50 Cent's 'Get Rich...' released 20 Years Ago Today!

[chazraps]

Go shorty...

20 years ago today 50 Cent's 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' was released, and especially with two decades hindsight, it really feels like the last time a debut album release was a major world-stopping event.

As much as things changed post streaming/blog/recession eras, it's unmatched.

Where were you when it came out and what was your reaction?

[Jindrak Mark]

One of the greatest hip-hop albums ever. I count as many as 10 iconic tracks on there.

50 had one of the top 5, probably even top 3, peaks ever in rap. He might not have had the musical longevity of a Jay-Z or Kanye or Eminem but during that 02-05 run he was absolutely massive worldwide.

It's kind of shocking how quickly he seemed to lose relevance music wise. Obviously from like 2010 onwards he was more focused on outside projects but even when he was still trying in 2007-09 nothing was hitting the same. He had to release like 4 lead singles for Curtis because none of them were hitting until I Get Money when a year or two earlier he could have put put absolutely anything and it would have dominated.

I think a couple things hurt him. The beef with The Game I think was were the cracks starting showing. 50 had a whole crew behind him and also signed Mobb Deep and MOP and Game by himself felt like the underdog and won the beef among a lot of hip-hop heads at the time with the better diss records. Then you had the sales war with Kanye in 07. He was so sure and cocky that he was going to outsell Kanye, even promised to retire if he didn't, then Kanye ended up beating him pretty comfortably.

[Ben Wyatt]

20 years ago?

Good lord.

[SneakMan]

Couldn't stand rap back then, and since 50 was everywhere, he (and by extension this album) was essentially the face of my most-hated musical genre.

I got significantly less closed-minded over the next two decades, and while I still think 50 sounds like he's trying to rap without opening his mouth most of the time, Get Rich... is a very fun album.

[Perd]

Go apbum
It's ya birthday

[Natural Born Farmer]

Many men enjoyed this album.

[Killah Ray]

Ain’t no way it’s been 20 years. I think it’s about time to start looking into social security…smh

[Red Mage Riot]

Feb 6, 2023 15:13:41 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Go shorty...

20 years ago today 50 Cent's 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' was released, and especially with two decades hindsight, it really feels like the last time a debut album release was a major world-stopping event.

As much as things changed post streaming/blog/recession eras, it's unmatched.

Where were you when it came out and what was your reaction?

I dunno. I mean, say what you want about the artist now, it's deserved, 100%, but I think The College Dropout might overtake Get Rich... in terms of how it changed the game as a debut album.

[The Rick Jericho]

This also according to some marked the end of Ja Rule's career.

For those who may not remember, he was everywhere late 2000 and especially 2001 and all those songs with Jennifer Lopez.

His career ended right here in 2003 and he was never relevant again.

[chazraps]

Feb 6, 2023 18:04:04 GMT -5 Red Mage Riot said:

Feb 6, 2023 15:13:41 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Go shorty...

20 years ago today 50 Cent's 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' was released, and especially with two decades hindsight, it really feels like the last time a debut album release was a major world-stopping event.

As much as things changed post streaming/blog/recession eras, it's unmatched.

Where were you when it came out and what was your reaction?

I dunno. I mean, say what you want about the artist now, it's deserved, 100%, but I think The College Dropout might overtake Get Rich... in terms of how it changed the game as a debut album.

Oh, I'm not talking about impact, I'm talking about the hoopla for a debut album on release day. 'College Dropout' did well, debuted at #2 and moved 441,000 units - nothing to be ashamed of at all - but it wasn't the absolute pop culture moment that 'Get Rich or Die Trying' was. It was *the* inescapable rap album for months, debuting at #1 with 822,000 and being the best selling album of the year. It was something super hyped that absolutely lived up to it.

Did 'College Dropout' have more of an impact sonically and aesthetically by the end of the decade and even to this day - absolutely - but it wasn't one of those immediate paradigm shifts of phenomenons like 'Get Rich' was. 'Get Rich' was closer to the hoopla of something like Snoop Dogg's 'Doggystyle.' It was a wild amount of immediate coverage and ubiquity for an artist who had never released an album before.

[Deleted]

My favourite thing relating to this album is at that years Grammys when 50 showing how much a sore loser he was when he lost out on the best new artist grammy.

[Red Mage Riot]

Feb 6, 2023 18:17:45 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Feb 6, 2023 18:04:04 GMT -5 Red Mage Riot said:

I dunno. I mean, say what you want about the artist now, it's deserved, 100%, but I think The College Dropout might overtake Get Rich... in terms of how it changed the game as a debut album.

Oh, I'm not talking about impact, I'm talking about the hoopla for a debut album on release day. 'College Dropout' did well, debuted at #2 and moved 441,000 units - nothing to be ashamed of at all - but it wasn't the absolute pop culture moment that 'Get Rich or Die Trying' was. It was *the* inescapable rap album for months, debuting at #1 with 822,000 and being the best selling album of the year. It was something super hyped that absolutely lived up to it.

Did 'College Dropout' have more of an impact sonically and aesthetically by the end of the decade and even to this day - absolutely - but it wasn't one of those immediate paradigm shifts of phenomenons like 'Get Rich' was. 'Get Rich' was closer to the hoopla of something like Snoop Dogg's 'Doggystyle.' It was a wild amount of immediate coverage and ubiquity for an artist who had never released an album before.

Ah, I get you. Yeah, that album was f***ing impossible to get away from. I was only tangentially into rap at the time, mostly Wu-Tang and not much else, and yeah, the impact 50 had cannot be overstated.

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

In Middle School playing basketball with this playing in the background

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

Feb 6, 2023 18:14:21 GMT -5 The Rick Jericho said:

This also according to some marked the end of Ja Rule's career.

For those who may not remember, he was everywhere late 2000 and especially 2001 and all those songs with Jennifer Lopez.

His career ended right here in 2003 and he was never relevant again.

The album itself had diss tracks but it was more so about wha the album meant 

The album debuted number 1 and in the process 50 kept putting pressure on Ja and his style. Ja and Murder Inc couldn't adapt since 50 kept coming at their necks 

[Limity (BLM)]

Feb 6, 2023 18:21:29 GMT -5 @sigmax said:

My favourite thing relating to this album is at that years Grammys when 50 showing how much a sore loser he was when he lost out on the best new artist grammy.

Fountains of Wayne was robbed!

[The Rick Jericho]

Feb 6, 2023 18:21:29 GMT -5 @sigmax said:

My favourite thing relating to this album is at that years Grammys when 50 showing how much a sore loser he was when he lost out on the best new artist grammy.

Googled this to see if things changed after all these years and nope.

As of 2020, he's still sore.