At the time 50 was
the perfect rapper for a perfect time in hip hop. Jay was talking retirement
and listeners were beginning to grow tire of hearing countless tracks with Ja Rule
hitting more high notes than his label mate
Before you knew it, wanksta was everyone’s new favorite song, and he was entering a
full fledged beef with Ja Rule. We as fans ate it up, while at the same time
crucifying Ja Rule for going pop. When In
Da Club Hit, it was official-- 50 was the king of
By the time 21 questions had came out, Ja Rule's reign was over, and a new
blueprint for hip hop success was made. So after 50 jumped on to the scene and
sold millions of records with Get Rich Or
die Trying, every record exec had their artist putting out mix tapes,
starting hip hop beefs and making party and female oriented tracks, hence
formula 50 was born.
50 rode this wave of success using it to push other
artist on his label. Artist like Lloyd Banks, Young Buck and for a short stint
Game reaped the benefits of this full proof plan. Then before you knew it, the
rapper who chastised Ja Rule for singing harmonies and constantly talking about
falling in love, was now running on a beach with no shirt on, while Joe sang on
the hook of his group album's (G-unit) second single. This sudden jolt to pop
threw off hardcore 50 fans and sparked discussions of 50 getting soft. Now fast
forward to his sophomore album The
Massacre.
After breaking all kinds of records with his first
album, 50 went back to the drawing board and using the same formula that he
used on his first album, released two new singles for The Massacre. The first two singles were Just a Little Bit and Candy
Shop. 50 cent fans everywhere once again scratched their heads, but hey!
The songs were good so no one saw a real reason to complain. 50 continued to
ride his wave of success as fans everywhere continued to have their musical
thirst quenched from his magic formula. Things seemed like they could never
slow down, but then the bottom fell out.
It all started out with what was supposed to be the first single off of his third album Curtis. With pressure to beat Kanye West in who would sell the most records and lackluster response from his first single Straight to the Bank, 50 went to his bread and butter putting out his second single Amusement Park, a song made to make the ladies swoon. But unlike other female and pop oriented songs that 50 had put out over his career Amusement Park received negative reviews from fans and never peeked higher than 21 on Billboards Hot 100 singles.
It was now becoming very clear that fans were slowly tiring of his predictable style and beginning to crave the taste of a new formula, with this in mind 50 released four more singles. The first of those singles was the track titled I Get Money. Not long after that, Ayo technology featuring Justin Timberlake was released then the last of his attempts at pop success Follow my lead featuring Robyn Thick.
Like Amusement Park, it received some fanfare but not
what the South
Fans that bought Kanye's album Graduation over 50's Curtis cited Kanye's content as the main reason for their selection. Although many of the people who bought Kanye's album were originally 50 cent fans they gravitated towards Kanye because many had finally grew tired of the same old routine from fifty, and felt Kanye was something that was fresh and pure, while 50 was still trying to catch lightning in a plastic bottle.
Despite this heavy loss it seems that 50 still hasn’t learned
his lesson. With a new G-unit album on the way he recently released a track
with Lil Kim Dubbed the remix to Magic Stick titled Wanna Lick. Despite 50 and Kim’s attempt to rekindle the magic that
made Magic Stick such a success, Wanna
Lick was not received as highly.
50 released 6 official singles for Curtis, had a highly publicized competition with Kanye West, and still struggled to go platinum. When Get Rich Or Die Trying came out, fans everywhere fell in love with the story of a true hustler starting a new life because of hip hop. Everyone ate up his stories and every song that he put out was a hit. By the time The Massacre was released 50 had solidified his strategy for selling records, and was implementing his formula more and more, but as he continued to quench the thirst of his listeners, there was no backlash.
Now that we have turned into another page in the never ending book of hip hop however, the thirst for 50's music that used to be so evident in fans everywhere has slowly died down. He's still putting out music, and he is still clearly sticking to the same formula, but unfortunately for him it seem as if the fans have finally grown tired of all the pop-ish love ballads.
The only thing left to see now is will Formula 50 work for G Unit's upcoming album, Shoot to Kill?
COMMENTS
True story. I think that 50 has gotten into a routine and its gotten old. I do enjoy the new G-Unit stuff that reminds me of when they was blazing the mixtape scene but I think that the days of 50 selling 3X platinum is over.
I agree... and it was definitely a good unbiased read.
I still bang "The Massacre" minus Just a Lil Bit and Candy Shop...never really liked that kinda shit.
But the rest of the album was hott.
I wouldn't have a problem with his pop shit if he didn't come at Ja's neck for doing it. I still like Ja because he did it "first" for the most part.
I guess 50 didn't take the time to understand WHY Ja decided to start making a lot of "R&B" type songs...
The same reason why LL did it.... FEMALES!
They like that chill shit... shit... I like that chill shit alot...especially when my girl's with me.
50 still has a chance to drop another hott album but he's either going to have to revert back to his HUNGRY days... or re-invent himself.... we'll soon see.
~Be Eazy!
The article is on point. Well said Sthamogul and Wiz.
I always felt 50 sticks to his script and rarely if ever takes a risk with lyrical content. When it's all said and done can you really place him with the Hip Hop elite?
^^The answer to your question is no, Rad. 50 is not among the all time greats because he barley lasted for three albums. I mean Fif still has a chance to be a great rapper if he consistently drops hot music starting with his new album but at this very moment NO, 50 is not an elite rapper.
Name another great rapper that was burned out by his third album?? You'll be hard pressed to find another rapper like that. Great rappers find ways to make great music through all the bullshit i.e Nas wit Stillmatic, Jay with Black Album, BIG with Life after Death, Beans wit The B coming etc...
I like 50 as much as the next guy, like Wiz said Massacre was aight minus a couple pop tracks and GRODT was fire. But like the article said he uses the same formula every time, and people eventually catch on, even his die hard fans. Fif probably thinks that to get his lost fans back he needs to make "hard" records talking about killing, drug dealing etc... NO Fif has plenty of songs like that, he needs to make more songs about how he grew up, his daily struggles, etc...
You can only talk about guns, drugs, women, cars etc... for so long until people get fed up wit it. The reason Kanye won like my man Lyrical Thought said in the article was because of CONTENT. Kanye brings something new to the table every time, unfortunately 50 doesn't and until he does, he'll never get his whole fan base back.
Wow this artical is late!! I figured this out after the massacre (weeks or Months). The guy (writer) is dead on, but I think 50 knows its not gonna work again. Fif should've figure it out earlier, but then again he is good at selling shit so he might be able make another successful formula.
GRODT was a great album. But by the time the Massacre came out I had already heard enough to know where the nigga was headed. He found success with that popcorn R&B shit and he thought real hip-hop heads would care if he ran with it. How wrong he was. To start off, I fucking despised ja-rules pussy ass ashanti collabos. I was so happy to see big 50 come in and smash him that I copped his album and all the g-unit and green lantern mixtapes in the summer of 03.
But then he switched up his style and let the money pile up. And fuck what banks told him. It was an unwise move. The massacre has about 10 good tracks on it that I bumped when it came out. The first 4 songs. Rider music. god gave me style. I dont need em. It was alot of good songs on it. But I noticed real quick that it had some pussy shit on it too. And it made me mad to hear songs like "your my baby, I adore you, summer, winter spring and fall" and of course " Ill take you to the candy shop". It was pretty ja-rule like and you cant deny that. And to make it even worse, the massacre had album filler music like my toy soldier and baltimore love thing. Just boring shit. Massacre was a huge dissapointment to me. I was immediately glad I burned my niggas copy and didnt buy one of my own. I wont even throw in the Nas and Jada disses that were on the worst diss song of all time. Piggy bank was horrible.
Kanye West is a nigga that makes music that inspires him. I love that it was he who burned 50 in the sales run. Kanye is a nigga with something to say.
In my opinion 50 cent turned his back on hip-hop years ago. Hes just the same industry whore that he accused little wayne of being. That he accused Ja rule of being. 50 had his run and made a monster album with Get rich or die trying. And I like the things he has to say when he addresses the media. But he is a shell of an MC. If he put all the R&B shit aside and mad another GRODT I would cop it. But he wont. Hes a music industry puppet. Hes far from a Nas. Hes far from a Kweli. Hes far from a 3000. Hes far from a Facemob. The thing that makes it all even worse is that he could have been one of the greatest if he would have stayed on track. Hes like the Hip-Hop Mike Tyson.
gethip313, u pretty much hit every point. nice post
You don't hear shit bout G Unit now and days. Ever Since Game left G- Units status went down. Fuck 50.
I AGREE!!!!!!!
