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Get Rich or Die Tryin'

 
Album Review: Get Rich or Die Tryin'
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Get Rich or Die Tryin'

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  • Artist: 50 Cent
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: February 06, 2003
  • Type: Contains explicit content, Soundtrack
  • Genre: Rap

Review

Probably the most hyped debut album by a rap artist in about a decade, most likely since Snoop's Doggystyle (1993) or perhaps Nas' Illmatic (1994), 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' certainly arrived amid massive expectations. In fact, the expectations were so massive that they overshadowed the music itself -- 50 becoming more of a phenomenon than simply a rapper -- so massive that you had to be skeptical, particularly given the marketing-savvy nature of the rap world. Even so, Get Rich is indeed an impressive debut, not quite on the level of such landmark debuts as the aforementioned ones by Snoop or Nas -- or those by Biggie, Wu-Tang, or DMX either -- but impressive nonetheless, definitely ushering in 50 as one of the truly eminent rappers of his era. The thing, though, is that 50 isn't exactly a rookie, and it's debatable as to whether or not Get Rich can be considered a true debut (see the unreleased Power of the Dollar [1999] and the Guess Who's Back? compilation [2002]). That debate aside, however, Get Rich plays like a blueprint rap debut should: there's a tense, suspenseful intro ("What Up Gangsta"), an ethos-establishing tag-team spar with Eminem ("Patiently Waiting"), a street-cred appeal ("Many Men [Wish Death]"), a tailor-made mass-market good-time single ("In da Club"), a multifaceted tread through somber ghetto drama (from "High All the Time" to "Gotta Make It to Heaven"), and finally three bonus tracks that reprise 50's previously released hits ("Wanksta," "U Not Like Me," "Life's on the Line") -- in that precise order. In sum, Get Rich is an incredibly calculated album, albeit an amazing one. After all, when co-executive producer Eminem raps, "Take some Big and some Pac/And you mix them up in a pot/Sprinkle a little Big L on top/What the f*ck do you got?" you know the answer. Give Em (who produces two tracks) and Dr. Dre (who does four) credit for laying out the red carpet here, and also give 50 credit for reveling brilliantly in his much-documented mystique -- from his gun fetish to his witty swagger, 50 has the makings of a street legend, and it's no secret. And though he very well could be the rightful successor to the Biggie-Jigga-Nas triptych, Get Rich isn't quite the masterpiece 50 seems capable of, impressive or not. But until he drops that truly jaw-dropping album -- or falls victim to his own hubris -- this will certainly do. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Intro 50 Cent (:06)
What Up Gangsta (Lyrics) Curtis Jackson, Rob Tewlow 50 Cent (2:59)
Patiently Waiting (Lyrics) Curtis Jackson, Marshall Mathers, Mike Elizondo, Luis Resto 50 Cent, Eminem (4:48)
Many Men (Wish Death) 50 Cent (4:16)
In da Club (Lyrics) A. Young, Curtis Jackson, Mike Elizondo 50 Cent (3:13)
High All the Time (Lyrics) Marshall Mathers, Curtis Jackson 50 Cent (4:29)
Heat (Lyrics) Curtis Jackson, A. Young 50 Cent (4:14)
If I Can't (Lyrics) A. Young, Curtis Jackson 50 Cent (3:16)
Blood Hound (Lyrics) Curtis Jackson Young Buck, 50 Cent (4:00)
Back Down (Lyrics) A. Young, Curtis Jackson 50 Cent (4:03)
P.I.M.P. (Lyrics) Curtis Jackson, Denaun Porter 50 Cent (4:09)
Like My Style (Lyrics) D. Stinson, Curtis Jackson Tony Yayo, 50 Cent (3:13)
Poor Lil Rich (Lyrics) Curtis Jackson 50 Cent (3:19)
21 Questions (Lyrics) Curtis Jackson Nate Dogg, 50 Cent (3:44)
Don't Push Me (Lyrics) Marshall Mathers, Luis Resto Lloyd Banks, 50 Cent, Eminem (4:08)
Gotta Make It to Heaven (Lyrics) 50 Cent (4:00)
Wanksta [*] Curtis Jackson, J.B. Freeman 50 Cent (3:39)
U Not Like Me [*] 50 Cent (4:15)
Life's on the Line [*] Curtis Jackson 50 Cent (3:38)

