavily armed crew, used his credibility as currency.
Jacques: The run up to 50’s debut was haunted by the murder of the man who discovered him,
Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay.
While 50 was not involved, at the time police thought the hit was intended for him and quote,
“ ...went to a club in Midtown Manhattan, where he was about to perform,
and asked him not to go on stage out of fear of more violence.”
The mystery over who killed Jam Master Jay has never been solved.
Still, 50 needed to a hit to take his gangster image into the mainstream.
“Wanksta” had done well on the ‘8 Mile’ soundtrack,
but it was another cut that would take him to the top.
Jacques: The Dr. Dre-produced single “In Da Club” was released early 2003
and topped of the Billboard Hot 100 by March.
To this day it is arguably still 50 Cent’s biggest single.
‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’’ also had two other top 5 hits, “P.I.M.P.”
and “21 Questions” with the late Nate Dogg.
Jacques: “How To Rob,” his slanderous street hit set the stage for his career:
picking fights and his first target would be a rapper at the top of their game.
Jacques: From 2001 to 2003, Ja Rule was one of the hottest musicians in the country
with seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles.
50 and Ja Rule’s beef dates back to 1999 and while the origins are disputed,
it would define the rest of their careers.
Jacques: 50 built his buzz on living his aggressive raps
while mocking Ja Rule's soft, melodic hooks.
Jacques: Today, their beef's ongoing but 50 declaring himself the winner back then
chipped away at Ja's credibility, helping along his career’s decline.
Ironically, 50 Cent’s R&B-friendly single, “21 Questions” became one of his biggest hits
but for Ja Rule, the damage was done.
After 2003, Ja only cracked the Hot 100 top 10 once.
50 continued to target other MCs, aiming shots at Fat Joe, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled
and many others to lesser effect.
Jacques: ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’’ dropped to universal acclaim on February 6th, 2003
and moved more than 800 thousand units in its first week.
The album would go on to sell more than 8 million records.
In 2005, it was turned into a movie.
50 Cent would build off of this success and have an noteworthy career outside of rap
with acting, video games, philanthropy, sneakers, clothing and soft drinks.
50 Cent: Vitamin Water!
None of those other guys would do that.
Jacques: The run up to ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’’ was an exercise
in the branding of the ultimate street hustler.
Fans tuned in at every point to see whether 50 would indeed get rich,
or just die trying.
I’m Jacques Morel with Genius News, bringing you the meaning and the knowledge behind the music.
Peace!
50 Cent: Ain't nothin' to talk about on the air, you heard me?