Great read... Unfortunately the formula is not gonna work again like it's been working.
the money took over the formula
50 fell off after dropping game and after dropping the massacre
gatman and robin was the only good song on the massacre
stop spamming
Money changes everyone.
And There Is The Magic Answer....Once U Startin Gettin That Type Of Money U Startin Livin The Lifestyle (Of The Rich & Famous)Lol Seriously Look At Jay-Z....It Shows That Most "Gangstas" Truthfully Wanna Make It Out The Hood N Live "The Life" U Cant Blame Them Tho
"they say money change you, but money dont change you. it just makes you more than what you already are" - Little Brother
*more OF what you already are...
Yea 50 is going soft, compare Curtis to Power of the Dollar
That's like comparin' Kevin Federline to Jadakiss
great read......i think its more on what he is deciding to put out, lets face it all that success brought him lots of money....he is not dat hungry anymore and probably doesnt feel like he needs to put out "great" muzik to make money like he use to.....but that new G Unit shit sounds good so who knows? for all we know he has just been toyin wit us and waitin for his chance to get serious again
Get Rich or Die Tryin is obviously a straightup classic banger. It was amazing. Dr. Dre runs this shit. He discovered Eminem, eminem discovered 50 cent. But now...i think he shouldnt have signed 50 cent because look at him now...he fell off BAAD in 2007. The massacre was hot as fuck. It wasnt as good as Get Rich or die tryin, but if The Massacre got released this year, it would be considered a classic..i promise you. Curtis, honestly, was some bullshit album so 50 can get more money, because he was getting broke, but when that cocacola vitamin water deal came in, he got like, what, 400 million? BOOM, mo money. So 50 Cent is just rolling in dough..but money doesnt buy happiness, and more money makes people not like you that much. 50 cent took advantage of the money, and his rap career is dead. He isnt too great at acting either. R.I.P. 50 Cent's Career. 2003-2007.
and that pic is madd funny lol
i agree 100% wit this article its no secret that 50's hunger is absent 4rm most of his music and the massacre was ass compared to GRODT this is shit we already know good read tho
dis article 100% correct, 50 on his 1st album was was lyk a complete rapper truth, raw, different and fresh by da dude fell off wen he got 2 his 2nd album, everythin about him is fake now,he doesn't do da basics, his lyrics are corny, his beats get anoyin at tyms, he needs to take a long break or retre
well fifty can just pull an eminem, and start rappin' about how he's tired of critics and fans getting on his ass. the listeners will eat it up.
would you listen to an angry and stressed fifty?
i would, but it'd probably never happen because with all that moniiiii,
"ima die tryin' to spend all this shit"
HELL NAWH THE FORMULA IZ GOLDIN>HAVE YALL HEARD THE NEW G-UNIT MIXTAPE WITH DJ WHOO KID? BUMPIN THIS SHIT RIGHT NOW AZ I SPEAK>THIS MIXTAPE IZ THE ONE! NO BULLS***
http://www.myspace.com/beatbrothersproduction
(50 the best album u put out dat u came with sum hard shyt was POWER OF THE DOLLAR.....i wanna Hear dat 50 cent AGAIN ....u got 2 Cocky bro....u got on ja rule but it seem's like u going down dat same lane.....u only got lucky u aint disapear like ja...cuz u got allot of endorcements..but u seen dat nika GAME he fucked up the whole g-unit...and i aint lying !!!!!!!!
$(POWER OF THE DOLLAR)$
BEST 50 CENT CD That Got PUT OUT
$(POWER OF THE DOLLAR)$
BEST 50 CENT CD That Got PUT OUT
It happens to the best of them. But hey, it is what it is. 50 has a lil' bit left in the tank, I'll cop his next album regardless. But yes, this article, is on point. Right on the money.
50 been soft since the massacre too many love songs
very good article..but its diffrent game for him powerof a doller he amde ebcause eh had to prove him self street wise ,grodt proved to the nation that this is wut he is after that he didnt need to prove anything anymore so he makes music thats easier goina nd prolly cheaper and less time and effort
What I don't get is why the mixtape he released right after Curtis was ten time better than his album.
that's because the tracks on the album need to be heard by the label and provin by the label and mix atpe's aint. my nigga
Couldn't be more on point wit tha read. i hear everything u sayin homie!!!! Niggaz get comfortable afta a certain amount of tyme and just do it for tha sake of tha fame afta that or to try to live up to their name when it was hot bacc then. SCREAM AT ME 1.
