Get Rich or Die Tryin' (album)

Get Rich or Die Tryin'
Studio album by 50 Cent
Released February 6, 2003
Recorded 2002
Genre Gangsta rap[1]
Length 69:32
Label Shady Records, Aftermath, Interscope
Producer Dr. Dre (also exec.), Eminem (also exec.),4Motel Sean Blaze, Darrell Branch, Dirty Swift, DJ Rad, Terence Dudley, Mike Elizondo, John "J-Praize" Freeman, Megahertz, Brandon "Dirtybird" Parrott, Red Spyda, Reef, Rockwilder, Sha Money XL
50 Cent chronology

Guess Who's Back?
(2002)		 Get Rich or Die Tryin'
(2003)		 The Massacre
(2005)
Singles from Get Rich or Die Tryin'
  1. "In da Club"
    Released: January 7, 2003
  2. "21 Questions"
    Released: April 29, 2003
  3. "P.I.M.P."
    Released: August 12, 2003
  4. "If I Can't"
    Released: September 16, 2003

Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​ is the debut studio album of American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Aftermath Entertainment, under a joint venture with Shady Records, and distributed by Interscope Records. Its initially planned release was pushed seven days ahead due to heavy bootlegging and Internet leakage. The album featured production from Dr. Dre and Eminem, and featured guest appearances from Eminem and then-newcomers Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo from G-Unit. To date it has sold over 15 million copies.

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 872,000 copies in its first week.[2] It generated four singles, including the number one hits "In da Club" and "21 Questions", and the international hit "P.I.M.P." By July 2014, Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​ has sold 8.3 million copies in the United States and is certified 8× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[3] Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from most music critics and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, losing to OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below at the 46th Grammy Awards. It ranked number 37 on Rolling Stone‍ '​s list of best albums of the 2000s.

Background

Prior to the release of his mixtape, Curtis Jackson was shot 9 times in Queens, New York. He managed to survive, but was dropped from his label, Columbia, and remained unsigned and in need of producing new music. In 2002, Eminem 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.[4] After being impressed with the mixtape, Eminem invited 50 Cent to Los Angeles where he was introduced to producer Dr. Dre.[5] 50 Cent signed a one million dollar record deal with Dr. Dre and released his next mixtape, No Mercy, No Fear. It featured the 8 Mile single, "Wanksta", which was later put on Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​. Both Eminem and Dr. Dre had started working-productions on his debut album with additional help from producers Mike Elizondo, Sha Money XL among others. The first single "In da Club" was the first of seven tracks he recorded in five days with Dr. Dre. Eminem was featured on a couple songs, such as "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"), and Young Buck ("Blood Hound"). The next single "21 Questions" was not in line to be on the album to Dr. Dre, he stated that he did not want the song on the album. According to 50 Cent, "Dre was, like, 'How you goin' to be gangsta this and that and then put this sappy love song on?'"[6] 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."[6] "Back Down" and "Heat" were instrumentals originally composed by Tommy Coster and Dr. Dre. They were both originally intended to be used on Rakim'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.

Singles

The album's lead single, "In da Club", was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), becoming 50 Cents' first song to top the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks and remained on the charts for twenty-two weeks.[7][8] The track also reached number one on the Top 40 Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and Hot Rap Tracks charts.[9] 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. This is considered to be one of the best rap songs of all time, introducing a new sound and rhythm to rap. It was listed at number 18 on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time".

Its second single, "21 Questions", 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 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." was shipped with a remix featuring rapper Snoop Dogg 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 then 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 charts.

Commercial performance

Get Rich or Die Tryin' debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 872,000 copies in its first week.[10] It was the best-selling album of 2003, selling 12 million copies worldwide by the end of the year.[11][12] It remains 50 Cent's best-selling album, with sales of 8.27 million copies in the United States, and the tenth highest-selling rap album of all time in the country.[3][13] The album was certified 6× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping six million copies in the US.[14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [15]
Blender [16]
Entertainment Weekly B[17]
The Guardian [18]
Los Angeles Times [19]
Pitchfork Media 7/10[20]
Rolling Stone [21]
Stylus Magazine B[22]
USA Today [23]
XXL (XXL)[24]

Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​ has been called the most hyped rap debut in over a decade and was hailed as a classic by critics when it was released.[25] At Metacritic, it holds an aggregate score of 73 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[26]

In his review for USA Today, 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."[23] Allmusic'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".[15] Rolling Stone magazine's Christian Hoard praised the album's production and 50 Cent's "thug persona" and rapping ability.[21] Brett Berliner of Stylus Magazine felt that he is versatile as a rapper and wrote that, "while not even close to perfection, [the album] is one of the freshest to come out in years."[22] It is one of only 19 rap albums to receive a perfect rating from XXL magazine.[24]

Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic in his consumer guide for The Village Voice and gave it a two-star honorable mention,[27] indicating a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy."[28] 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.[29] Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times wrote that 50 Cent is "an appealing, mischievous character" whose talent for threatening raps aimed toward rivals is also limiting thematically.[30]

