''Street King Immortal'' was a planned
studio album by American rapper
50 Cent.
Initially reported to be released during the summer of 2011, the release date of ''Street King Immortal'' has since been revised on several occasions. Officially announced release dates of November 13, 2012;
February 26, 2013;
and August 18, 2016 have been set in the past, though the album remains currently unreleased. In July 2017, 50 Cent stated that the album would be released in the end of the year; this did not occur. 50 Cent said on a Instagram post that "Still Think I'm Nothing" is the first single off of ''Street King Immortal''. In July 2021, 50 Cent confirmed in an interview that he had decided to officially cancel the project.
Background
![50 cent en concierto](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/50_cent_en_concierto.jpg)
Originally, 50 Cent's fifth studio album was set to be ''Black Magic'', an album influenced by several genres including rock and
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...
. However, its release was postponed as 50 Cent began to write more material based on a different concept. As a result, recording sessions for a brand new album began from scratch, and material recorded for ''Street King Immortal'' is reportedly of a traditional
hip hop nature, involving producers such as
Alex da Kid
Alexander Junior Grant (born 27 August 1983), professionally known as Alex da Kid or by.ALEXANDER, is a British musician, record producer, songwriter, record executive and fashion designer from Wood Green, London. He has gained recognition for p ...
, Bangladesh,
Cardiak
Carl McCormick (born June 26, 1988), professionally known as Cardiak, is an American record producer from Willingboro Township, New Jersey. He began producing music in 2008 and is known for his work with closely associated artists such as Ace Hoo ...
, Dr. Dre,
Hit-Boy
Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr. (born May 21, 1987), better known by his stage name Hit-Boy, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. In May 2011, he had signed a two-year deal with Kanye West's GOOD Music production branch. ...
,
Jake One,
Jim Jonsin
James Gregory Scheffer (born June 8, 1970), professionally known as Jim Jonsin, is an American record producer, songwriter, businessman and DJ from South Florida. Jonsin has collaborated with numerous artists, including Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, ...
, and
Just Blaze
Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his mu ...
among others. It was later reported that the album would be titled ''5 (Murder by Numbers)'', and would be released on July 3, 2012. 50 Cent instead decided to make ''5 (Murder by Numbers)'' a separate album, to be released as a
free download
Digital distribution, also referred to as content delivery, online distribution, or electronic software distribution, among others, is the delivery or distribution of digital media content such as audio, video, e-books, video games, and other so ...
on July 6, 2012, and release a new collection of material as his sixth studio album, titled ''Street King Immortal'':
In November 2009, 50 Cent released his fourth studio album, titled ''
Before I Self Destruct''. The album did not match the previous commercial success of his first three studio albums, only selling 160,000 copies in its first week of release in the United States, peaking at number five on the
''Billboard'' 200. To help promote the album, 50 Cent went on
The Invitation Tour
The Invitation Tour was a tour by rapper 50 Cent in support of his latest/upcoming studio albums, ''Before I Self Destruct'', ''Black Magic'' (which was subsequently shelved), and his fifth studio album. The tour also featured G-Unit artists Ton ...
; while on the European leg of the tour, he visited nightclubs and was impressed with the vastly changing styles of music played.
Because of this, 50 Cent began to write and record material for an album called ''Black Magic'' while still on tour. This new album's music would be influenced by number of genres, including
dance, rock and pop music; it would have a "higher tempo" than his previous work, although he claimed that the predominant genre of the music would still be hip hop.
However, 50 Cent later revealed to the Brazilian edition of music magazine ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' that he was unsure whether to continue with the recording of the album, which he had begun while in the European venues of the tour, as he had begun to write material that he claimed "didn't quite fit the concept" of the album.
He later revealed the release of ''Black Magic'' had been postponed indefinitely, although he stated the album may be released in the future.
''Street King Immortal'' will be more hip hop-influenced than the material recorded for ''Black Magic'', which was inspired and influenced by a number of genres.
In an interview with
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
, 50 Cent announced that he would never release the album ''Black Magic'', as it no longer makes sense to do so:
In an interview with
MTV, 50 Cent discouraged fans from comparing ''Street King Immortal'' to his debut studio album ''
Get Rich or Die Tryin'
''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After signing wi ...
''. In the same interview, 50 Cent revealed the album's release date and said it would not be changed again, as it will serve as a commemoration of the tenth anniversary of ''
Get Rich or Die Tryin'
''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After signing wi ...
'':
50 Cent confirmed in an interview with British hip-hop
music television
Music television is a type of television programming which focuses predominantly on playing music videos from recording artists, usually on dedicated television channels broadcasting on satellite, cable, or Streaming Platforms.
