Get Rich or Die Tryin'
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''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is the debut
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...
, Eminem's Shady Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After signing with Eminem, 50 Cent also worked heavily with Dr. Dre acting as the album's executive producers, who worked to combine the
gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...
and R&B combo prevalent in New York hip-hop. Additional production is provided by Mike Elizondo, Sha Money XL (who also executive produced the album), Mr. Porter, Rockwilder, Dirty Swift,
Megahertz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base ...
, and more. The album also contains guest appearances from Eminem, Young Buck, and
Nate Dogg Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American rapper and singer. He gained recognition for providing guest vocals on several hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning him the ...
, as well as features from G-Unit co-members Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Prior to the album, 50 Cent released several mixtapes alongside the Trackmasters and an unreleased album widely believed to be his debut in 2000. However, after suffering legal troubles and being blackballed from the music industry, 50 Cent found difficulty in securing another major-label recording contract, until he signed with Eminem's Shady Records in 2002. Released a week in advance to combat bootlegging and Internet leakage, ''Get Rich or Die Tryin debuted and peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling over 872,000 copies in its first week of sales. The album's singles also saw worldwide success, with both " In da Club" and " 21 Questions" reaching number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while " P.I.M.P." became a number one hit in several countries. The album was ranked number one on the ''Billboard'' Year-End 2003 and received general acclaim from music critics. ''Get Rich or Die Tryin was ranked by several publications as one of the best albums of the 2000s. In 2020, it was certified 9× Platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). It was the best-selling album of 2003 in the US, and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards. It won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at 2003 American Music Awards and Top ''Billboard'' 200 Album at the 2003 ''Billboard'' Music Awards. In 2020, ''
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. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' ranked the album number 280 on their updated 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.


Background

Prior to the release of his first studio album, titled '' Power of the Dollar'', 50 Cent was shot nine times in Queens, New York, on May 24, 2000. He survived but was dropped from his label,
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
, who canceled the album's release. Seeking to avoid another encounter with his shooter, 50 Cent traveled out to Westbury, Long Island at the invitation of producer Sha Money XL and began recording mixtapes there. During this period, 50 Cent also recorded several songs that would ultimately appear on ''Get Rich or Die Tryin''; he recalls that, when he completed a song that he was especially impressed by, he would decline to release the song and instead save it for his eventual studio debut. According to 50 Cent in March 2002, he was already in talks with J, Universal, and Jive Records to release his debut album titled ''Get Rich or Die Tryin via his own then imprint, Rotten Apple Entertainment. In 2002,
Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...
listened to a copy of 50 Cent's '' Guess Who's Back?'' mixtape album through Jackson's attorney, who was working with Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg.Ninja (December 2002)
50 Cent Interview
Dubcnn. Accessed May 22, 2007
After being impressed with the mixtape, Eminem invited 50 Cent to Los Angeles where he was introduced to producer Dr. Dre. 50 Cent signed a one-million-dollar record deal with Eminem and Dr. Dre; 50 Cent then released his next mixtape, '' No Mercy, No Fear''. It featured his own '' 8 Mile'' single, " Wanksta" (in addition to appearances on three other tracks from the album), which was later put on ''Get Rich or Die Tryin''. "Wanksta" began to attract attention from radio DJs throughout the United States, building hype for 50 Cent's forthcoming album. Both Eminem and Dr. Dre had started producing tracks on his debut album with additional help from producers Mike Elizondo, Sha Money XL, and others. 50 Cent's second commercial single, " In da Club", was the first of seven tracks he recorded in five days with Dr. Dre. Eminem was featured on two songs, "Patiently Waiting" and "Don't Push Me". His songs also featured rappers within G-Unit such as Lloyd Banks ("Don't Push Me"), Tony Yayo ("Like My Style"), or Young Buck ("Blood Hound"). "Back Down" was an instrumental originally intended to be used on
Rakim William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim (), is an American rapper. He is one half of Golden age hip-hop, golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, with whom he released four albums: ''Paid in Full ...
's debut Aftermath album, ''Oh My God,'' but due to creative differences was not released. Early pressings of ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' included a limited edition bonus DVD. The album title originates as a tattoo on Sha Money XL's arm. The album artwork of ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' was designed by Julian Alexander and Sacha Waldman. Featuring a shirtless 50 Cent standing behind a broken glass pane, it has been described as "among the most recognizable lbum coversin rap history". 50 Cent commented about the title:


Lyricism and composition


Lyricism

''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is a
gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...
album. 50 Cent has stated that his goal was to write lyrics that were evocative enough to capture listeners' imaginations, while also being "vague enough not to daunt them". Despite this, he does venture into more explicit detail on some tracks, like "Many Men" and the Ja Rule diss "Back Down". On the whole, the writing on the album has been described as "smooth ngout" the feel of his mixtapes into a more generally accessible format; tracks such as "In da Club" show 50 Cent particularly aiming to depict widely relatable experiences. 50 Cent has stated that he limited the amount of vulnerability he would display on the album; on tracks like " Many Men", he aimed to balance the vulnerability of the lyrical content with aggressive deliveries and production. The single " 21 Questions" was initially added to the album's tracklist against Dr. Dre's wishes. According to 50 Cent, "Dre was, like, 'How you goin' to be gangsta this and that and then put this sappy love song on?'"Allison Samuels, February 21, 2007
The Flip Side of 50 Cent
''MSNBC''. Accessed July 7, 2007.
50 Cent responded saying, "I'm two people. I've always had to be two people since I was a kid, to get by. To me that's not diversity, it's necessity." "21 Questions" has also been noted as, along with "Many Men", one of the few slow-tempo tracks on the album.


Singles and promotion

The album's lead single, "In da Club", which was released to digital download on January 7, 2003, was certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA), becoming 50 Cent's first song to top the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for nine weeks and remained on the charts for twenty-two weeks.50 Cent – In da Club – Music Charts
. aCharts.us. Accessed July 5, 2007.
The track also reached number one on the Top 40 Tracks,
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
, and
Hot Rap Tracks Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...
charts." Billboard Singles. Allmusic. Accessed July 5, 2007. The song reached number one in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, and Switzerland and the top five in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. It received two Grammy nominations for Best Male Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song. It was listed at number 18 on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time". Its second single, "21 Questions", which was released to digital download on March 4 of that same year, became 50 Cent's second chart topper on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it remained for four non-consecutive weeks. It spent seven weeks on top of the ''Billboard''
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
charts. Outside the States, "21 Questions" reached number six in the United Kingdom. It was certified gold by the RIAA. The third single " P.I.M.P.", which was released to urban contemporary radio on June 24, was shipped with a remix featuring rapper
Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
and trio-group G-Unit. It was the third single that peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one on "Hot Rap Tracks", becoming the third single from the album to peak in the top ten on the "Hot 100" chart. It also reached number one in Canada. It was certified Gold by RIAA. The album's final single, " If I Can't", peaked at number seventy-six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and thirty-four on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
charts. After the album's release, 50 Cent toured extensively in its support. Throughout 2003, he performed 84 concerts in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.


Critical reception

''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' received highly positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, it holds an aggregate score of 73 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". In his review for ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'', Steve Jones believed that the album is worthy of the hype 50 Cent had attracted because of how he "delivers, in vivid detail, stories of the violent life he led as a crack dealer and speaks with the swagger of one who has been shot nine times and lived to tell about it."
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
's Jason Birchmeier described it as "impressive" and "incredibly calculated", and identified it as "ushering in 50 as one of the truly eminent rappers of his era". ''
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. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine's Christian Hoard praised the album's production and 50 Cent's "thug persona" and rapping ability. Brett Berliner of ''
Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...
'' felt that he is versatile as a rapper and wrote that, "while not even close to perfection, he albumis one of the freshest to come out in years." It is one of only 19 rap albums to receive a perfect rating from '' XXL'' magazine. Kelefa Sanneh of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote that 50 Cent is "an appealing, mischievous character" whose talent for threatening raps aimed toward rivals is also limiting thematically.
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
was less enthusiastic in his consumer guide for ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'' and gave it a two-star honorable mention, indicating a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy." He cited "What Up Gangsta" and "Patiently Waiting" as highlights and said that 50 Cent "gets no cuter as his character unfolds" on the album.


