Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
50 Cent
2003
Album Summary
Get Rich or Die Tryin' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After signing with Eminem, 50 Cent (who also executive produced the album) also worked heavily with Dr. Dre, with the duo acting as the album's executive producers, who worked to combine the gangsta rap and R&B combo prevalent in New York hip hop. Additional production is provided by Mike Elizondo, Sha Money XL (who also executive produced the album), Mr. Porter, Rockwilder, Dirty Swift, Megahertz, and more. The album also contains guest appearances from Eminem, Young Buck, and Nate Dogg, as well as features from G-Unit co-members Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Prior to the album, 50 Cent released several mixtapes alongside the Trackmasters on an unreleased album widely believed to be his debut in 2000. However, after suffering legal troubles and being blackballed from the music industry, 50 Cent found difficulty in securing another major-label recording contract, until he signed with Eminem's Shady Records in 2002. Released a week in advance to combat bootlegging and internet leakage, Get Rich or Die Tryin' debuted and peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 872,000 copies in its first week of sales. The album's singles also saw worldwide success, with both "In da Club" and "21 Questions" reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, while "P.I.M.P." became a number one hit in several countries. The album was ranked number one on the Billboard Year-End 2003 and received generally positive reviews from music critics. Get Rich or Die Tryin' was ranked by several publications as one of the best albums of the 2000s. In 2020, it was certified 9× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was the best-selling album of 2003 in the US, and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 46th Grammy Awards. It won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at 2003 American Music Awards and Top Billboard 200 Album at the 2003 Billboard Music Awards. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album number 280 on their updated 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.
WikipediaI do not really know why I have wasted my precious time listening to this. Lost nearly an hour just to witness some arrogant, chauvinistic lyrics written by a man whose opinion is of no consequence at all. 50 Cent full of himself, though (like, sadly, most rappers out there). I didn’t reach the bonus tracks in the album: my ears were already sour enough.
50 cent is the soundtrack to breaking into cars to steal loose change so you can buy cigarettes. It's the sound of a cultural cesspool. I know as a white guy I'm not meant to say that, but fuuuck it's true. It's just bottom of the barrel trashy shit: some idiot carrying on about doing/dealing drugs, getting in fights and fucking hoes. Imagine being such a bottom feeder that "tough" shit like this is how you measure your success. It doesn't even sound any good - most of the time he's trailing by half a beat, slurring his way through like he's just had a hit of horse tranquilizer. Oh and it goes for over an hour. 1/5.
Classic album. There are some skippable tracks—"Blood Hound" (although I like Young Buck, who sounds like a wee baby on this track) and "Back Down" are my least favorite—but I don't outright dislike any of them. Got this on CD when it came out, and I could pop it in and listen to it from start to finish—which I did many times. I took a look at the numbers for this album on Spotify, and unsurprisingly, "In da Club," "P.I.M.P.", and "21 Questions" are the most-played, and understandably so. But I was shocked to see that "Gotta Make It to Heaven" was the *least*-played track. Megahertz produced the shit out of it, and 50 ... well, in his own words: "You ain't got to tell me / you feeling this shit / Because I hear what I'm saying / I know I'm killing this shit." And he ain't lying; it's my second favorite track after "P.I.M.P."
I found it quite difficult to take this record seriously - it features A LOT of sound effects which could have been taken directly from GTA (just listen to 'Heat'!). Absolute highlight is on 'High All The Time' where 50 contemplates his need for a new fax machine. That line sure aged like fine milk. Standouts are 'Many Men' (great refrain), 'In Da Club', and the two Eminem features 'Don't Push Me' and 'Patiently' - including the great line "Shady Records was 80 seconds away from the towers, Some cowards fucked with the wrong building, they meant to hit ours".
Certified classic. We've had about 30 hip hop albums so far in this list, but to date I've only five-starred two of them (I'm chalking that up to the list writers having suboptimal experience and taste for the genre). Today marks number three, in glorious fashion. 50 Cent broke onto the scene with THIS album, truly his best body of work. This man came in the game HUNGRY. Supported by Dr. Dre production (and executive production), and label ties to Eminem and his G-Unit buddies, it was like he'd been in the game forever when his debut dropped. I say all off this in hindsight of course, because I was in middle school when this dropped. But you better believe that my suburban white boy middle school self knew this album even then, and not *just* "In Da Club" either. I've revisited and rediscovered this album several times in my life, and each time I find more to love. I remember doing pushups like a madman in high school to "If I Can't." Today was a rediscovery of "Heat," probably one of the most in-your-face Dre beats ever, and the music video is fantastic and hilarious. 50 represented a resurgence of gangsta rap with high budget production, blended with the "bling era" that reigned for a little while. He would ultimately go toe to toe with the artist formerly known as Kanye West, to see if backpack rap or gangsta rap would win in (I think) 2007. Ye won that one, but there's no messing with this album. As much of a fan as I am of Kanye's work (that fandom is under heavy scrutiny these days), I'd personally take this album over several of his earliest entries. In 2010, 50 Cent tweeted "I can't believe my grandmother's making me take out the garbage. I'm rich, fuck this shit, I'm going home, I don't need this shit." On this album, 50 rapped "Mama said everything that happened to us, was part of God's plan, so at night when I talk to him, I got my gun in my hand." Shot nine times before this album dropped. Curtis Jackson is a legend. Favorite tracks: I'm keeping 14 of 19 in my playlist (really 14/18 if you exclude the intro), which is absurd. My essentials are Many Men, In da Club, Heat, If I Can't, PIMP, 21 Questions. Album art: Iconic. One of the most powerful and distinct album covers in the history of the genre. No notes, no complaints. Guy is bulletproof. 5/5
Every song a banger, every song an ANTHEM. This was the soundtrack of my senior year, so I may be biased. This is the definition of the ultimate perfect album. Fuck it, new rule. If it gets the ultimate perfect stamp, every song gets added to the playlist. Definitely a 5, even if it was out of 100, it a HUNNED!
Honestly insane that this album still even sort of holds up almost 2 decades later. All the beats are catchy and many men and in da club are still bangers. Even the album length isn’t that bad since each song sounds pretty distinct
Hasn’t aged well and outside of the hits it sounds decidedly one note. My gf’s father summed it up nicely after once being subjected to some of this album remarking, “This is 50 Cents is it? He isn’t worth 5 cents!”
Defining sound of the era. Nothing 50 put out after this could hold a candle, but this has always been enough. 4.5
"I'm similar to a squirrel, looking for a slut with a nice butt to get a nut" Modern day Shakespeare.
Even as someone super into hiphop around this time, this was always a novelty act. Can only think it's on this list as an example of gangster rap but then BIG and DMX have that dark style down better and Xibit from the same period massively outshines him. Production is slick but don't like his style of rapping at all.
Without intending to, I first listened to the censored version, which was unlistenable because it was missing every other word. Then I listened to the uncensored version, which was unlistenable because of the constant assault of violent language. There were some good beats, especially the big hits, "In da Club" and "P.I.M.P.", but that fact was overwhelmed by the relentless gun violence that just left me feeling dismayed and confused.
Eminem added a little energy. Otherwise this was just treading water. The lyrics were a complete turn off for me.
Wanksta indeed. This was okay but doesn’t really speak to me and is way too long.
Sigh. Let's try and get this over with. OK, so this is bad. Like, genuinely not very good. I had forgotten quite how much I loathe, despise and detest "in da club". As far as I'm concerned this album isn't quite the nadir of early-mid 2000s music, but it is damned close. It's almost irredeemable. I'm trying hard to find something good about it, but I just can't.
Love my rap hard and grimy and this fits the bill 100%. There's the classics, but even the lesser played songs hit hard
JEL MOGUĆE!?!??!?! ALO?!?!?!? Uglavnom da, ovo je album nakon Slušaj Mater od Ede Maajke koji me uveo u svijet hip hopa. Nije petica, ali mi je srcu drag, pa bi zbog toga dao pet. Samo zbog upoznavanja sa svijetom hip hopa - stranog.
Probably one of the best debut rap albums of all time. This album has as many classic hits on it as he has bullet holes in him. There are a few duds here and there but it gets back on track with another banger right away.
Now I fully understand why 50 was & has remained so popular. Every song had a hook or featured a big time rapper. There's also a lot of layering in his songs - more instrumentation than most rap albums, which I like very much. 4.5 rounded up to 5 nostalgia's sake.
One of the best hip hop albums of all time, produced by the best producer of all time (Dr Dre). Everybody was at the top of their game for this one
FUCK this album is good. Easily one of the most influential rap albums of all time. Not only the features and lyrics but the production on this is INSANE. Any album that can make good rap songs with pianos, strings, and horns without sounding corny as shit is already a win to me. I can remember a young 10 year old Jack bumping Many Men from each middle school CYO basketball game all the way up to before college lacrosse games, easily one of the best pregame songs there is. 21 songs that conclude with easily my favorite track on the album “Lifes on The Line” with what I can only imagine is a car horn to two different pitches on the sample and it all just works so well. Top 5 most influential rap album ever, no complaints. IF YOU CAN READ A FULL PAGE OUR A HARRY POTTA BOOK, ILL GIVE 750000 TO WHATEVER CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION YOU WANT TO, FUCK THE BUCKET OF ICE!