Credits

Steven King (Mixing), Megahertz (Producer), Sha Money XL (Engineer), Rockwilder (Producer), Red Spyda (?), 50 Cent (Executive Producer), Ruben Rivera (Assistant Engineer), John "J. Praize" Freeman (Producer), Carlisle Young (Engineer), Sha Money XL (Producer), Steven King (Producer), Mike Elizondo (Guitar), Carlisle Young (Digital Editing), Tracie Spencer (Vocals), Sacha Waldman (Photography), Sean Blaze (Engineer), Ruben Rivera (Keyboards), Terence Dudley (Producer), Mike Elizondo (Keyboards), Ron Feemster (Fender Rhodes), Justin Bendo (Engineer), Luis Resto (Keyboards), Eminem (Mixing), Mike Elizondo (Bass), Marcus Heisser (A&R), Tom Coster (Keyboards), Darrell Branch (Producer), Patrick Viala (?), Rob Tewlow (Producer), Ted Wohlsen (Engineer), Eminem (Producer), Tom Rounds (Engineer), Sean Blaze (Producer), Tracy McNew (A&R), Mike Elizondo (Producer), Sha Money XL (Executive Producer), Eminem (Executive Producer)
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Wikipedia: Get Rich or Die Tryin' (album)
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Get Rich or Die Tryin'
Studio album by 50 Cent
Released February 4, 2003
Recorded 2002
Genre East Coast hip hop, hardcore hip hop, gangsta rap
Length 69:32
Label G-Unit, Aftermath, Shady, Interscope
Producer Dr. Dre (exec.), Eminem (exec.). Mike Elizondo, Midi Mafia, Denaun Porter, Darrell "Digga" Branch, Rockwilder, Megahertz, Rob "Reef" Tewlow, Sha Money XL, Dirty Swift, DJ Rad, Sean Blaze, John "J-Praize" Freeman, Red Spyda, Terence Dudley
Professional reviews
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: December 24, 2002
  2. "Wanksta"
    Released: February 17, 2003
  3. "21 Questions"
    Released: April 29, 2003
  4. "P.I.M.P."
    Released: August 12, 2003
  5. "If I Can't"
    Released: September 16, 2003

Get Rich or Die Tryin' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent, released by Interscope Records on February 4, 2003 in the United States-seven days ahead of the original release date due to heavy bootlegging and Internet leakage. The album featured production from Dr. Dre and Eminem, among others and featured guest appearances from Eminem and then newcomers' Young Buck, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Get Rich or Die Tryin' spawned five singles, including the number one-hits "In da Club", "21 Questions", the 8 Mile-penned "Wanksta" and the international single "P.I.M.P.".

The album debut at number one on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. It earned 50 Cent five Grammy Award nominations in for Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song and Best Male Rap Solo Performance. The album was certified six times platinum by the RIAA.

Early pressings of Get Rich or Die Tryin' included a limited edition bonus DVD.

Contents

Background

Writing and recording

In 2002, Eminem listened to a copy of Jackson's Guess Who's Back? mixtape album through Jackson's attorney, who was working with Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg.[1] After being impressed with the mixtape, Eminem invited Jackson to Los Angeles where he was introduced to producer Dr. Dre.[2] 50 Cent signed a one million 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 addition help from producers Mike Elizondo, Sha Money XL and among others. The first single "In da Club" was the first of seven tracks he recorded in five days with Dr. Dre. The next single "21 Questions" was not inlikes 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?'"[3] 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."[3] "Back Down" and "Heat" were instrumentals originally composed by Rakim 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.

Reception

Critical reception

Get Rich or Die Tryin' has been called the most hyped rap debut in over a decade.[4] The album opened to positive reviews, many praising the production, 50 Cent's melodic flow, and his hard-hitting wit. Allmusic called the album impressive and incredibly calculated in their positive four star review.[4] Christian Hoard, a writer for Rolling Stone, commended 50 Cent's undeniable showcase of skill, radio-ready tracks, and marketable thug persona in addition to the album's production for its dark synth grooves, buzzy keyboards, and persistently funky bounce.[5] It is one of only 19 rap albums to receive a perfect rating from XXL magazine.[citation needed] The album has an average rating of 73/100 from Metacritic, based on 19 critic reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews.[6] "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. Album cut "Back Down" was listed on XXL's list of the greatest diss tracks of all time. [7] The song was a diss to Murder Inc.'s Ja Rule, Irv Gotti, Caddillac Tah, and Black Child.

Commercial performance

Get Rich or Die Tryin' debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, amassing 872,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album continued to sell 822,000 copies in it second week. The album also managed to sell over two million copies in three weeks by averaging more than 500,000 copies per week sold, which has not happened since the Backstreet Boys and The Beatles respective album's did so in late 2000. The album has been certified six times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album spent a total of six weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, eleven weeks on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and eight weeks on the UK Albums Chart. It was among the best selling albums of the decade, selling 7 million copies by the end of the year.[8][9]It remains as 50 Cent's best-selling album to date, with sales of over 7,873,000 copies in the United States.[10] In Russia, the album was certified 5x platinum, selling 120.000.[11] The album has sold 13 million copies worldwide.[12]

Singles

  • "21 Questions" became 50 Cent's second chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained 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 RIAA.
  • "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.
  • "If I Can't" was the fourth and final single. The track received little attention and peaked at number seventy-six on the Billboard Hot 100 and thirty-four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

In popular culture

The song "Don't Push Me" was used as the entrance song for Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 101.

Track listing

  • 50 Cent co-wrote all of the songs on the album; additional writers are listed below.
# Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Intro"       0:06
2. "What Up Gangsta"   Rob Tewlow Reef 2:59
3. "Patiently Waiting" (featuring Eminem) M. Elizondo, L. Resto, M. Mathers Eminem 4:48
4. "Many Men (Wish Death)"   Darrell Branch, F. Perren, K. St. Lewis, L. Resto Darrell Branch 4:16
5. "In da Club"   [A. Young, M. Elizondo Dr. Dre, Mike Elizondo 3:13
6. "High all the Time"   C. Hampton, C. Almonacy, H. Banks, L. Resto, M. Mathers, R. Jackson, M. Clervoix DJ Rad 4:29
7. "Heat"   T. Coster, A. Young, M. Elizondo Dr. Dre 4:14
8. "If I Can't"   A. Young, M. Elizondo Dr. Dre 3:16
9. "Blood Hound" (featuring Young Buck) S. Henderson, D. Brown Sean Blaze 4:00
10. "Back Down"   A. Young, M. Elizondo, R. Feemstar Dr. Dre 4:03
11. "P.I.M.P."   D. Porter Mr Porter 4:09
12. "Like My Style" (featuring Tony Yayo) D. Stinson]], M. Bernard Rockwilder 3:13
13. "Poor Lil Rich"   M. Clervoix Sha Money XL 3:19
14. "21 Questions" (featuring Nate Dogg) J. Cameron, V. Cameron, K. Risto Midi Mafia 3:44
15. "Don't Push Me" (featuring Eminem & Lloyd Banks) L. Resto, M. Mathers, C. Lloyd Eminem 4:08
16. "Gotta Make It to Heaven"   D. Wesley Megahertz 4:00

Samples

  • "Many Men(Wish Death)"

Charts

Chart (2003)[16] Peak
Position
Australian Albums Chart [16] 4
Austrian Albums Chart [16] 16
Belgian Flanders Albums Chart [16] 3
Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart [16] 14
Canadian Albums Chart [17] 1
Dutch Albums Chart [16] 5
Danish Albums Chart [16] 6
Finnish Albums Chart [16] 11
French Albums Chart [16] 12
Italian Albums Chart [16] 13
New Zealand Albums Chart [16] 3
Norwegian Albums Chart [16] 5
Swedish Albums Chart [16] 8
Swiss Albums Chart [16] 8
UK Albums Chart 2
U.S. Billboard 200 [17] 1
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums [17] 1