I WISH 2PAC NEVER SAID THAT "GIRLS BUY THE ALBUMS AND DUDES LISTEN TO WHAT THE GIRLS LIKE"
MIXTAPES A ARTIST has more freedoem and dont have to worry about samples and radio friendle shit.this is a business and curtis take alot of hate for doing good business.this why a guy like him can sell millions of records and give you hard core on the mixtapes.jay dont even do that and yall still dickride his ass.when last you heard a jay-z mixtape?huh
yes 50 does commercial shit for sales but damen this nigga still giving us mixtapes?unreal.
50 has ALWAYS come hard on mixtapes. If you took the best of his mixtape joints and put em on one album it would be a banger. He used to jack a beat and make it better than the original.
Jay-z said a long time ago right after the Nas beef that he was sick of putting out heat on mixtapes and the fans still being unloyal. I feel him. Niggas was trashing him after ether. Cant blame him for being bitter.
yo 50 fell off hard...his mixtapes before his first album were ill and Get Rich or Die Tryin' is a classic but his shit since then is garbage
Ok people I know yall gon Trash me but I gotta do it. Fuck 50 cent! I repeat.... Fuck 50 cent! He's a whack ass nigga! Wit a whack ass crew! and I dont like his whack ass ass! Good article though!
quit hating...that nigga is a money maker!! Like Beanie Sigel said get ya weight up not ya hate up faggots!!
There's always one cheerleading ass nigga on everypost...get your pom-poms nigaaa....50 sucks ass
what most of the nigga's dont understand is 50 is all about money.
he had the max that he could get though music, 150mil, sold his v.water for 40mil(4billion for the hole company, the company had 10diffrent drinks one of em v.water. 50 owend 10% of the stock's of v.water (nigga is smart as fuck, tellin em: nah, nigga i dont want yo paper i want a share in your company)4.000.000.000.0(what they paid for the franchise)/10(10products)=4.000.000.000(per product)/100% x 10%(50's share)=40.000.000). nigga thought there aint no more money in there now he been doing movie's with big ballers like al pacino and de niro, name one more motehr fucka that can say he done this much in such a short time. sure he is not the most talented mother fucka out there but he is the best hustla out there. he got around 190mil in the bank, gunit(clouts, music, label, shoe's) are worth bout 250mil. everyone is mad at him and hating him cause he did everything in 5years what took nigga's like puffy and jigga 20years.
get off his dick. i dont like his music but i respoect his hustle and person.
I agree wit everything they said on the article, but listen 2 da new gunit mixtape and fif song "Girl Come Over", and "The Party Aint Over", and tell me is fif gettin bacC to his old ways
Real shit right here. 50 can still put out some bangers, but very few. His mixtape game is beastly because its more hardcore shit. If he used some of the songs he made for G-Unit Radio 25 on Curtis, Curtis would kill Graduation. All due respect to Kanye, because I loved Graduation.
50 had to do Ja...Ja was selling alot singing to the ladies, but also rapping for the men. It worked for him, not 50. 50 just needs to be himself and then it'll come back to him. If 50 surrounded himself with Face, Lupe, and Cassidy and cats like that, he could actually transform into a lyrical monster. i know he sold coke, got shot 9 times, has a armys worth of guns, 7 Benzs rimmed up etc, etc... Dude needs to go back to the drawing board and experiment with a new/old flow.
He has nothing else to gain in the Music industry. He is growing out of the adolescence of the rap scene and into a businessman. If anything he should just do a mix tape every now and again just to stay relevant enough to bring shine to his label. Maybe Buck is the only one in the camp smart enough to see the writing on the wall.
I think sometimes people forget nobody is selling right now and i dont know if everyone is tired of the formula because he is in the dam blogs all the time with a new song or interview or something
what the hell y'all talkin bout curtis sold more than most albums in 2007 and he still went plat shit id be happy if that was me
i seen this comin, early...nigga need to re-invent his style and get bak on his hungry shit like how he came in the game.
everyone changes...and all rappers put out soft shit at some point in there careers..name me a few that didn't?? not many at all...it's impossible to make hit records all the time...it is also impossible to make every cd that you put out liable for everyone...all of 50's cds have there share of good songs on it...some more than others...i agree throw that 50 needs to start expanding his lyrics if he ever wants to go multiplatinum again...