First of all, this is a good album. Its got a TON of other social and racial factors tied up in how its perceived and who the artist who made it is, but in the end its a damn good album and it represents something that everyone should at least make an effort to understand. 5/5
This was a really good album. I am not sure I had actually listened to the album from beginning to end previously but I had heard many of the songs. The beats are great as are the lyrics. I would definitely listen to it again.
Wasn't expecting this to be a 5 star for me, but even throughout 18 tracks, this album kept me engaged, fun to listen to, lyrics not corny, beats interesting. Wish 50 would've stayed on top longer
What a great throwback to my youth. Greatest thing is, this album still holds up. 50 is at his best here with great flow, cool beats, good lyrics and best of all, all the songs have a somewhat catchy feeling to themselves since they have a proper chorus
The great debut album in hip hop history. If you didn’t know 50 before this album, you know everything about him after it. From the title of the album which like an opera gives you a theme, to the storytelling that establishes his entire brand and image, to how he seemingly manages to turn everything into a proper song and not just rapping, which is rare in hip hop. Catchy choruses, massive songs, cool features, a mix of Eminem and Dr.Dre production, this album is legendary and among the best in the genre’s history.
Not all 5s are created equal. Is this really as good as To Pimp a Butterfly? Should this really be in the same category as Bringing It All Back Home? I don’t really know, but I do know I had a hell of a good time listening to this. The best of gangsta rap meets some of the catchiest pop rap ever. The Dr. Dre-led production is damn-near immaculate. Perfectly crafted beats, absolute ear worms. Is 50 the greatest lyrical talent? No, but he doesn’t need to be. His street stories, bravado, and charisma make him an unbeatable rapper for this era of hip-hop. And the hooks! This thing is an hour long and I kept waiting for a bad song. Never came. Every song here is good to great. An all-timer for hip-hop. The influence of this record still echoes throughout hip-hop today.
One of the absolute pillars of the golden age of rap. Aftermath can't be touched. There are tracks on this album that are crazy dated, but I just don't care. Best track: In Da Club
Classic 2000s hip hop album with two huge bangers in "Many Men", "In Da Club", "P.I.M.P.", and "21 Questions". A bit too long for my taste but went by surprisingly quick; great album. Reviewers leaving poor reviews are indirectly telling everyone their age IMHO. 8/10.
Really great album (as much as I hate to admit it). :) Standouts: In da Club, Man Men, PIMP, 21 Questions, Wankster, If I Can't The rest of the songs are pretty good too. 4/5
Never really listened to this at the time, but familiar with a lot of the tracks. Love the simplicity of the production/backing tracks - gives more space to focus on the lyrics. Would definitely consider listening again!
Love expanding my rap and gangster rap knowledge using this list. Like a lot of rap albums I think this is a hair too long, but otherwise is excellent. More 50 please.
Definitely nostalgic. A great gangsta rap album. Far less offensive than I remember.
honestly surprisingly tight album with tons of amazing tracks and energy, not much to say besides i’m definitely going to revisit it again!
superstar gangsta rap. good album, not so much filled with skits and with a nice flow. I'm reading Dre didn't want 21 questions on the record, glad he was ignored on that one.
I remember working at Moorhead Country Club when this album came out and it was everywhere. I liked Wanksta and In Da Club. I was more of a Kanye fan so I never gave this full album a listen. Sometimes I forget how huge 50 Cent was though, this album is a lot better than I remember. I dismissed it is pop rap back in the day but a few of the songs have that New York sound that has just kind of gone away. I liked it a lot more than I was expecting to, even though I'm very familiar with hip hop!
Det var förvånandsvärt bra. har bara hört the bangers men många var ju superbra.