References

  1. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named dubcnn; see Help:Cite error.
  2. ^ Touré (April 3, 2003). "The Life of a Hunted Man". Rolling Stone. Accessed July 6, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Allison Samuels, February 21, 2007. The Flip Side of 50 Cent. MSNBC. Accessed July 7, 2007.
  4. ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason (2003-02-06). "((( Get Rich or Die Tryin' > Overview )))". allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:svz1z88a4yv3. Retrieved 2009-09-23. 
  5. ^ (Posted: Feb 11, 2003) (2003-02-11). "50 Cent: Get Rich Or Die Tryin' : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone<!. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/50cent/albums/album/301556/review/6067729/get_rich_or_die_tryin. Retrieved 2009-09-23. 
  6. ^ Get Rich Or Die Tryin' reviews at Metacritic.com
  7. ^ "XXL Magazine | Features | 2005 | June | Shots Fired". Xxlmag.com. 2005-03-09. http://www.xxlmag.com/Features/2005/june/diss-songs/index.html. Retrieved 2009-09-23. 
  8. ^ Candace Anderson (September 17, 2007). Kanye West and 50 Cent go head to head in record sales competition. TheCurrentOnline. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  9. ^ Byrnes, Paul (January 18, 2006). Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
  10. ^ "Chart Watch Extra: The Top 20 New Acts Of The 2000s". New.music.yahoo.com. http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/39906/chart-watch-extra-the-top-20-new-acts-of-the-2000s/. Retrieved 2009-09-23. 
  11. ^ «2М» Золотой и платиновый альбом в России
  12. ^ "> Discussion Forums". Box Office Mojo. 2009-06-11. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/forums/viewtopic.htm?t=77392&sid=e113c44cdf49c2f4b4355a706afe072d. Retrieved 2009-09-22. 
  13. ^ Martens, Todd (May 1, 2003). "Sean Paul 'Busy' Ousting 50 Cent Single". Billboard. Accessed July 5, 2003.
  14. ^ "50 Cent - In da Club - Music Charts". aCharts.us. Accessed July 5, 2007.
  15. ^ "Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Accessed July 5, 2007.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Steffen Hung. "50 Cent - Get Rich Or Die Tryin'". swisscharts.com. http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=50+Cent&titel=Get+Rich+Or+Die+Tryin%27&cat=a. Retrieved 2009-09-23. 
  17. ^ a b c http://www.billboard.com/#/album/50-cent/get-rich-or-die-tryin/567925

External links

Preceded by
Home by Dixie Chicks
Come Away With Me by Norah Jones
American Life by Madonna		 Billboard 200 number-one album
February 16, 2003 – March 1, 2003
March 16, 2003 – April 5, 2003
May 11, 2003 – May 17, 2003		 Succeeded by
Chocolate Factory by R. Kelly
Meteora by Linkin Park
Body Kiss by The Isley Brothers feat. Ronald Isley
v • d • e
50 Cent
Albums
Power of the Dollar  · Get Rich or Die Tryin'  · The Massacre  · Curtis  · Before I Self Destruct
Compilation albums
Mixtapes
50 Cent Is the Future  · No Mercy, No Fear  · God's Plan  · War Angel LP  · Forever King  · The 50th Law of Power
Filmography
50 Cent: The New Breed · "Pranksta Rap" · Get Rich or Die Tryin' · Home of the Brave · Righteous Kill · Before I Self Destruct · Streets of Blood · Dead Man Running · Spectacular Regret · 13 · The Dance · The Ski Mask Way
Video games
Related articles
v • d • e
50 Cent singles
Power of the Dollar
Get Rich or Die Tryin'
The Massacre
Get Rich or Die Tryin' OST
Curtis
Before I Self Destruct
"Ok, You're Right" · "Baby by Me" · "Do You Think About Me" · "Get It Hot"
Other singles
"Rowdy Rowdy" · "Get Up" · "I Get It In" · "Crack a Bottle"
Notable songs
Featured singles

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