Maps of Music

The Massacre (2005)

Where the lyrics of The Massacre take you, and where it was really made.

The album was first meant to be called The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, after a 1929 Chicago gang killing spree, and it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

Key places

Recorded at 54 Sound in Ferndale (2005)

Recording site 54 Sound — The source lists 54 Sound in Ferndale, Michigan among the studios where The Massacre was recorded. Other studios on the list are in Los Angeles, Orlando and Hollywood. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Larrabee North in Hollywood (2005)

Recording site Larrabee Sound Studios — The source lists Larrabee North in Hollywood among the studios where The Massacre was recorded. The studio is in the same list as 54 Sound in Ferndale. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Massacre: second studio album by American rapper 50 Cent
• Released March 3, 2005 via Interscope Records, Eminem's Shady Records, 50 Cent's G-Unit Records and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment
• Production by Dr. Dre, Eminem, Scott Storch, Sha Money XL and others
• Guest appearances by Tony Yayo, Olivia, Eminem and Jamie Foxx
• Preceded by the singles "Disco Inferno" and "Candy Shop"
• Followed by the Billboard Hot 100 top ten singles "Just A Lil Bit" and "Outta Control"

Background

• The original album title was The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, named after the 1929 Chicago gang murder spree
• 50 Cent wanted a February 15, 2005 release, but Interscope was not interested
• He leaked "Disco Inferno" to force Interscope's hand, and Interscope released it on March 7
• Songs first intended for the album, "Hate It or Love It", "Higher" and "Special", were given to The Game's The Documentary, so most of The Massacre was reworked
• A G-Unit remix of "Hate It or Love It" appeared as a bonus track
• On February 21, 2005, 50 Cent removed The Game from G-Unit Records on live radio, and a shootout followed
• Paul Rosenberg of Shady Records and Jimmy Iovine of Interscope worried that the Hot 97 shooting would hurt sales

Recording

• Recording places listed in the source: 54 Sound in Ferndale, Michigan, and Larrabee North in Hollywood
• Instrumentation closely mirrors the predecessor, with string instruments and orchestral elements
• New jazz rap and R&B influences evoke early 1990s New York hip-hop
• Scott Storch's ideas bring Middle Eastern Arabic melodies to "Candy Shop" and "Just A Lil Bit"
• Buckwild's jazz rap instrumental on "I Don't Need 'Em"

Cover

• The censored version replaces the guns in the background of the cover with motifs and a gradient background

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

• The Massacre received generally positive reviews from music critics
• Metacritic score: 66 out of 100
• Vibe magazine found it "full of finger-pointing panache"
• NME noted a new depth to the murderous lyricism from 50 Cent
• Greg Tate in The Village Voice called 50 Cent a ruffian who knows the value of a good pop hook
• Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times found the album nearly as addictive as its predecessor
• Robert Christgau in The Village Voice said 50 Cent's ugly gangsta lies are incidental to the mood of the piece
• Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club gave a mixed review and called the album far too long and wildly uneven
• Uncut said that not even tight productions from Eminem and Dre could stop things from flagging midway
• Lynne D. Johnson of Spin felt the album lacks originality
• Alexis Petridis in The Guardian gave a negative review and panned 50 Cent as a lyricist

Reappraisal

• 50 Cent said the album got more mixed reviews than Get Rich or Die Tryin' because he focused more on hooks and song structure
• Rolling Stone ranked it the 25th best album of the year
• Nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2006 Grammy Awards, but lost to Kanye West's Late Registration

Records

• Debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 1.14 million copies sold in its first four days
• Remained at number one for six weeks after release
• Sixth-largest opening week for an album at the time since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking in 1991
• Largest opening week for a sophomore studio album, and second largest for a hip-hop album overall
• Number one album of 2005 on the Billboard 200
• Certified six times platinum in the United States in 2025
• Over nine million copies sold worldwide

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The original title was The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, named after the 1929 Chicago gang murders.
• 50 Cent leaked "Disco Inferno" to force Interscope to release it, which they did on March 7.
• A remix of "Outta Control" featuring Mobb Deep replaced the original on the Special edition, released September 6, 2005.
• The Special edition omitted the G-Unit remix of "Hate It or Love It", likely due to the feud with The Game.
• The censored version removes guns from the cover background, replacing them with motifs and a gradient.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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