Great album! Listened a lot to it when it came out in the early 00's. Still know a lot of the lyrics :) 'Patiently Waiting' with a great contribution from Eminem. 'Many Men' is a good track, 'In Da Club' a classic. 'If I Can't' great beat. 'Wanksta'. 4/5
50 Cent and his debut album market a pivotal point for hip hop as a genre. For as long as it was a part of the public consciousness, hip hop was sequestered away from pop music, never shall the two mingle (perhaps with the exception of MC Hammer or The Fresh Prince). After the death of grunge in the 90's, an empty throne laid dormant for music, and it would be hip hop that would take over. As such, 50 Cent was primed to take over Billboard with gansta rap, a genre that was often ostracized for it's violent themes. Eminem and Dr. Dre would be backing this project, giving 50 Cent the much-needed boost to become an influential figure in both pop and hip hop. The mythos of 50 Cent would also be leveraged thanks to his tough-as-nails story wherein he was shot 9 times at close range. Combined with his look and 50 Cent was a guaranteed unit-mover. He was so good, in fact, that the album released one week ahead of schedule to capitalize before internet piracy killed his heat. As a result, Get Rich Or Die Tryin' debuted at number 1, backed by two singles that would also hit number 1. So how is the album? Good. Dre production continues to be worth it's salt, though none of the tracks quite top In Da Club. 50's MC skills are undeniable though. His presence is palpable on almost every track, proving that there's a good reason behind his fame. His rapping style blends the swagger of southern hip hop with the toughness of east coast hip hop to bring new life to the gasnta rap genre. I normally have grievances with albums that break 60 minutes, but I struggle to point out any songs here that I would consider to be "filler". Get Rich Or Die Tryin' holds significant importance on multiple levels, but the hard truth is that buyers were getting their money's worth when they bought this back in 2003. It might not be for you but it was for a lot of people, and that's a bigger deal than you think it is.
Another classic this week! I remember hearing people listen to this in class. We weren’t allowed to and back then we couldn’t stream it or anything. I know Stevie loved this album and there are some fantastic bangers on here that defined a generation and pushed rap into a new dimension. I’m not a fan of every song but will acknowledge the impact this album had on so many future projects.
Listening to it now, it sounds like satire with all the gun sounds, car noises and most lyrics about how much of a badass 50 cent is. But some of the songs on here are absolute anthems for the early 2000's
I know like half of these songs through cultural osmosis, but never listened to the whole thing. Pretty good, but definitely a product of mid-00’s rap. B
Wasn't sure how this was going to go because gangster rap doesn't always like me, but was surprised that this went down pretty good. Several songs I really liked. A few I didn't. In Da Club is an incredible classic, and I found a few new faves including High All The Time, Blood Hound, and 21 Questions.
I appreciate 50 Cent's story and the beats that back him. Although, I don't appreciate the non-explicit version at all...where are all the words???? ;)
Really liked this album, some songs I knew and didn’t know belonged to the album and some new tracks that would play again during my walks. Loved the intro
Utterly cynical hip hop - as manufactured as boy bands, Dre and Eminem show their hand in the video for In Da Club as they train 50 Cent to become the ultimate hip hop star. Take Reasonably charismatic guy with chiseled bod, throw down some heavy Dre beats, write rhymes for him about drugs and drink and hoes and slinging cocaine and partying and getting shot and threatening murder and boasting and bragging, package that up and sell to the masses. Boy, did it work. And as if evidence were needed that here was a guy of limited talent, totally made by others, each successive album sold worse than before as his star waned and the beats just weren't there and Eminem and Dre moved on to other things. 50 got rich, god bless him, and didn't need to die in the process. and yet... and yet, here I am bumping the album, rolling my eyes, thinking there are 1,001 better HIP HIP albums alone better than this, but there I am, joining in with the lyrics and nodding my head and remembering when this was all over the airwaves, playing all the time, and yes in the club and thinking... ...my god but the formula was GOOD.
This is actually a really good album. Listen to this on the background while doing house chores, felt like I am cleaning up a crime scene. I will listen to this again.
I didn't know I had so much in common with 50 Cent. I also love Purple Haze and Guinness.
Un album de qualité de la part de 50 Cent, qui se démarque clairement du style ice cup hip hop omniprésent au sein du générateur. Sans mauvais jeu de mot, ça fait chaud au coeur.
