How to Rob
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| “How to Rob” | |||||
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| Single by 50 Cent featuring The Madd Rapper from the album Power of the Dollar |
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| Released | 1999 in New York City (Unofficially) | ||||
| Recorded | 1999 | ||||
| Genre | Hip-Hop/Rap | ||||
| Length | 04:25 | ||||
| Label | Columbia | ||||
| Producer | TrackMasters | ||||
| 50 Cent featuring The Madd Rapper singles chronology | |||||
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How to Rob is the first single released by East Coast rapper 50 Cent.
[edit] Background
It was a noteworthy release for 50 Cent due to its blatant statements about robbing/mugging numerous rappers & musicians, including Lil' Kim, Diddy, Jay-Z, Joe, Busta Rhymes, Bobby Brown, Keith Sweat, Brian McKnight, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Slick Rick, Harlem World by Mase, Big Pun, Master P, Silkk The Shocker, Will Smith, Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat,DJ Clue, TQ, RZA, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Canibus, Juvenile, BLACKStreet, Boyz II Men, Mike Tyson, Mister Cee, Flipmode, Kirk Franklin, and Sticky Fingaz. Though since the song's release, he's worked with Jay-Z, Diddy, Mase, Busta Rhymes, DMX, Missy Elliott, DJ Clue, Juvenile, Joe, Lil' Kim and Timbaland.
The song was probably a tribute to the infamous 80's gangster Kelvin Martin, who was known to the underworld as "50 Cent", and where Curtis Jackson got the nickname from, which Kelvin robbed a lot of famous people, including stealing chains from the rappers LL Cool J and Rakim, and Curtis Jackson showing people that he is like Kelvin Martin.
50 Cent intended the single to be a "joke", meaning it wasn't meant to disrespect anybody. Nevertheless, a number of rappers mentioned on the song responded on record. The comments made towards the Wu-Tang Clan were responded to on the Ghostface Killah album Supreme Clientele on a track called Ghost Deini and even more directly on a skit called Clyde Smith which included one of the Wu-Tang Clan members talking about how they intended to harm the rapper but it is unsure exactly what member of the clan said this due to the tracks vocal distorter. A supposed diss song, "Who the Fuck Is 50 Cent", which circulated the web in the beginning of 2001 was rumoured to be by the Clan, but was proven to be recorded by Polite of American Cream Team (Raekwon's then-side project). Jay-Z also reacted to the comments in the track called It's Hot (Some Like It Hot), off the album Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter :
"Go against Jigga yo' ass is dense
I'm about a dollar, what the fuck is 50 Cents?"
Sticky Fingaz responded to the diss with the track Jackin' For Beats.
Big Pun responds to this track on his album Yeeeah Baby, in the song My Turn, in which he states:
"And to the 50 Cent Rapper, very funny -- get our nut off, 'cuz in real life, we all know I'd blow your mutherfucking head off...If I'm gonna write a song, it'll be about how I had to beat your muthafuckin' ass. And that'll be the name of the mutherfucker: 'That's Why I Had To Beat Your Mutherfucking Ass,' featuring Tony Sunshine."
It was this single that created a lot of buzz for his Power of the Dollar album that was eventually shelved by Columbia Records. The song was also included on The Madd Rapper's debut album in 2000, as well as the soundtrack for the 1999 film In Too Deep, though Stick Fingaz is featuring in the film, 50 Cent said he'd rob him.
Wyclef Jean referred to the song on "Low Income" from his 2000 album, The Ecleftic :
"Low Income, I stay so hungry that if 50 Cent came to rob me, he'd be part of my charity."
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