Accolades

In December 2009, '' Billboard'' magazine ranked ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' at number 12 on its list of the Top 200 Albums of the Decade. In 2012,
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 ...
named the album one of the classic releases of the last decade. The single, "In da Club", earned the number-one spot on '' Billboard'' 2003's single and album of the year charts, the first since
Ace of Base Ace of Base is a Swedish pop group formed in 1987, originally consisting of siblings Jonas, Linn, and Jenny Berggren, with Ulf Ekberg. They achieved worldwide success following the release of their debut album, '' Happy Nation'', in 1992. L ...
had both in the same year. "Back Down" was listed on '' XXL''s list of the greatest diss tracks of all time. The album was also included in the book '' 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''. ''Get Rich or Die Tryin was also ranked as the 139th best album of all time on the ''Billboard'' Top 200 Albums of All Time. In 2020, in their second revised edition of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, ''
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. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' ranked ''Get Rich or Die Tryin as the 280th greatest album of all time.


In popular culture

In the 2017 video game ''
Paradigm In science and philosophy, a paradigm ( ) is a distinct set of concepts or thought patterns, including theories, research methods, postulates, and standards for what constitute legitimate contributions to a field. The word ''paradigm'' is Ancient ...
'', one of the records found inside Paradigm's home is ''Get Rich or Die of Natural Causes'', a reference to the album.


Commercial performance

''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 872,000 copies in its first week. In its second week, the album sold an additional 822,000 copies. It was the best-selling album of 2003, selling 13 million copies worldwide to date.Candace Anderson (September 17, 2007)
Kanye West and 50 Cent go head to head in record sales competition
. TheCurrentOnline. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
It remains 50 Cent's best-selling album, with certified sales of 9 million copies in the United States, and is the tenth best-selling hip-hop album in the country. The album was certified 6× Platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) in 2003 for shipping six million copies in the US. In 2003, ''Get Rich or Die Tryin was ranked as the number one album of the year on the ''Billboard'' 200.


Legacy

''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is credited with restoring
gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...
to prominence in an era when prevailing trends favored "slick, flashy ladies-man rappers" and radio-friendly R&B collaborations. Denaun Porter states that the album "shifted everybody's view of music" and led to a wave of stylistic imitators. 50 Cent's swaggering, unrepentant persona on ''Get Rich Or Die Tryin'' has led him to be described as "rap's most charming antihero since 2Pac". In a 2013 retrospective, '' Billboard'' states that the album "rewrote the hip-hop rulebook". Neil Kulkarni of '' Crack'' states that ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' combined "Southern-style textures with gritty East Coast lyrical content" in a way that many succeeding artists would strive to replicate, and argues that the album's success paved the way for future gangsta rap artists including
Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. He is credited, alongside fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for ...
,
Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...
, and the Game. 50 Cent has also been credited with inspiring later rappers to write more overtly about their "personal turmoil". Sha Money XL credits the album's success to the memorability of 50 Cent's background:


Track listing

Notes * – additional production * – co-producer


Personnel

Credits are adapted from the physical album &
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
. Credits: ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' Allmusic. Retrieved on February 28, 2010. * 50 Cent – vocals/writer * Justin Bendo – engineer * Sean Blaze – producer, engineer * Darrell Branch – producer * Tommy Coster – keyboards * Terence Dudley – producer * Mike Elizondo – bass, guitar, keyboards, producer * Dr. Dre – producer, executive producer, mixing * Eminem – producer, executive producer, mixing, vocals * John "J. Praize" Freeman – producer * Steven King – producer, mixing * Megahertz – producer * Red Spyda – producer * Luis Resto – keyboards * Ruben Rivera – keyboards, assistant engineer * Rockwilder – producer * Tom Rounds – engineer * Sha Money XL – producer, engineer * Tracie Spencer – vocals * Rob Tewlow – producer * Patrick Viala – engineer * Sacha Waldman – photography * Ted Wohlsen – engineer * Carlisle Young – engineer, digital editing * Dj Rad – producer


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


See also

* Get Rich or Die Tryin' (film) * List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2003


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Get Rich Or Die Tryin' (Album) 2003 debut albums 50 Cent albums Aftermath Entertainment albums Albums produced by Eminem Albums produced by Mr. Porter Albums produced by Rockwilder Albums produced by Dr. Dre Albums produced by Midi Mafia Albums produced by Mike Elizondo Shady Records albums Interscope Records albums Interscope Geffen A&M Records albums Juno Award for International Album of the Year albums Albums produced by Sha Money XL Albums produced by Megahertz (record producer)