Il se trouve que j'avais plutôt apprécié cet album à sa sortie, je vous joins d'ailleurs la conversation que j'avais eu avec 50 cent à son sujet : "50 Cent: Salut Robsoupière, comment vas-tu ? Robsoupière: Bonjour 50 Cent, ça va. J'ai écouté ton album "Get Rich or Die Tryin" récemment, et je dois dire que j'ai été agréablement surpris. C'est pas mal. 50 Cent: Merci, je suis content que tu aimes. Robsoupière: Mais ne crois pas que ça te donne le droit de prétendre que tu es un artiste accompli. Tu as encore beaucoup à apprendre. 50 Cent: Bien sûr, je suis toujours en train d'apprendre et de grandir en tant qu'artiste. Robsoupière: J'espère bien. Et si tu veux apprendre de moi, tu devrais écouter attentivement ce que j'ai à dire. 50 Cent: Bien sûr, je suis tout ouïe. Robsoupière: Tu devrais être reconnaissant que je prenne le temps de t'écouter. Après tout, tu n'es qu'un rappeur de seconde zone. 50 Cent: Je suis désolé si j'ai offensé qui que ce soit. Je suis juste là pour faire de la musique et divertir les gens. Robsoupière: Tu ne sais même pas ce que tu veux dire. Écoute, j'ai une proposition pour toi. Mon père avait un magasin de béquilles qui a fait faillite. Je peux te vendre une béquille à moitié prix si tu veux. 50 Cent: Euh, je ne suis pas sûr d'avoir besoin d'une béquille, mais merci quand même. Robsoupière: Ne sois pas timide. Tout le monde a besoin d'une béquille à un moment donné. Et puis, tu pourrais en avoir besoin pour ta prochaine vidéo musicale. 50 Cent: C'est une idée intéressante, je vais y réfléchir. Robsoupière: Parfait. Et pour te remercier d'avoir discuté avec moi, je vais te donner une petite tape amicale sur la joue. (Le son de petites tapes se fait entendre) 50 Cent: (souriant) Merci, Robsoupière. C'était une expérience intéressante. Robsoupière: Tout le plaisir est pour moi, 50 Cent. Rappelle-toi, je suis là si tu as besoin de conseils musicaux."
1. What Up Gangsta - loved, 10/10 2. Patiently Waiting - 9/10 3. Many Men (Wish Death) - 6.5/10 4. In Da Club - Obviously already knew this one. 7.5/10 5. High All The Time - 8.5/10 6. Heat - 5/10 7. If I Can’t - 5/10 8. Blood Hound - 5/10 9. Back Down - 6/10 10. P.I.M.P. - Know this one already. 7/10 11. Like My Style - 6/10 12. Poor Lil Rich - 5/10 13. 21 Questions - 8/10 14. Don’t Push Me - 7/10 15. Gotta Make It To Heaven - 6/10 16. Wanksta - 7/10 17. U Not Like Me - 7/10 18. Lifes On The Line - 8/10 19. P.I.M.P. (Snoop Dogg Remix) - How is the remix so much better? Knew this one already. 9/10 Could have done without some of the misogyny, but some of the songs are truly great. Lost momentum in the middle but recovered. 3.5/5, rounded up to 4
Joo! Voiko olla laulamatta mukana? Snadi miinus siitä, että Eminem on kahdella biisillä.
I liked this more than I thought I did - I loved it back in the day, but had even erased it from my collection as I thought it was something I wouldn't listen to again. However, production is better than I thought it was, style was more enjoyable than I remembered. Plus I went back and listened to the jarule duets 2 skit that came shortly after this album, and it still cracks me up, so +1* for that.
One of New Yorks gangster rap pinnacle albums. This is an album that is long but doesn’t feel long. It has high energy. It has some great hits that even today are great tunes. 50 cent had some good features with Eminem and other G unit members. This is one of the better rap album from the 00s and probably 50s best album. 8.3/10
Is this the best rap album of all time? No, but there’s no denying this album is full of absolute BANGERS! ‘In Da Club’ & ‘P.I.M.P.’ are obviously the most famous songs off this album, but some lesser known songs like ‘Back Down’ & ‘Many Men’ go just as hard. 4.5/5
So many classics on this album. A couple of songs don't hit, but Many Men, 21 Questions, In Da Club, Patiently Waiting, and PIMP are still amazing tracks. 8/10
More of a 4.5. In da club and pimp are certified alltimer bangers. Couple more songs of that caliber and it would've been an easy 5.
When I first looked at the production credits for this album I thought it'd be a bit of mess, but actually the production helps provide variety to the named artists limited range. I also got some good laughs out of this.
06/03/2022 Outside of the single, there's not much here that's happening or really standing-out as an "all timer."
I like the singles, and I like the collabs with other artists. But other than that, Mr Cent was not singing the songs for me. But then I don’t think he was trying to…
There is some good stuff on here, but the filler is pretty mediocre. Definitely could have cut a few tracks and it would have made for a better album.
3.4 - never listened to this before. Solid album of harder ramp, enjoyed the singles I’d heard elsewhere more than anything I discovered on this listen, but it was a worthwhile listen. The rhythm guitar on “In da club” will never not bring a smile to my face.
A lot of rap / hip-hop is tough in an album format. Filter out the singles and the features, you're left with a lot of meh that shouldn't have been recorded. And that's what you get with 50 Cent's 'Get Rich Or Die Tryin'". His backstory and mythology made him popular with this album's release. Tie that in with the hit singles and Eminem collaborations, you've got some good tracks. But the filler drags this album down. The sound didn't age well, combined with the constant G-Unit shoutouts made this listening experience drag on. The album could've been 15 minutes shorter and been more successful. 3/5.