BabyGirl
02-19-2005, 12:08 AM
Rapper 50 Cent Under Pressure After Smash Debut
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - A rumor rampant on the Internet in January had 50 Cent undergoing emergency surgery at USC Medical Center. Why? Supposedly, one of the Lamborghini doors on his Cadillac Escalade slammed down, severing his left hand.
Considering the rapper (born Curtis Jackson) survived nine bullet wounds in 2000, the rumor didn't sound too far-fetched.
Thankfully, it turned out to be false.
But that didn't stop 50 Cent from having a little fun. At a New York performance soon after, he emerged onstage with his hand wrapped up and his arm in a sling.
"You should have seen (the audience's) faces," 50 Cent says with a laugh. "I never had so much fun in my life."
And the fun is just starting.
Fans are counting the days until March 8. That's when "The Massacre," 50 Cent's highly anticipated Shady/Aftermath/Interscope sophomore album, begins tuning up a coast-to-coast chorus of cash registers.
That is also when industry observers will learn the answer to the question du jour: Can 50 Cent and Interscope repeat their chart-topping history?
Early indicators say yes. "People are looking for this album," says Jim Stella, urban music buyer for Trans World. "It wouldn't surprise me if it did 1.2 million in its first week."
SEISMIC SALES
Two years ago 50 Cent triggered a seismic surge in R&B/hip-hop popularity with "Get Rich or Die Tryin'." His first album not only entered at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 but also notched the largest opening week for a major-label debut (872,000 units).
The album spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and eight weeks atop the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Among its singles were the mega-hits "In Da Club" and "21 Questions."
"Get Rich or Die Tryin' " stands at 7.1 million units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Those are formidable numbers for anyone to wrap his head around. Even 50 Cent. Despite his tough guy persona, the rapper admits he felt the attendant pressure to produce a worthy follow-up.
"I can usually create a direction without the music and just start making songs," he recalls of going back into the studio. "This time I had no idea."
Closing himself in the studio for three days of nonstop recording yielded 11 songs -- and a return to form.
"It only takes me 25-30 minutes to do a record when I'm in a zone," 50 Cent says. "After doing seven or eight songs I was confident in, I found myself back in a comfort zone. Once the pressure was off, I started having fun."
'DEEPER ISSUES'
50 Cent, who will tour with Eminem (news - web sites) this summer, says the difference between "Get Rich" and "The Massacre" boils down to one song in particular: "Baltimore Love Thing." Addressing heroin addiction, 50 Cent gives the drug human characteristics in the song to portray the love/hate relationship an addict has with the drug.
"I wanted songs that represented growth from the last album to this one," 50 Cent says. "On 'Get Rich or Die Tryin',' I would have written that song like I was selling heroin. But on 'The Massacre,' I'm dealing with deeper issues. The way I choose to express myself is new. I picked up the pieces I missed on the first album."
Among those pieces is the Dr. Dre-produced first single, "Candy Shop." The midtempo erotic concoction picks up where 50 Cent's suggestive "Magic Stick" with Lil' Kim left off. But this time there's a new duet partner, freshman G-Unit clique member Olivia.
"'Candy Shop' is sexy without overdoing it, without being obscene or disrespectful," 50 Cent says. "BET did chop me to pieces, though, on the video," he adds.
"Candy Shop" is No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
Another song, "Piggy Bank," discourses on the rapper's ongoing beefs with several rivals, most notably Ja Rule. "Hip-hop is competitive," he says. "Everyone wants to go after you. I was subjected to a lot of things said about me after the success of my first album.
"Generally, people love trouble; they will sink their teeth into these kinds of tracks. If I don't address it, it may encourage (rivals) to be more disrespectful."
IN THE MIX
Originally slated to bow Feb. 15, the album was first titled "St. Valentine's Day (news - web sites) Massacre." It was shortened to "The Massacre" when the date was pushed back to March 8, to allow more time for marketing preparation. The album will come out the same day around the globe.
To get the promotional ball rolling after his two-year album break, 50 Cent tapped the same mix-tape underground that helped build the groundswell for "Get Rich or Die Tryin'."
Preceding the formal release of "Candy Shop" by several weeks, 50 Cent leaked club jam "Disco Inferno." Currently No. 6 on the Hot 100, the track, like "Candy Shop," is from the mix tape "G-Unit Radio, Part 10: 2050 (Before the Massacre)." The song will also be included on "The Massacre."
"Mix tapes are important," the rapper says, adding that the "G-Unit Radio" mix tape -- helmed by DJ Whoo Kid -- is "10 albums' worth of material in two years. It's an opportunity to establish myself, build consistency as a writer and try out new material."