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.[31] In 2012, Complex named the album one of the classic releases of the last decade.[32] The single, "In da Club", earned the number-one spot on Billboard 2003's single and album of the year, the first since Ace of Base had both in the same year. "Back Down" was listed on XXL's list of the greatest diss tracks of all time.[33]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Intro"   4Motel 0:56
2. "What Up Gangsta"  Curtis Jackson, Rob Tewlow, AJ Jackson, Greg ErwinRob "Reef" Tewlow, 4Motel 2:59
3. "Patiently Waiting" (featuring Eminem)Jackson, Marshall Mathers, Luis Resto, Mike ElizondoEminem 4:48
4. "Many Men (Wish Death)"  Jackson, Darrell Branch, RestoDarrell "Digga" Branch, Eminem (add.), Luis Resto (add.) 4:16
5. "In da Club"  Jackson, Andre Young, ElizondoDr. Dre, Elizondo (co.) 3:13
6. "High All the Time"  Jackson, Mathers, Michael Clervoix, Conrad Almonacy, RestoDJ Rad, Eminem (co.), Sha Money XL (co.) 4:29
7. "Heat"  Jackson, Young, Tommy Coster, ElizondoDr. Dre 4:14
8. "If I Can't"  Jackson, Young, ElizondoDr. Dre, Elizondo (co.) 3:16
9. "Blood Hound" (featuring Young Buck)Jackson, Sean Henderson, David BrownSean Blaze 4:00
10. "Back Down"  Jackson, Young, Ron Feemster, ElizondoDr. Dre 4:03
11. "P.I.M.P."  Jackson, Brandon "Dirtybird" Parrott, AJ Jackson, Greg ErwinMr.Porter 4:09
12. "Like My Style" (featuring Tony Yayo)Jackson, Marvin Bernard, Dana StinsonRockwilder 3:13
13. "Poor Lil Rich"  Jackson, ClervoixSha Money XL, Eminem (add.) 3:19
14. "21 Questions" (featuring Nate Dogg)Jackson, Kevin RistoDirty Swif 3:44
15. "Don't Push Me" (featuring Lloyd Banks and Eminem)Jackson, Mathers, Christopher Lloyd, RestoEminem 4:08
16. "Gotta Make It to Heaven"  Jackson, Dorsey WesleyMegahertz 4:01
17. "Wanksta" (bonus track)Jackson, John Freeman, ClervoixJohn "J-Praize" Freeman 3:39
18. "U Not like Me" (bonus track)Jackson, Andy ThelusmaRed Spyda 4:15
19. "Life's on the Line" (bonus track)Jackson, DudleyTerence Dudley 3:38
Sample credits

Personnel

Credits for Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​ adapted from Allmusic.[34]

  • 50 Cent – executive producer
  • Justin Bendo – engineer
  • Sean Blaze – producer, engineer
  • Darrell Branch – producer
  • Tommy Coster – keyboards
  • Terence Dudley – producer
  • Mike Elizondo – bass, guitar, keyboards, producer
  • Eminem – producer, executive producer, mixing
  • John "J. Praize" Freeman – producer
  • Marcus Heisser – A&R
  • Steven King – producer, mixing
  • Tracy McNew – A&R
  • Megahertz – producer
  • Red Spyda – producer
  • Luis Resto – keyboards
  • Ruben Rivera – keyboards, assistant engineer
  • Rockwilder – producer
  • Tom Rounds – engineer
  • Sha Money XL – producer, engineer, executive producer
  • Tracie Spencer – vocals
  • Rob Tewlow – producer
  • Patrick Viala – engineer
  • Sacha Waldman – photography
  • Ted Wohlsen – engineer
  • Carlisle Young – engineer, digital editing

Charts

Chart (2003)[35] Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[35] 4
Austrian Albums Chart[35] 16
Belgian Flanders Albums Chart[35] 3
Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart[35] 14
Canadian Albums Chart[36] 1
Danish Albums Chart[35] 6
Dutch Albums Chart[35] 5
Finnish Albums Chart[35] 11
French Albums Chart[35] 12
Greek Foreign Albums Chart[37] 3
Hungarian Albums Chart[38] 17
Italian Albums Chart[35] 13
New Zealand Albums Chart[35] 3
Norwegian Albums Chart[35] 5
Swedish Albums Chart[35] 8
Swiss Albums Chart[35] 8
UK Albums Chart 2
US Billboard 200[36] 1
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[36] 1

Certifications

Country Certification
Australia 2× Platinum[39]
Belgium Platinum[40]
Canada 6× Platinum[41]
Denmark Gold[42]
Europe Platinum[43]
France Gold[44]
Germany Gold[45]
Greece Gold[37]
Ireland Platinum[46]
Japan Gold[47]
New Zealand 2× Platinum[48]
Norway Gold[49]
Russia 5× Platinum[50]
Sweden Gold[51]
Switzerland Platinum[52]
United Kingdom 3× Platinum[53]
United States 8× Platinum[54]

