Get Rich or Die Tryin'

Get Rich or Die Tryin'
Studio album by 50 Cent
Released	February 6, 2003
Recorded	June 2001 – June 2002
Genre	Gangsta rap, hardcore hip hop
Length	69:32
Label	Shady, Aftermath, Interscope
Producer	Dr. Dre (also exec.), Eminem (also exec.), Sean Blaze, Darrell Branch, Dirty Swift, DJ Rad, Terence Dudley, Mike Elizondo, John "J-Praize" Freeman, Megahertz, , 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'
"In da Club" Released: January 7, 2003 "21 Questions" Released: April 7, 2003 "P.I.M.P." Released: August 12, 2003 "If I Can't" Released: September 16, 2003

Get Rich or Die Tryin' is the debut studio album by 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 was produced by Dr. Dre and Eminem, and featured guest appearances from Eminem and G-Unit associates Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo.

The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 872,000 copies in its first week. It generated four singles, including the number one hits "In da Club" and "21 Questions", and the international hit "P.I.M.P." By 2016, Get Rich or Die Tryin' sold 8.4 million copies in the United States and is certified 6× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Upon its release, the album received favorable 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.^[1] After being impressed with the mixtape, Eminem invited 50 Cent to Los Angeles where he was introduced to producer Dr. Dre.^[2] 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"), or 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?'"^[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 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. A music video for "Many Men (Wish Death)" was made. The song was also certified Gold by the RIAA on June 14, 2006.

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.^[4][5] The track also reached number one on the Top 40 Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and Hot Rap Tracks charts.^[6] 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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Blender	[8]
Entertainment Weekly	B[9]
The Guardian	[10]
Los Angeles Times	[11]
Pitchfork Media	7.0/10[12]
Q	[13]
Rolling Stone	[14]
USA Today	[15]
XXL	XXL (5/5)[16]

Get Rich or Die Tryin' received favorable reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, it holds an aggregate score of 73 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[17]

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."^[15] 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".^[7] Rolling Stone magazine's Christian Hoard praised the album's production and 50 Cent's "thug persona" and rapping ability.^[14] 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."^[18] It is one of only 19 rap albums to receive a perfect rating from XXL magazine.^[16]

Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic in his consumer guide for The Village Voice and gave it a two-star honorable mention,^[19] indicating a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy."^[20] 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.^[21] 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.^[22]

Commercial performance

Get Rich or Die Tryin' debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 872,000 copies in its first week.^[23] It was the best-selling album of 2003, selling 12 million copies worldwide by the end of the year.^[24][25] It remains 50 Cent's best-selling album, with sales of 8.4 million copies in the United States, and the tenth highest-selling rap album of all time in the country.^[26][27][28] The album was certified 6× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping eight million copies in the US.^[29]

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.^[30] In 2012, Complex named the album one of the classic releases of the last decade.^[31] 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.^[32]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"			0:06
2.	"What Up Gangsta"	Curtis Jackson, Rob Tewlow	Rob "Reef" Tewlow	2:59
3.	"Patiently Waiting" (featuring Eminem)	Jackson, Marshall Mathers, Luis Resto, Mike Elizondo	Eminem	4:48
4.	"Many Men (Wish Death)"	Jackson, Darrell Branch, Resto	Darrell "Digga" Branch, Eminem (add.), Luis Resto (add.)	4:16
5.	"In da Club"	Jackson, Andre Young, Elizondo	Dr. Dre, Elizondo (co.)	3:13
6.	"High All the Time"	Jackson, Mathers, Michael Clervoix, Conrad Almonacy, Resto	DJ Rad, Eminem (co.), Sha Money XL (co.)	4:29
7.	"Heat"	Jackson, Young, Tommy Coster, Elizondo	Dr. Dre	4:14
8.	"If I Can't"	Jackson, Young, Elizondo	Dr. Dre, Elizondo (co.)	3:16
9.	"Blood Hound" (featuring Young Buck)	Jackson, Sean Henderson, David Brown	Sean Blaze	4:00
10.	"Back Down"	Jackson, Young, Ron Feemster, Elizondo	Dr. Dre	4:03
11.	"P.I.M.P."	Jackson, Denaun Porter	Mr. Porter, Brandon Parrott	4:09
12.	"Like My Style" (featuring Tony Yayo)	Jackson, Marvin Bernard, Dana Stinson	Rockwilder	3:13
13.	"Poor Lil Rich"	Jackson, Clervoix	Sha Money XL, Eminem (add.)	3:19
14.	"21 Questions" (featuring Nate Dogg)	Jackson, Kevin Risto	Dirty Swif	3:44
15.	"Don't Push Me" (featuring Lloyd Banks and Eminem)	Jackson, Mathers, Christopher Lloyd, Resto	Eminem	4:08
16.	"Gotta Make It to Heaven"	Jackson, Dorsey Wesley	Megahertz	4:01
17.	"Wanksta" (bonus track)	Jackson, John Freeman, Clervoix	John "J-Praize" Freeman	3:39
18.	"U Not like Me" (bonus track)	Jackson, Andy Thelusma	Red Spyda	4:15
19.	"Life's on the Line" (bonus track)	Jackson, Dudley	Terence Dudley	3:38

Re-release bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
20.	"P.I.M.P. (Remix)" (featuring Snoop Dogg, Lloyd Banks and Young Buck)	Jackson, Porter		4:49

Japan release bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
20.	"In da Club (Instrumental)"	Jackson, Young, Elizondo		3:47
21.	"Soldier (Freestyle)" (featuring G-Unit)	Mathers, Resto		3:44

United Kingdom bonus CD
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"In da Club (Acapella)"	Jackson, Young, Elizondo		3:00

Sample credits

• "Many Men (Wish Death)" contains a sample of "Out of the Picture" by Tavares
• "21 Questions" contains a sample of "It's Only Love Doing Its Thing" by Barry White
• "Patiently Waiting" contains a sample of "Gin and Juice" by Snoop Dogg feat. Daz Dillinger
• "If I Can't" contains a sample of "Peter Piper" by Run-DMC
• "Poor Lil Rich" contains a sample of "Your Life's on the Line" by 50 Cent

Personnel

Credits are adapted from Allmusic.^[33]

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

Weekly charts Chart (2003) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[34] 4 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[35] 16 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[36] 3 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[37] 14 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[38] 1 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[39] 6 Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[40] 5 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[41] 11 French Albums (SNEP)[42] 12 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[43] 4 Greek Foreign Albums (IFPI Greece)[44] 3 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[45] 17 Italian Albums (FIMI)[46] 13 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[47] 3 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[48] 5 Scottish Albums (OCC)[49] 5 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[50] 8 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[51] 8 UK Albums (OCC)[52] 2 US Billboard 200[53] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2003) Position Australian Albums Chart[54] 51 UK Albums Chart[55] 17 US Billboard 200[56] 1 Chart (2004) Position UK Albums Chart[57] 99 US Billboard 200[58] 102

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[59]	2× Platinum	140,000
Belgium (BEA)[60]	Platinum	50,000
Canada (Music Canada)[61]	6× Platinum	600,000
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[62]	Gold	7,500
France (SNEP)[63]	Gold	100,000
Germany (BVMI)[64]	Gold	150,000
Greece (IFPI Greece)[65]	Gold	10,000
Ireland (IRMA)[66]	Platinum	15,000
Japan (RIAJ)[67]	Gold	100,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[68]	2× Platinum	30,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)[69]	Gold	20,000
Russia (NFPF)[70]	5× Platinum	100,000
Sweden (GLF)[71]	Gold	20,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[72]	Platinum	40,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[73]	3× Platinum	900,000
United States (RIAA)[74]	6× Platinum	8,400,000[26]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[75]	Platinum	1,000,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

See also

• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2003

References

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6. "Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Accessed July 5, 2007.
7. Birchmeier, Jason. "Get Rich or Die Tryin' – 50 Cent". AllMusic. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
8. Mao, Chairman (April 2003). "50 Cent: Get Rich or Die Tryin'". Blender (15): 118. Archived from the original on December 27, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
9. Browne, David (February 21, 2003). "Get Rich or Die Tryin'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
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11. Baker, Soren (February 9, 2003). "50 Cent sounds like a million bucks". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
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13. "50 Cent: Get Rich or Die Tryin'". Q (202): 98. May 2003.
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External links

• Get Rich or Die Tryin' at Discogs (list of releases)
• Johnson, Lynner D (August 8, 2003). "Hip-Hop's Holy Trinity". PopMatters. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
• Ex, Kris (February 11, 2003). "Original Pirate Material". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 18, 2014.

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