100 Best Albums
- FEB 6, 2003
- 19 Songs
- Get Rich or Die Tryin' (Bonus Track Version) · 2003
- Get Rich or Die Tryin' (Bonus Track Version) · 2003
- The Documentary · 2005
- Get Rich or Die Tryin' (Bonus Track Version) · 2003
- The Massacre · 2005
- Get Rich or Die Tryin' (Bonus Track Version) · 2003
- The Massacre · 2005
- All About You (Deluxe Edition) · 2010
- Finally Rich (Deluxe Version) · 2012
- The Massacre · 2004
Essential Albums
- 100 Best Albums On the iconic cover of Get Rich or Die Tryin’, 50 Cent essentially looks like a hood superhero: He’s shirtless with pristinely chiselled muscles adorning his tatted torso, with matching gun holsters emblazoned with “50” in the style of the Gucci logo around his shoulders. But if anything, the album was an origin story for one of rap’s all-time great supervillains, and the lead-up to its release felt straight out of a comic book or a movie. 50 learned the ropes of songwriting under the mentorship of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay, landed a deal with Columbia Records, and built a buzz with the clever, trolling single “How to Rob” before being hit with nine bullets outside of his grandmother’s home in South Jamaica, Queens. After recovering from the attack, he began a legendary mixtape run with his G-Unit crew that reworked the hit rap and R&B records of the time, maintaining those songs’ melodies while creating his own hilarious, street-savvy choruses. It was a brilliant marketing strategy that put him at the centre of a bidding war between record labels—a bona fide, unapologetic gangsta rapper at a time when the radio was run by acts like Ludacris and Nelly who cloaked their street content with fun, nonthreatening melodies. Dr. Dre and Eminem came out on top, signing 50 in a joint venture of their respective companies Aftermath Entertainment and Shady Records. Appearances on the soundtrack for Eminem’s film 8 Mile showcased 50’s ominous tone, dark sense of humour, and penchant for sticky sing-along hooks—a perfect match for Em and Dre’s empire. When it came time for 50’s debut studio album, his powers were on full display and his resources were abundant. “In da Club” was an inescapable party starter that topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and “Many Men (Wish Death)” revisits 50’s nearly fatal shooting while triumphantly boasting his survival (“These pussy n***as puttin’ money on my head?/Go and get your refund, motherfucker, I ain’t dead,” he declares). And like any supervillain, he had a rival: Ja Rule, a chart conqueror in his own right whose street feuds with 50 made him the target of the haunting “Back Down.” 50’s mentors come through with standout contributions as well. On “Patiently Waiting,” Eminem delivers a string of complex flows and rhyme schemes while heaping praise on his new signee (“Take some B.I.G. and some Pac and you mix them up in a pot/Sprinkle a little Big L on top, what the fuck do you got?” he says). The two superstars certainly brought their best while supporting their neophyte, but they never steal the show; Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is unmistakably 50’s moment. He confidently sticks to his own style while rapping alongside Em instead of trying too hard to keep up, adds his own hook to the romantic “21 Questions” despite having the rap chorus GOAT Nate Dogg on hand, and shows his own eye for talent with cameos by his G-Unit crew (Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, and Tony Yayo). Not bad for someone who was counted out a few years earlier. “They say I walk around like I got an S on my chest/Well, that’s a semiauto in a vest on my chest,” he says on the marching, anthemic opening cut “What Up Gangsta.” Before Thanos was on the big screen, there was 50 Cent.
Albums
- 2009
- 2005
Artist Playlists
- The G-Unit general's solo albums updated gangsta rap for the 21st century.
- Shape-shifting visuals from a shape-shifting rap icon.
- Lean back and relax with some of their mellowest cuts.
- Hardcore hoodlum music influenced by the rapper.
- Iconic beatmakers and boastful MCs shaped his visceral style.
- Some of the rapper's grittiest gangsta tales.
Compilations
- Alonestar, Skyla Sheeran & Rion S
- Don Q & A Boogie wit da Hoodie
More To Hear
- Redemption never sounded so good.
- Steven Victor and 50 Cent reflect on Pop Smoke's legacy.
- Lil Wayne is back with exclusive mixes and special guests.
- Steven Victor and 50 Cent reflect on the late Pop Smoke's legacy.
- 50 Cent talks about his book Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter in an extended chat with Ebro.
About 50 Cent
In 2003, hip-hop was in transition; it had become glossy and needed an antagonist—that's where Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson came in. The icons who built the genre in the 1980s and ‘90s had moved on or—in the cases of The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac—passed on. The Queens-born rapper entered as hip-hop’s newest villain: a fearless, battle-ready MC who wanted to make a mark through unconventional methods. Case in point, his first single was “How To Rob,” a controversial track about stealing money from R&B singers, rappers, and Hollywood A-listers. No one was safe, and he governed his career with the same bravado. This didn’t always work in his favour: In 2000, 50 was shot nine times in a parked car. After healing from his injuries, he vowed to create music and bounce back from a failed deal (his 2000 album, Power To The Dollar, was shelved by Columbia after the shooting). Featuring beats by Trackmasters, True Master, and Nottz, 50 dropped Guess Who’s Back?, a compilation that caught the attention of Eminem, who signed him to Shady Records. A year later, through a joint deal with Interscope and Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was released. His cocky, laidback flow on singles like “Wanksta,” “In Da Club,” and “P.I.M.P.” gave rap a jolt and made 50 a star. He used his competitive edge to produce the TV show Power, which was a cultural phenomenon until its sixth and final season in 2020. With serious skill and the business acumen to stay relevant, 50 may have started as a villain, but he became a hero.
- HOMETOWN
- Queens, NY, United States
- BORN
- July 6, 1975
- GENRE
- Hip-Hop/Rap