See also

References

Footnotes
  1. ↑ "Where Are They Now? 50 Cent, Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​". BET. February 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2014. Ten years ago today, Feb. 6, 50 Cent unleashed his gangsta-rap masterwork Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​.
  2. ↑ "Rapper 50 Cent Has Top-Selling First Album - New York Times". Nytimes.com. February 17, 2003. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "50 Cent Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003)". Complex. 2013-05-18. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  4. ↑ Ninja (December 2002). 50 Cent Interview. Dubcnn. Accessed May 22, 2007
  5. ↑ Touré (April 3, 2003). "The Life of a Hunted Man". Rolling Stone. Accessed July 6, 2007.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Allison Samuels, February 21, 2007. The Flip Side of 50 Cent. MSNBC. Accessed July 7, 2007.
  7. ↑ Martens, Todd (May 1, 2003). "Sean Paul 'Busy' Ousting 50 Cent Single". Billboard. Accessed July 5, 2003.
  8. ↑ "50 Cent - In da Club - Music Charts". aCharts.us. Accessed July 5, 2007.
  9. ↑ "Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Accessed July 5, 2007.
  10. ↑ Holloway, Lynette (February 17, 2003). Rapper 50 Cent Has Top-Selling First Album. The New York Times. Retrieved on December 27, 2009.
  11. ↑ Candace Anderson (September 17, 2007). Kanye West and 50 Cent go head to head in record sales competition. TheCurrentOnline. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  12. ↑ Byrnes, Paul (January 18, 2006). Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
  13. ↑ Grein, Paul (July 8, 2014). "USA: Top 20 New Acts Since 2000". Yahoo! Music.
  14. ↑ Gold & Platinum: Searchable Database. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on December 27, 2009.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Birchmeier n.d..
  16. ↑ Mao, Chairman. Review: Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​. Blender. Retrieved on December 27, 2009.
  17. ↑ Browne, David (February 21, 2003). Review: Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on December 27, 2009.
  18. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (February 20, 2003). Review: Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​. The Guardian. Retrieved on December 27, 2009.
  19. ↑ Baker, Soren (February 9, 2003). Review: Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on December 27, 2009.
  20. ↑ Chennault, Sam (March 4, 2003). Review: Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on December 27, 2009.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Hoard, Christian (February 11, 2003). Review: Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on December 27, 2009.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Berliner, Brett. Review: Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​. Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on December 27, 2009.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Jones, Steve. "Review: Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​". USA Today: D.05. February 11, 2003.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Staff. "Retrospective: XXL Albums". XXL. December 2007.
  25. ↑ Birchmeier n.d.; Ex 2003
  26. ↑ "Get Rich Or Die Tryin' reviews at". Metacritic.com. February 6, 2003. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  27. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "CG: 50 Cent". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  28. ↑ Christgau, Robert (2000). "CG 90s: Key to Icons". Robert Christgau. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  29. ↑ Christgau, Robert (March 9, 2004). "Edges of the Groove". The Village Voice (Village Voice Media). Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  30. ↑ Sanneh, Kelefa (February 9, 2003). Review: Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​. The New York Times. Retrieved on December 27, 2009.
  31. ↑ "Best of the 2000s - Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  32. ↑ "50 Cent, Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003) — 25 Rap Albums From the Past Decade That Deserve Classic Status". Complex. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  33. ↑ "XXL Magazine | Features | 2005 | June | Shots Fired". Xxlmag.com. March 9, 2005. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  34. ↑ Credits: Get Rich or Die Tryin‍ '​. Allmusic. Retrieved on February 28, 2010.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 35.5 35.6 35.7 35.8 35.9 35.10 35.11 35.12 35.13 Steffen Hung. "50 Cent - Get Rich Or Die Tryin'". swisscharts.com. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 http://www.billboard.com/artist/431969/50+cent/chart
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 "Greek Foreign Albums Chart". IFPI Greece. August 6, 2003. Archived from the original on February 18, 2004. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  38. ↑ "Archívum - Slágerlisták - MAHASZ - Magyar Hangfelvétel-kiadók Szövetsége". Mahasz.hu. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
  39. ↑ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2003 Albums". Aria.com.au. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  40. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  41. ↑ "Canadian certifications – 50 Cent – Get Rich or Die Tryin". Music Canada. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  42. ↑ "Hitlisten". Hitlisterne.dk. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  43. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards - 2003". Ifpi.org. September 1, 2005. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  44. ↑ "Disque en France". Disque en France. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  45. ↑ "Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Gold-/Platin-Datenbank". Musikindustrie.de. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  46. ↑ Jaclyn Ward - Fireball Media Ltd. "The Irish Charts". IRMA. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  47. ↑ "一般社団法人 日本レコード協会｜各種統計". Riaj.or.jp. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  48. ↑ "New Zealand Music Chart". RIANZ. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  49. ↑ "IFPI Norsk platebransje". IFPI. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  50. ↑ "NFPF International 2003 certifications". NFPF. January 24, 2009. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  51. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2003" (PDF). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  52. ↑ Steffen Hung. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community". Swisscharts.com. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  53. ↑ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  54. ↑ "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
Bibliography

External links