Maps of Music

Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003)

Where the lyrics of Get Rich or Die Tryin' take you, and where it was really made.

Shot nine times and dropped by his label, 50 Cent made his debut, and this album became the best-selling album of 2003 in the US.

Key places

Recorded at Encore in Burbank (2003)

Recording site Encore Recording Studios — The source lists Encore in Burbank, California as a recording location connected to this album. The point marks that studio's building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at 54 Sound in Detroit (2003)

Recording site 54 Sound — The source lists 54 Sound in Detroit as a recording location connected to this album. The point marks that studio's building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Chung King Studios (2003)

Recording site Chung King Studios — The source links Chung King Studios in New York City to this album as a recording location. The point marks that studio's building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at The Hit Factory (2003)

Recording site The Hit Factory — The source links The Hit Factory in New York City to this album as a recording location. The point marks that studio's building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Get Rich or Die Tryin' is the debut studio album by rapper 50 Cent
• Released February 6, 2003 by Interscope Records, G-Unit Records, Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment
• Eminem and Dr. Dre served as executive producers and worked to combine gangsta rap with the R&B blend common in New York hip-hop
• Sha Money XL also executive-produced the album
• Set out to bring gangsta rap back into the mainstream after the slick, pop-leaning rap of its time
• Guest appearances by Eminem, Young Buck and Nate Dogg, with G-Unit members Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo

Background

• In 2000, 50 Cent was shot nine times in Queens, New York, on May 24, 2000
• He survived but was dropped by Columbia Records, which canceled his first album Power of the Dollar
• Afterward he moved to Westbury, Long Island, at the invitation of Sha Money XL and recorded mixtapes there
• Legal trouble and industry blackballing made it hard for him to secure another major-label deal
• In 2002, Eminem heard the Guess Who's Back? mixtape and invited 50 Cent to Los Angeles, where he met Dr. Dre
• 50 Cent signed a one-million-dollar record deal with Eminem and Dr. Dre
• The No Mercy, No Fear mixtape built more buzz, and its song Wanksta was later put on the album
• The album was released a week early to combat bootlegging and Internet leakage

Recording

• Mike Elizondo, Sha Money XL, Mr. Porter, Rockwilder, Dirty Swift and Megahertz contributed production
• 50 Cent recorded seven tracks in five days with Dr. Dre, including In da Club
• Eminem was featured on Patiently Waiting and Don't Push Me
• G-Unit members Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo and Young Buck appeared on separate tracks
• Back Down was an instrumental first intended for Rakim's Aftermath album but was not released due to creative differences

Cover

• Artwork was designed by Julian Alexander and Sacha Waldman
• It shows a shirtless 50 Cent standing behind a broken glass pane
• The cover has been described as among the most recognizable album covers in rap history

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• 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.

Business

• 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.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone praised the production, the thug persona and 50 Cent's rapping
• Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic called it impressive and incredibly calculated, and said it ushered 50 in as one of the eminent rappers of his era
• Steve Jones of USA Today said the album delivers vivid stories of a violent life as a crack dealer
• Brett Berliner of Stylus Magazine said that while not close to perfection, it is one of the freshest albums to come out in years
• Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times called 50 Cent an appealing, mischievous character, while noting that his threatening raps are limiting thematically
• Robert Christgau gave it a two-star honorable mention in The Village Voice, calling it a likable effort
• XXL gave it a perfect rating, one of only 19 rap albums to receive one
• Metacritic gives it an aggregate score of 73 out of 100 from 19 reviews

Reappraisal

• Billboard ranked it 12th on its Top 200 Albums of the Decade list in December 2009
• Complex named it one of the classic releases of the last decade in 2012
• Rolling Stone ranked it 280th on the 2020 revised 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list
• Billboard ranked it 139th on its Top 200 Albums of All Time list
• The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Records

• Debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 872,000 copies sold in its first week
• Sold an additional 822,000 copies in its second week
• Was the best-selling album of 2003 and ranked number one on the Billboard 200 year-end chart
• Has sold about 13 million copies worldwide to date
• Certified 9x Platinum by the RIAA in 2020 for shipping nine million copies in the US
• In da Club topped the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks, and 21 Questions also reached number one
• P.I.M.P. peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on Hot Rap Tracks
• Nominated for Best Rap Album at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards
• Won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at the 2003 American Music Awards and Top Billboard 200 Album at the 2003 Billboard Music Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album title started as a tattoo on Sha Money XL's arm
• Eminem and Dr. Dre both acted as executive producers, shaping the record's blend of gangsta rap and R&B
• The album was released a week early to fight bootlegging and Internet leakage
• 50 Cent has said he saved songs he was especially proud of for his eventual studio debut instead of releasing them as mixtape tracks
• The album was credited with restoring gangsta rap to prominence and inspiring later rappers to write about personal turmoil

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact