Maps of Music

Animal Ambition (2014)

Where the lyrics of Animal Ambition take you, and where it was really made.

50 Cent first called this album a viral marketing plan for a later release, Street King Immortal.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

Animal Ambition: An Untamed Desire to Win, fifth studio album by American rapper 50 Cent
Released June 3, 2014 by G-Unit Records and Caroline
All 11 tracks on the standard edition were issued as singles before release
Guest artists: Yo Gotti, Trey Songz, Kidd Kidd, Jadakiss, Mr. Probz, Guordan Banks, Prodigy, Schoolboy Q, Styles P

December 4, 2013: 50 Cent announced the album during a press run for his SMS Audio headphones and speakers, first planned for January 2014
Described as a full body of work rather than a mixtape, with quality above his earlier mixtape material
He called it a viral marketing plan ahead of the later release Street King Immortal
January 2014: said he wanted it out in the first quarter and that he was recording heavily for both projects
Theme: ambition and prosperity, written from a distorted viewpoint, with the jealousy that follows success
February 20, 2014: left Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records after a 12-year union
He signed himself and G-Unit Records to Caroline, an independent distributor of Capitol Music Group
Same day announced the June 3 release date
In a Forbes interview he cited his strong relationships with Eminem and Dr. Dre as leverage in leaving Interscope

Curtis James Jackson III, known as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, television producer, record executive and businessman.
Born July 6, 1975 in Queens, New York City; raised in South Jamaica by his grandparents after his mother died in a fire when he was eight.
Began pursuing a music career in 1996 under Jam Master Jay; debut album Power of the Dollar was recorded for Columbia Records in 1999–2000 but shelved after he was shot nine times on May 24, 2000.
The 2002 mixtape Guess Who's Back? was discovered by Eminem, who signed him to Shady Records (an Interscope imprint).
Debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and produced the number-one singles "In da Club" and "21 Questions".
Formed G-Unit Records in 2003; The Massacre (2005) gave him his third number-one single "Candy Shop".
Later albums Curtis (2007), Before I Self Destruct (2009) and Animal Ambition (2014) saw declining critical and commercial reception.
Turned to television with Power (2014–2020), which he executive-produced and co-starred in, plus spin-offs under G-Unit Film and Television.
Has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and won a Grammy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Billboard ranked him 17th on its "50 Greatest Rappers" list in 2023.

Built a diversified business portfolio including Formula 50 beverages, SMS Audio headphones and Effen Vodka.
Co-founded film companies G-Unit Films (2003) and Cheetah Vision (2008).
Ran a boxing promotion company, TMT, from 2012.
Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2015.

Metacritic: average score 53 out of 100 from 15 reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews
Killian Fox (The Guardian): limitations as a rapper unchanged, both technically and in subject choice
Sheldon Pearce (HipHopDX): concept on how wealth alters perception described as thoroughly botched
David Jeffries (AllMusic): interesting and often awesome, but seems a bit off next to his major works
Simon Vozick-Levinson (Rolling Stone): 'Hold On' and 'Pilot' carry the smirking charm of his glory days
Jabbari Weekes (Exclaim!): creatively confused 50 Cent, trapped in musical purgatory
Brandon Soderberg (Spin): half-heartedly pushes a phony idea of gangster rap swagger
Ian Cohen (Pitchfork): little Curtis Jackson on the album, but an accurate survey of where 50 Cent stands
Eric Diep (XXL): album got everyone back on the 50 bandwagon
Jordan Sowunmi (Now): a few bright spots, especially 'Irregular Heartbeat'
Jesse Cataldo (Slant Magazine): simple pleasures presented with listenable panache

Billboard 200 debut at number 4, fifth consecutive top five album for 50 Cent in the US
Billboard Independent Albums chart: number 1
First-week US sales: 46,000 copies
Second week: number 15, 17,000 copies; third week: number 23, 10,000 copies; fourth week: number 39, 7,200 copies
As of December 2014: 124,000 copies sold in the US

The music video for The Funeral came out on February 21, 2014, about four weeks before the first singles
Smoke, produced by Dr. Dre, was serviced to US mainstream urban radio on March 31, 2014
The Chase the Paper video with Prodigy, Kidd Kidd and Styles P premiered on MTV Jams on April 21, 2014
In June 2014 he announced Bitcoin payments for the album, one of the biggest artists to use the cryptocurrency to date
The You Know video came out on June 24, 2014, after the album's release