The most essential second of 50 Cent’s life – and profession – got here when he was shot 9 occasions in Queens, New York. Outside of the very literal life-threatening wounds he suffered, the tragic occasions additionally led to his being dropped from Columbia Records. Without a label and on a protracted street of rehabilitation, 50 started independently releasing music, and his 2002 challenge, Guess Who’s Back?, finally made its means into the arms of Eminem. Em confirmed the challenge to his pal and collaborator, Dr. Dre, and the 2 agreed that that they had discovered the following star of the Shady/Aftermath partnership.
Listen to 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ now.
What made 50 Cent so particular? His means to inform tales of life on the streets in a means that was each distinctive and approachable. He placed on for his South Jamaica hood, however made music that by no means overlooked the radio. 50’s knack for radio hits didn’t come naturally. He labored onerous, working towards by writing hooks over in style rap songs – a technique he discovered from the legendary Jam Master Jay.
In an interview with BET, 50 mentioned the urgency he utilized to his rhymes after getting shot. It gave Get Rich or Die Tryin’ a propulsion that was the proper foil to his swaggering, silky-smooth stream. “The difference was I had been in a life-threatening situation and that’s what’s changed conceptually,” he explains. “My music style heightened and intensified the presentation because it made it something that…[a] person who was a little further away from what was going on in the cities was able to go on a safari and not be hurt by the animals.” In quick, 50 Cent bought the gangster’s way of life.
An enormous debut single didn’t damage. In reality, there have been moments in 2003 when the “In Da Club” video appeared like a documentary on 50 Cent’s monumental rise to the highest of the music trade. The last reveal – Dr. Dre and Eminem in lab coats, checking in on their experiment – was the icing on the cake. It blended self-awareness with a confidence that comes from having two of the rap sport’s most essential voices by your aspect. But whereas Em and Dre’s fingerprints are on Get Rich, 50 overshadowed his collaborators and turned within the efficiency of a lifetime. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ grew to become the most important rap album of 2003 – and the most effective promoting debuts in music historical past – due to 50 Cent’s alchemical mix of earworm hooks, unflinching storytelling, and seemingly infinite swagger.
Listen to 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ now.