Music television ...
channel
Flava, aired on January 3, 2012, that he had recorded seventy songs for the album, and only fourteen would make the final cut. In early January 2013 ''Street King Immortal'' was included on multiple "Most Anticipated albums of 2013" lists including
E!,
MTV and being eleventh on a list by ''
XXL Magazine
''XXL'' is an American hip hop magazine, published by Townsquare Media, founded in 1997.
History
In August 1997, Harris Publications released the first issue of ''XXL''. It featured rappers Jay-Z and Master P on a double cover. In December 20 ...
''. On January 25, 2013, 50 Cent announced that he is still recording material for the album in an interview with
Fuse.
In January 2014, 50 Cent said he plans on a releasing a project called ''
Animal Ambition'' in the first quarter of 2014 before the album comes out. He wanted to release the project as his "viral marketing plan" in order to hype up ''Street King Immortal''. However a month later it was announced that the ''Animal Ambition'' LP would instead be released on June 3, 2014. In June 2014, 50 Cent announced the album would be released on September 16, 2014. It has features from
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
,
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
,
Pop Smoke ,
SZA,
Chris Brown and
JAY-Z,
Cancellation
In July 2021, 50 Cent confirmed in an interview with ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' that the album will not be released and that he had decided to scrap the project, stating "That original version is not being released, but I’m releasing new music in September".
Development
Recording and production
In November 2010, in an interview with
MTV News, Surf Club producers
Hit-Boy
Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr. (born May 21, 1987), better known by his stage name Hit-Boy, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. In May 2011, he had signed a two-year deal with Kanye West's GOOD Music production branch. ...
and Chase N. Cashe revealed that they had contributed production work for ''Street King Immortal''. Hit-Boy revealed that they had visited 50 Cent to play him a selection of their productions and hear "where he was going with it".
He went on to talk positively about the album's material and its musical variation:
Whilst attending the
Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2011, 50 Cent revealed to
MTV News that "80 percent" of the album had been recorded,
and also revealed that he had recorded material for the album with record producers
Boi-1da
Matthew Jehu Samuels (born October 12, 1986), known professionally as Boi-1da ( , a play on "boy wonder"), is a Jamaican-Canadian Record production, record producer and songwriter based in Toronto, Ontario.
The Toronto raised producer has work ...
,
Alex da Kid
Alexander Junior Grant (born 27 August 1983), professionally known as Alex da Kid or by.ALEXANDER, is a British musician, record producer, songwriter, record executive and fashion designer from Wood Green, London. He has gained recognition for p ...
and
Symbolyc One.
In an interview in March 2011 with online blogger DDotOmen, record producer
Cardiak
Carl McCormick (born June 26, 1988), professionally known as Cardiak, is an American record producer from Willingboro Township, New Jersey. He began producing music in 2008 and is known for his work with closely associated artists such as Ace Hoo ...
revealed that he had produced a song for the album called "
Outlaw", which was later released to several digital outlets to promote the album.
On April 8, 2011, MTV Mixtape Daily reported that producer
Jim Jonsin
James Gregory Scheffer (born June 8, 1970), professionally known as Jim Jonsin, is an American record producer, songwriter, businessman and DJ from South Florida. Jonsin has collaborated with numerous artists, including Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, ...
had been involved in the album's recording sessions.
In an interview with ''Rap-Up'' on May 13, 2011, American rapper
Soulja Boy revealed that 50 Cent had requested several productions from him for the album whilst the pair were in California the previous month, and that he had given him roughly five of these productions to record over. He also claimed that 50 Cent had played him all of the material recorded for the album at the time, and was impressed with the material, stating that "His album was kinda dope. I ain't gonna lie to you. That's my big bro and all that. I got love for him. He's got some good stuff on there".
In an appearance with singer
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...
on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...
'', hosted by comedian and actress
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She starred in the sitcom ''Ellen'' from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for " The Puppy Episode". Sh ...
, on May 24, 2011, 50 Cent and Scherzinger performed their single "
Right There", and 50 Cent revealed that the album was only a single song away from completion. He also confirmed that the
mixing process for the album had already begun.
50 Cent later elaborated on Boi-1da's contribution in an interview with
DJ Whoo Kid
Yves Mondesir (born October 12, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Whoo Kid, is an American hip hop DJ. He is currently signed to G-Unit Records and its subsidiary label, Shadyville Entertainment. He is the host of ''The Whoolywood Shu ...
on the hip-hop radio station
Shade 45
Shade 45 is American rapper Eminem's hip-hop station on Sirius XM Radio channel 45 and Dish Network channel 6045.