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - A rumor rampant on the Internet in January had 50 Cent undergoing emergency surgery at USC Medical Center. Why? Supposedly, one of the Lamborghini doors on his Cadillac Escalade slammed down, severing his left hand.
Considering the rapper (born Curtis Jackson) survived nine bullet wounds in 2000, the rumor didn't sound too far-fetched.
Thankfully, it turned out to be false.
But that didn't stop 50 Cent from having a little fun. At a New York performance soon after, he emerged onstage with his hand wrapped up and his arm in a sling.
"You should have seen (the audience's) faces," 50 Cent says with a laugh. "I never had so much fun in my life."
And the fun is just starting.
Fans are counting the days until March 8. That's when "The Massacre," 50 Cent's highly anticipated Shady/Aftermath/Interscope sophomore album, begins tuning up a coast-to-coast chorus of cash registers.
That is also when industry observers will learn the answer to the question du jour: Can 50 Cent and Interscope repeat their chart-topping history?
Early indicators say yes. "People are looking for this album," says Jim Stella, urban music buyer for Trans World. "It wouldn't surprise me if it did 1.2 million in its first week."
SEISMIC SALES
Two years ago 50 Cent triggered a seismic surge in R&B/hip-hop popularity with "Get Rich or Die Tryin'." His first album not only entered at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 but also notched the largest opening week for a major-label debut (872,000 units).
The album spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and eight weeks atop the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Among its singles were the mega-hits "In Da Club" and "21 Questions."
"Get Rich or Die Tryin' " stands at 7.1 million units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Those are formidable numbers for anyone to wrap his head around. Even 50 Cent. Despite his tough guy persona, the rapper admits he felt the attendant pressure to produce a worthy follow-up.
"I can usually create a direction without the music and just start making songs," he recalls of going back into the studio. "This time I had no idea."
Closing himself in the studio for three days of nonstop recording yielded 11 songs -- and a return to form.
"It only takes me 25-30 minutes to do a record when I'm in a zone," 50 Cent says. "After doing seven or eight songs I was confident in, I found myself back in a comfort zone. Once the pressure was off, I started having fun."
'DEEPER ISSUES'
50 Cent, who will tour with Eminem (news - web sites) this summer, says the difference between "Get Rich" and "The Massacre" boils down to one song in particular: "Baltimore Love Thing." Addressing heroin addiction, 50 Cent gives the drug human characteristics in the song to portray the love/hate relationship an addict has with the drug.
"I wanted songs that represented growth from the last album to this one," 50 Cent says. "On 'Get Rich or Die Tryin',' I would have written that song like I was selling heroin. But on 'The Massacre,' I'm dealing with deeper issues. The way I choose to express myself is new. I picked up the pieces I missed on the first album."
Among those pieces is the Dr. Dre-produced first single, "Candy Shop." The midtempo erotic concoction picks up where 50 Cent's suggestive "Magic Stick" with Lil' Kim left off. But this time there's a new duet partner, freshman G-Unit clique member Olivia.
"'Candy Shop' is sexy without overdoing it, without being obscene or disrespectful," 50 Cent says. "BET did chop me to pieces, though, on the video," he adds.
"Candy Shop" is No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
Another song, "Piggy Bank," discourses on the rapper's ongoing beefs with several rivals, most notably Ja Rule. "Hip-hop is competitive," he says. "Everyone wants to go after you. I was subjected to a lot of things said about me after the success of my first album.
"Generally, people love trouble; they will sink their teeth into these kinds of tracks. If I don't address it, it may encourage (rivals) to be more disrespectful."
IN THE MIX
Originally slated to bow Feb. 15, the album was first titled "St. Valentine's Day (news - web sites) Massacre." It was shortened to "The Massacre" when the date was pushed back to March 8, to allow more time for marketing preparation. The album will come out the same day around the globe.
To get the promotional ball rolling after his two-year album break, 50 Cent tapped the same mix-tape underground that helped build the groundswell for "Get Rich or Die Tryin'."
Preceding the formal release of "Candy Shop" by several weeks, 50 Cent leaked club jam "Disco Inferno." Currently No. 6 on the Hot 100, the track, like "Candy Shop," is from the mix tape "G-Unit Radio, Part 10: 2050 (Before the Massacre)." The song will also be included on "The Massacre."
"Mix tapes are important," the rapper says, adding that the "G-Unit Radio" mix tape -- helmed by DJ Whoo Kid -- is "10 albums' worth of material in two years. It's an opportunity to establish myself, build consistency as a writer and try out new material."