Am i the only nigga wit a brain...was I the only 1 who heard I get money...was I the only nigga who heard the new mixtape(return of the body snatchers)...well I guess I am still the only nigga that feels is still the best in the industry...hands down...XXL named him the biggest moment in hip hop since 2pac and biggie died...the F%ck otta here wit dat formula gone wrong S#it!!!g-unit
truth hurts huh? this nigga 50 told you he was trying to get rich or die tryin on the first cd, and aint been tryin since. anyone who has any of 50's other sh*t fell for the same bullsh^t. fuck g-unit...........cat wait till Kanye murks this b#tch AGAIN
his rich, so he dont need 2 try no more...
Simple yet true
Simple yet true
this was a great article on 50. he went pop, plain and simple. the same shit he went at ja for doin, he ultimatley did. but that's not the problem though. the problem is that he went away from what made fans luv him in the first place, hardcore new york street records. he gave birth 2 the modern mixtape game. he got 2 comfortable in his position, kind of like jay-z has.
wta u talkin about he didnt go pop, its just everybody got brainwashed by game, the massacre was a hot album go back and listen again besides candy shop just a lil bit and so amazing every other track was street shit or sumthin fire, same with curtis amusement park and fire were the only two songs that were bad the rest was average or hot, dont be stupid and pay attention, plus his new mixtape is fire what could u say about that matta fact the last 2 mixtapes they put out were CRACK (gunit radio 25 and body snatchers)
BK, 50 went pop. He bytched Ja out of his style and then took it for himself. He calls it "riding a beat" but others more accurately describe it as singing.
Very good read. I can analyze 50 like this.
When he came out it was about getting money (The Power of a Dollar & Get Rich or Die Tryin). He had that hunger, he was goin at niggas with a vengeance and he wouldnt let nothing get in his way.
He got rich, and I was expecting him to keep that same hunger throughout at least the first 5-7 years of his career before he began crossing over. He didn't, instead he decided to crossover immediately.
My question, why would a man who sold 11 million copies by keeping it gangsta, taklking big shit, and being a cool nigga that could unleash rage in the blink of an eye; wanna crossover into doing "pop" records for his lead singles.
This is typically what people do to sell more, but 50 was the exception to that rule. My question is "What would he actually gain from crossing over?
You don't become a Mogul by "keeping it real", more money in the cross-over. Check Jay and Puff, perfect examples of how crossing-over lines the pocket. There are some cats out there keeping it grimey, then there are some cats out there paper chasing by any means necessary.
Very true. He got some of the best producers in hip-hop at his disposal and could afford to hire any of the rest. Had he kept it solid and not compromised his hard-core style he would be one of the most respected and loved artists in the game.
You stans are frontin if you think the 2 million heads that bought curtis was street niggas.
AT LEAST that many street niggas was feelin him in 2003. Id say that at least 5 of the 10 million copies of get rich were consumers from the hood. And I dont give a shit if yall are in denial about his status today but the street COUNTS BIG TIME when it comes to hip-hop. All them white high school girls will turn there back on a nigga as soon as his cred is ruined.
examples, Master P. Ja-rule. Vanilla Ice.
50 only went platinum once in the U.S. but in the world i wouldnt be surprised if he was over double platinum. 50 even said himself that he beat Kayne in first week sales Worldwide, I personally believe he's lieing, i mean 50 my nigga but Kanye is international too. I'd like to see some numbers from good sources before i jump to any conclusion.
yep 50 is da same and its getting old
i still like his shit but it aint the top anymore
"I'm a tell you what Banks told me cause go 'head switch the style up
If the niggas hate then let 'em hate
Watch the money pile up "
50 is that nigga and thats all I got 2 say, as soon as nigga start hating on 50 that when niggas start crying that hip-hop is dead 50 keep this rap shit entertaning,and 50 give Kanye that hype and every one in here knows that shit
With or without 50, Kanye was selling. Kanye didn't need 50, but on the other hand 50 needed Kanye. Without the hype of the Kanye/50 release 50 wouldn't be plat now. In my opinion.
this whole article sounded like a hater wrote it
50 is still a beast and has sound hungry again on recent records but for him to truely go back on top he's got to do something the game hasn't seen
yall realy want to know the truth! Well guess what 50 cent is not from queens he was born in a small 4 bedroom rambler red house on the west side of st.paul Minnesota. He went to highland park highschool and he went there through 11th grade. This is his half sister lenora jonea pollard II we have the same mom and the movie he made up is fiction thats right unreal.and I came up with Gunit as a name for the gr