History
Eminem established his own channel, Shade 45, that plays uncut hip hop. Eminem also established a new morning show, ''Sway ...
, when he revealed that Boi-1da had produced two potential songs for the album.
In the same interview, he revealed that producer
Just Blaze
Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his mu ...
had contributed two song productions for the album.
In September 2011, 50 Cent revealed that he had finished recording material for the album, although it still had to be
mixed.
He later confirmed
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
's involvement with ''Street King Immortal'', claiming that he had produced two of the songs on the album.
Hip hop producer
DJ Felli Fel
James Andrew Corrine, better known by his stage name DJ Felli Fel, is an American club and radio DJ for Los Angeles's Power 106, record producer, and hype man. He is also a member of The Heavy Hitters DJs.
His debut single, " Get Buck in Here ...
also revealed that he had produced a song for the album called "Lighters", featuring
Chris Brown. He stated that he had wanted the collaboration to occur as 50 Cent and Brown had not previously appeared together on a song.
50 Cent confirmed in a radio interview with
Power 92.3, that
J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League
J.U.S.T.I.C.E. (Just Undeniably Some of The Illest Composers Ever) League is an American record production team composed of producers and instrumentalists from Tampa, Florida. The group is made up of members Erik "Rook" Ortiz, Kevin "Colion ...
and
Drumma Boy
Christopher James Gholson (born August 11, 1983), better known by his stage name Drumma Boy, is an American record producer.
Early life
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Cordova, Tennessee, he was exposed to music at a young age. His mo ...
produced songs for the album ''5 (Murder by Numbers)''. However the tracks didn't appear on the free album and were saved for ''Street King Immortal''.
50 Cent confirmed some more producers for the album, who include Jake One, Bangladesh, Dr Dre – who had already produced the first single for the album – and several more.
On December 4, 2012, with magazine
Billboard, 50 revealed that another producer on the album is Frank Dukes.
While promoting his Animal Ambition LP 50 spoke on SKI coming out later in the year, "It's gonna ride right into it. ''Street King Immortal'' is more personal. It's way more personal than this record. Of course this one is about a portion of my actual experience, but that one is...I talk about things that I haven't talked about."
Guest appearances
Although a confirmed track listing for the album never emerged, several other recording artists were reported to be appearing on the album. On January 24, 2011, ''Rap-Up'' reported that fellow rapper and longtime collaborator
Eminem would appear on the album, along with
Lil' Kim,
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P ...
,
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...
,
Busta Rhymes, and former
G-Unit
G-Unit (short for Guerilla Unit) was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released t ...
member
Lloyd Banks
Christopher Charles Lloyd (born April 30, 1982), better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, alongside childhood friends 50 Cent and Tony Yayo. After th ...
.
In the aforementioned interview on Shade 45, 50 Cent elaborated on Eminem's contributions to the album, revealing that he would appear on four songs. He also stated that the songs were designed to appear to various audiences: two of the songs were referred to as "definite singles", and the other two were described as created to appeal to his "core audience", as well as being "more aggressive" and having a "different kind of energy".
On July 11, 2011, while on the set of the video for the
Tony Yayo
Marvin Bernard (born March 31, 1978), better known by his stage name Tony Yayo, is an American rapper. He is best known as a member of G-Unit, a hip hop group he formed with his childhood friends 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks. Yayo released his deb ...
song "
Haters", 50 Cent revealed that New Orleans rapper Kidd Kidd, formerly of
Young Money Entertainment
Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend and fellow rapper Mack Maine. The label was an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Republ ...
but now of
G-Unit Records
G-Unit Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group. Founded in 2002 by rapper 50 Cent, for the first eleven years of operation, G-Unit ran in conjunction with, and was distributed by, Interscope Records. In February 2014, ...
, would appear on the album's title track.
Chris Brown's contribution to the album was elaborated upon when DJ Felli Fel revealed that he would be on a song titled "Lighters".
Black Hippy member
Schoolboy Q
Quincy Matthew Hanley (born October 26, 1986), better known by his stage name Schoolboy Q (stylized as ScHoolboy Q), is an American rapper. In 2009, Hanley signed to Carson-based independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and in late ...
stated that in addition to having a good rapport with 50 Cent, the two had done multiple collaborations, which could be featured on the album.
