Rebecca Judd interviews 50 Cent backstage at his final London O2 show as part of his “The Final Lap” tour, in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of his “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” album. For The Rebecca Judd Show, 50 Cent talked about how the album was made, its legacy, signing to Eminem and Dr. Dre’s label, buying his grandmother a car, and his influence on UK Rap.
The Rebecca Judd Show – 50 Cent – Interview
20 years of “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” Album
50 Cent: If you had asked me to make a wish in 2003, I would’ve just wished that my music was a hit. I didn’t see 20 years ahead in music like that. I’m just that at the moment for it to work. And then what’s crazy is most artists, they think they’re ready before they are.
Most good artists, they’ve thought they were ready before they [were actually good at it], but they’ve had that window of time to work that allowed them to actually become good enough. That’s why we have One Hit Wonders in Hip Hop culture. Because when that happens, they have that first hit and then it takes them out of the studio to go perform and to go meet all the distractions to come with being a successful artist, and then they land back in the studio without being trained to know how to create the next song. So, they be stuck with that one hit.
The first thing 50 did after signing to Eminem and Dr. Dre’s label for $1M
50 Cent: I bought my grandmother a C220 Benz. I’ll never forget because when I got the car, I got it right away, which was the first thing I bought when the deal was done. And then I went on the tour, and I came back and my grandfather was on the porch and he was having a moment. So, he was like, “I just went to work. I went to work, hurt my back, came back, and she done brainwashed my kids.” And he was talking about my grandmother because he was looking at her car in the front yard and he didn’t have a car. He had the older car and he said, “I went to work, hurt my back. Until my back hurt, everything.
Being naked in his house
50 Cent: You cannot be naked in your own house. You say, “How much did I pay to live in this mother****** and I can’t be naked, at all” Other people can actually walk around their house naked if they feel like it. They bought the mother******, they own it. They can do what they feel like. Right? And I couldn’t because I bought a place that had a staff people there. And look, if I came out of the room naked and they saw me…
“Get Rich or Die Tryin'” album
50 Cent: Yeah, it’s my favorite because of the way the public received it. It was unanimous.
50’s influence on UK rap
50 Cent: It’s exciting to hear they (Digga D and Strandz) have… The similarities in their styles, when I hear it, I go, “Ooh, this is dope.” I can see where there’s an influence there and the melodies and different things that they’re doing, and I think it’s dope because music does recycle itself.
Look at how often Hip-Hop culture samples material from different genres. You know what I’m saying? When they do it, it’s still their own. They’re taking the influence versus stealing someone’s style, it’s two different things. It’s so important to have your own style or your own sound when you come into it that your own identity or you can’t impact as hard. Because if you’re doing something everybody else is doing, it’s cool, but it’s just another one of those songs. You know what I mean?
“Many Men” Song
50 Cent: “Many Men” was my least favorite at that point because musically we were in the boom-bap phase. We were in that hard-hitting intensity, the energy on the records, and it’s the slowest song on Get Rich or Die Tryin’. And it’s now the tempo that the artists are rapping to. So, the fast tempo, hard-hitting beats, that was that era, that time period. And the whole album had it.
50 Cent on giving Magic Stick to Lil’ Kim
50 Cent: [Magic Stick] was written for Get Rich or Die Tryin’. And then it didn’t make it. I wrote that record intentionally to work with Trina. I sent it to Trina. They f***** up the record, they sent it back F***** up. They had the lyrics and everything on it and they messed it up. Then Gee Robeson came and got it from me, heard the record, and was like, “Yo, I need this. I need this for Kim. I need it.”
And she had made a good record, but she made it… Didn’t have the formula that Biggie created for her to have success in our culture. It didn’t have the sexuality, it was like [sings “The Jump Off”]: “I been gone for a minute now I’m back at the jump-off. Goons in the club in case something jumps off.” The record with her and Mr. Cheeks, but it didn’t tap into what he was doing when he designed what Kim was. “Magic Stick” was spot on for her. That was the right thing.
The album cover for “Get Rich or Die Tryin'” album
Rebecca Judd: Looking back at the cover, how do you feel when you see yourself? You were literally in top shape. Literally all the six packs, eight packs.
50 Cent: I was small though, I was 190 pounds. That’s a little guy. I’ll f*** him up right now. Put him in front of me right now, I’ll f*** him up. He’s too small. Watch what I do to him.
50 Cent on buying Tyson’s estate
50 Cent: We went on a world tour, and we came back. I had $38 million in my account. The IRS are coming, [so it’s like] – buy it. Whatever you want, buy that sh*t because they’re just going to take the money anyway. At that point, buy it or they need to take it. You need expenses. That’s when I ended up buying the Tyson estate, the house, and stuff.
I needed expenses. I didn’t know what would create a bigger comfortability for me at the time. And then anybody that you talked to in finances would look at it and say, yeah, you can… If you buy a property, it’s $3 million or $4 million and you just made $38 million. And yes, this is good for your taxes actually, that you made the purchase, and you should buy some cars.
50 Cent on being played ‘In Da Club’ on his birthday…
50 Cent: Sometimes I like it. I hear that’s almost the birthday song outside of Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday. And it’s interesting because every day is someone’s birthday, so it doesn’t really get old.
50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” album
We recommend adding songs from 50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” album to your favorite hip-hop playlist. Also, let us know how you feel in the comment section below. Mel Blanc’s famous catchphrase, That’s All Folks! Thanks for reading another great article on Bong Mines Entertainment – the hot spot for new music and positive entertainment news. Always remember that (P) Positive, (E) Energy, (A) Always, (C) Creates, (E) Elevation (P.E.A.C.E). Contact us on social media via Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook, and let us know what’s going on. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter, support our merchandise, and become a Patron of Bong Mines Entertainment. Disclaimer: This post contains Apple Music affiliate links. We may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through links on our site. That little compensation will be used towards keeping this website up and running.