The public cannot stop talking about 50 Cent. Here, we let 50 do the talking from his peaks and valleys to the changes he’s gone through as The Massacre of 2005 begins. Read on to see what’s going on with the G-Unit G.
AllHipHop.com: You once said that you could never go commercial, do you think because you have sold so many records that you are officially commercial?
50 Cent: I don’t think I am commercial. I am classified as Pop because it is short for popular in music. As far as the lyrical content, my music is aggressive. That is why I feel that I didn’t win Best New Artist at the Grammy’s that year. It is cool, because my music out performed and outsold all the other nominees, so I won that award in my head. That is enough for me. I can buy a trophy up the street, and say, “I won this.”
AllHipHop.com: Most people would say that artist reaches a high level of fame, they stop rhyming, do you agree?
50 Cent: I disagree because my lyrical content has gotten stronger in my new album, The Massacre , compared to Get Rich or Die Tryin’.
AllHipHop.com: Why did you push back your album?
50 Cent: I wanted to let Game get some shine; I am on every record that he put out already. [Because] we make real good music together when we collaborate. Outside of that, hands down he is a great solo artist.
AllHipHop.com: Most people put out a street record first. Was “Disco Inferno” supposed to be a street song?
50 Cent: Yeah, it ended up being the # 4 single in the country. I put that record out because Interscope is reactive, not proactive. So when I put the record out, people are like, “Oh he is really coming out on February 14th.” Then the record goes up the charts without the support of Interscope records at that point.
AllHipHop.com: Is that the reasoning behind “Piggyback” and throwing stones at Jada and Fat Joe to create hype to build a reaction?
50 Cent: Musical talent over shadows beef the whole time. People don’t buy a 50 Cent record because of beef, they buy it because they know it is quality music. They can listen to every song on my first album and look forward to another CD with everything being consistently good. I have experienced what all artists go through in between projects. At first I was confused, now I understand that I have not done anything in anyway to indicate that I am not capable of making a new record interesting enough for people to enjoy. In fact, I think I have built a better track record for myself by releasing everyone on my label, [who] has went platinum. Who else do you know can say that?
AllHipHop.com: When it comes to beef do you think it should stay on wax or is a beef just a beef?
50 Cent: I had beef with an old head, he been around forever and everyone know who he is. That is beef. Because of the extent our beef, we are married until death do us part. And if they want to stand so close to him that they become apart of our relationship, then I make their life hard.
AllHipHop.com: What about people like R.Kelly?
50: Like R. Kelly. I never had issues with R. Kelly. There was a possibility that he was going to bring that little n***a out behind me on Summer Jam. If he made the record, and he could possibly bring him out behind me, and this kid could possibility come out and say something disrespectful in front of 55,000 people in New York City – this my base. I’ll tell you like this, I never pretend to be something I’m not. I ain’t never filled out a job application in my life. Outside of music I sell drugs, and if I didn’t say it, they will say it for me. It would be negative because I didn’t say it myself. I think Jay-Z set me up.
AllHipHop.com: Can you elaborate?
50 Cent: I think Jay-Z is a hustler, and I’m a hustler. I think the difference is, Jay-Z is okay with hustling around other people while they getting money, as long as he is getting the most money. The difference is the way I came up, is that we hustle until we get enough finances and man power and start moving n***as off the strip. I replace them with new talent, [like] Game.
AllHipHop.com: At one point on a freestyle, you said “F**k The Hood” what did you mean by that?
50 Cent: I am the hood. I have my hood tattooed across my back. I don’t see anybody with their hood tattooed across their back. I see gang members with their set tattooed across their back in the penitentiary. I have Southside tatted across my back because everything you hear me speak about, this hood brings it forth. Not even with Southside, the whole New York City, you don’t see me walking around screaming Queens all day. Southside everywhere geographically damn near every Southside sounds like the hood.
AllHipHop.com: So what do you mean when you said that?
50 Cent: I meant f**k the hood. Because I know for a fact that everybody in the hood doesn’t want to be there. It feels different if you view me, as I want hood. People think I went Hollywood when I said that. Let me be honest with you, I do things to keep people talking. They have nothing better to do go to the barbershop. I ain’t there, but I’m in there. “That n***a 50 said ‘f**k the hood’ f**k him.” If I wasn’t me, I probably won’t like me. That’s the truth, I’m killing them.
AllHipHop.com: How tired are you hearing Vivica saying your name?
50 Cent: I think I’m responsible for Vivica saying my name. I did annunciate that situation. I haven’t had a conversation with her in a year. I stop communicating with her not because she did anything bad, it was that it wasn’t a good situation for myself and I felt that if I had the conversation, I would of felt as if we were trying to fix things and that would of prolonged the bad situation.
AllHipHop.com: Correct me if I’m wrong, now on the song “Get In My Car” off your new album, you said “With Vivica I thought I was on to something/then next week, nah it was nothing.” So there’s that.
50 Cent: Yeah, it was exactly [as] what I just said to you.
AllHipHop.com.: Do you have any regrets with dealing with a shorty in the industry?
50 Cent: I try to stay away from it. You ever heard of the phrase “That’s a good look,” that means it’s good for business. And I’m straight business wise, I don’t need anyone to enhance my business situations.
AllHipHop.com: Speaking of females, now you’re doing what most groups do, you add a female to your roster.
50 Cent: You know what, I could of kept G-Unit all male, but there’s a point where you have a certain record where you need to speak from a female’s perspective. And my first single off my album, “Candy Shop,” she was able to do that for me. On my last record I had a song “Magic Stick,” that didn’t make it, because I had to give it to other female artists and they couldn’t get it don’t before the deadline. So it was left off the album and went on Lil’ Kim’s record. So she got a hit because I didn’t make that decision earlier.
AllHipHop.com: What do you think is the biggest misconception of you?
50 Cent: I think [everybody’s] misconception was that they have so many fake people, that it throws them off to see someone be comfortable with themselves. Where I’m from, we don’t have a option. You gotta be aggressive enough to keep n***as off you. That’s the bottom line. So we have an issue, a problem, we address it early. When you become hesitant to address the situation, you find yourself in the car, window shot out glass all over the place. I’m in the back and I can’t move from being hesitant. And I don’ like how that feels. So I go towards addressing the situation right away, so if you really want the problem – I’m already prepared for the problem and we could go there.
You know what they don’t respect? They don’t respect the power of a dollar. They don’t respect the paper. I’m from where the price of life is cheap. They know I’m the same person when I got on. That’s why I get on the mixtapes, and remind them. I get on the mixtapes and speak directly to them. They got their fingers crossed because they see me do business and look at my intelligence like, "He’d be stupid to send n***as to come lay me down, he got all of this going for him. But they are escaping the way I was raised. I can’t remember the last two years. Success is a blur of different hotel stays, city to city to city each night. I do remember what it felt like to be f***ed up, because it hurts so bad, it’s hard to forget.