On June 29, 2012 the
G-Unit Philly rapper Mike Knox tweeted that he was in the studio with
50 Cent and
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
. Later the lead single featuring her and Dr. Dre was released . In an interview with
DJ Whoo Kid
Yves Mondesir (born October 12, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Whoo Kid, is an American hip hop DJ. He is currently signed to G-Unit Records and its subsidiary label, Shadyville Entertainment. He is the host of ''The Whoolywood Shu ...
on
Shade 45
Shade 45 is American rapper Eminem's hip-hop station on Sirius XM Radio channel 45 and Dish Network channel 6045.
History
Eminem established his own channel, Shade 45, that plays uncut hip hop. Eminem also established a new morning show, ''Sway ...
for his birthday, 50 Cent confirmed an upcoming song with
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...
. 50 also stated that he wished to work with
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
, adding him to the list of possible featured guests.
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
shouted out 50 Cent while performing at a concert on the latter's birthday. He also talked about his work plans with 50 Cent, making a collaboration between the two rappers possible.
50 Cent stated that he wanted to work with
Rihanna and
Frank Ocean
Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...
, in an interview with
Digital Spy, making two more appearances possible.
On August 2, 2012 the website of magazine ''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' confirmed that there would be appearances from
Adam Levine, Chris Brown and Eminem.
50 Cent confirmed in an interview with Global Grind, that he had selected one track of the four he had recorded with Eminem for inclusion on the album. He also stated that another collaboration between them for a bonus track was possible, with Eminem later saying there are multiple tracks on the album that feature both of them.
50 Cent, on September 21, 2012, in an interview with the
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...
KDON-FM
KDON-FM (102.5 MHz "K-Don") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Salinas, California, and serving the Monterey - Salinas - Santa Cruz radio market and the Central California Coast. It broadcasts a rhythmic contemporary format and is ...
, confirmed appearances by Eminem, Chris Brown,
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...
and
Trey Songz
Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and rapper. His debut album, '' I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, '' Trey Day' ...
among a list of other guest appearances. In the interview 50 Cent also commented about his new business ventures, the ''Street King Energy Drink'',
SMS Audio
SMS Audio is an American consumer electronics company that primarily manufactures and markets headphones. The company was founded by 50 Cent in 2011 and acquired Kono Audio that same year.
History
SMS Audio was founded in 2011 by rapper and entr ...
headphones line and his new upcoming fitness book, ''Formula 50'':
On December 4, 2012, 50 Cent's official news website listed more guests for the album, including Wiz Khalifa and the already announced Eminem, Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo and Trey Songz.
In an interview with
Fuse he announced a guest appearance from
GOOD Music
GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with t ...
artist
John Legend
John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...
.
50 Cent also used Twitter to reveal a collaboration with
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...
for the album.
On February 16, 2015, 50 Cent on a
Shade 45
Shade 45 is American rapper Eminem's hip-hop station on Sirius XM Radio channel 45 and Dish Network channel 6045.
History
Eminem established his own channel, Shade 45, that plays uncut hip hop. Eminem also established a new morning show, ''Sway ...
radio interview with
G-Unit
G-Unit (short for Guerilla Unit) was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released t ...
said that he recorded more tracks with
Chris Brown for his album. 50 Cent also featured on Chris Brown and Tyga's album ''
Fan of a Fan: The Album'' which was recorded earlier in the year.
Drake has a verse on one of the tracks on the album.
Composition
Music and influence
While recording ''Street King Immortal'', 50 Cent listened to a mix of music performed by his favourite artists, including rappers
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
and
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...
In an interview with the ''
Detroit Free Press
The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...
'', 50 Cent explained these actions, stating, "I listen to those records to create expectations... It creates a level to me, within myself, of how good the record has to be before I'm ready to launch it." In the same interview, he described the album as a "whole new sound" for him and felt that it was "more soulful" and "more mature" than his previous work.
50 Cent reported, on March 16, 2012, that he believes ''Street King Immortal'' will be better than his most successful studio album to date, ''
Get Rich or Die Tryin'
''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After signing wi ...
''. Explaining, he said he had repeatedly listened to the album, and believed it wasn't better than ''Street King Immortal''.
On October 17, 2012, 50 Cent mentioned the concept of the album, saying it would be based on its title.
When asked about the main theme of it, he said:
He elaborated on this saying ''Street King Immortal'' will be his most insightful album.
Release and promotion
During his appearance on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...
'' on May 24, 2011, 50 Cent revealed that ''Street King Immortal'' was one song from completion and being mixed, and he expected to release it as early as summer 2011, stating: "This summer they'll have new music from me". However, due to 50 Cent's various disputes with
Interscope Records over the promotion and release of the album, including the leakage of several songs intended for the album, the album's release was briefly cancelled by 50 Cent himself, before being rescheduled to November 2011, when it was to be released in conjunction with his headphone line ''Sleek by 50''. The album was then set to be released on July 3, 2012, when it was still believed to be ''5 (Murder by Numbers)'',
however, he later decided to make "5 (Murder by Numbers)" as a separate free album, and release a new collection of songs titled "''Street King Immortal''" as his official fifth studio album in November 2012 instead.
Shady Records president Paul Rosenberg announced in February 2013 that ''Street King Immortal'' would be released in the first half of 2013.
However the album would again be delayed due to staff changes at Interscope Records.
50 Cent has been working on the album since 2010. It has been pushed back several times, with the first release date set for November 13, 2012, then February 26, 2013, and finally September, 2015. In July 2013, 50 Cent opened up about the long delay in an interview with MTV saying: "I don't really need the money off of the record. I want the record to be right. I'm not doing it without a plan; I'm not putting it out like that." He also explained that he needed the support of Interscope Records in order to move forward with the project. "It's a lot of staff changes, a lot of different people moving in and moving out, so you got to kind of wait until everything's right; until it's settled in."
Interscope Records tensions
![Steve Baughman](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Steve_Baughman.jpg)
''Street King Immortal'' was set to be 50 Cent's final release on his current contract at
Interscope Records, originally signed when he joined the label in 2002, as the contract requires him to release five albums with the label. However, there have been tensions between 50 Cent and the label throughout the album's recording process. The first reports of disagreement between the label and 50 Cent emerged on June 16, 2011, when 50 Cent released a series of messages through his account on Twitter: he explained that Interscope Records were disputing with him over the album's recording process, and claimed he would delay the album's release until the dispute was resolved. He also stated that the album would not be released during 2011.
The issues with Interscope intensified when a song called "I'm On It", produced by
The Cataracs
The Cataracs were an American hip hop record production project and duo formed in Berkeley, California, United States, consisting of David Benjamin Singer-Vine (born March 9, 1988) and Niles Hollowell-Dhar (born October 6, 1988). The duo starte ...
, leaked onto the Internet on July 27, 2011 ahead of its intended release date. 50 Cent blamed Interscope Records for the leakage, and, as he had intended to release the song as the album's next single, revealed through Twitter on July 28, 2011 that he would retaliate against the label by cancelling the release of album.
He also revealed that he planned threatening to leak the single from the
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
album ''
Detox
Detoxification or detoxication (detox for short) is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Additionally, it can refer to the period of ...
'', "The Psycho", in which he is featured.
He later clarified his comments, revealing that he was willing to collaborate with other artists during his remaining time at the label, but confirmed that he would not release another album with the label because "
nterscopedropped the ball with me one time too
sic">/nowiki>sic.html" ;"title="sic.html" ;"title="/nowiki>sic">/nowiki>sic">sic.html" ;"title="/nowiki>sic">/nowiki>sic/nowiki> many". However, he later retracted these statements, and apologized to Jimmy Iovine, head of Interscope Records, and also to Dr. Dre for threatening to leak "The Psycho", as he stated that the pair of them had been supportive of his career throughout his time at the label.
After his statements were retracted, 50 Cent later announced that the album's release date had been rescheduled to November 2011. In an interview with MTV News on June 22, 2011, 50 Cent revealed that the incident had left him unsure as to whether to resign to Interscope once his five-album contract with the label ended, upon the release of ''Street King Immortal'':
Despite these comments, 50 Cent confirmed that it was not certain that he would leave Interscope after the release of the album, admitting that problems with finding a suitable alternative label would be difficult: "If not igned to a label if you don't have that support, why would you want to sign to another system?". In an interview with ''AllHipHop'', 50 Cent revealed that he would release the album regardless of whether Interscope wished to promote it or not. He later confirmed on Twitter the release date to be on July 3, just 3 days before his birthday. He also uploaded the cover for this album as a preview for his fans on June 15 via Instagram and posted the link onto Twitter. The album was released under the name of "5 Murder By Numbers" as a free download. He later confirmed he will be releasing a proper album in stores later and this was just a free album for the fans to listen to.
References
External links
50 Cent's website
{{50 Cent, state=collapsed
50 Cent albums
Albums produced by Alex da Kid
Albums produced by Bangladesh (record producer)
Albums produced by Boi-1da
Albums produced by Dr. Dre
Albums produced by Drumma Boy
Albums produced by Eminem
Albums produced by Hit-Boy
Albums produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League
Albums produced by Just Blaze
Albums produced by Jim Jonsin
Albums produced by Jake One
Albums produced by Symbolyc One
Albums produced by Frank Dukes
Cancelled projects
Unreleased albums