50 Cent has reflected on his partnership with Eminem and Dr. Dre on the 20th anniversary of Get Rich or Die Tryinâ, saying he feels âblessedâ to have worked with such iconic talents.
As his blockbuster debut celebrated its major milestone on Monday (February 6), the G-Unit boss opted against hogging the limelight and instead praised his longtime collaborators, referring to them as âthe 3 headed monster.â
âWhen you have a team like this itâs hard to lose, Iâm so blessed to have worked with the best ever,â 50 wrote on Instagram. âYou can re-write a book, you can re-write a song but you canât re-write history. The 3 headed monster EM, DRE and 50cent. Boom.â
50âs post was accompanied by a throwback video of himself, Eminem and Dr. Dre being interviewed by MTV News on the set of his âIn Da Clubâ music video shoot back in 2003.
The Aftermath founder also revealed that he and 50 Cent recorded seven songs together in their first five days working together in the studio, prompting Eminem to joke about the buzzing Queens, New York rapper breaking his record.
â50 beat my record from the first time I was in the studio with Dre âcause I did three songs in one day, and he did seven songs in like five days,â he said.
50 humbly replied: âBut one of his first songs was hot. âMy name is!â And then look at the sales, so donât put that kind of pressure on me.
âItâs no pressure!â Slim Shady responded in kind. âI wish my first album was this hot. Thatâs all I can say. Iâm not trying to sell the album; the albumâs gonna sell itself.â
Released on February 6, 2003, Get Rich or Die Tryinâ solidified 50 Cent as a global superstar while helping to reinstate gangsta rapâs mainstream dominance.
Powered by hits like âIn Da Club,â â21 Questionsâ and âP.I.M.P.,â the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 after selling 872,000 copies in its first week and would go on to be the best-selling album of 2003.
It has since been certified 9x platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and with just another million sales, would become 50âs first album â and just the 12th LP in Hip Hop history â to achieve elusive diamond status.
Get Rich or Die Tryinâ had Eminem and Dr. Dreâs fingerprints all over it. Not only was it released through Shady Records and Aftermath â in conjunction with Interscope and 50âs own G-Unit Records â but Dre produced several tracks including âIn Da Club,â âIf I Canâtâ and âBack Down,â while Em appeared on âPatiently Waitingâ and âDonât Push Meâ while also contributing production.
50 Cent Says Dr. Dre Didn’t Want ’21 Questions’ On His Debut Album
The triumvirate has remained loyal friends ever since. Last year, N.O.R.E. revealed that Eminem told JAY-Z â who helped organize the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show â that he would only participate in the star-studded performance if 50 Cent was involved.
âI said to JAY-Z, I have to ask this straight up: âWho is gonna perform at the NFL?ââ N.O.R.E. said during Snoop DoggâsDrink Champs episode. âAnd he said to me, âThe white guy called for 50 Cent.â
âI said, âWho is the white guy? Jimmy Iovine?â And he said, âNo, Eminem called directly for 50 and he said I canât do it if I canât bring 50 with me.â Thatâs spiritual.â
â@eminem is the man,â 50 later wrote on Instagram after their Super Bowl halftime show won three awards at the 2022 Primetime Creative Arts Emmys. âHe wouldnât do the show with out me thatâs my boy !â
50 Cent â who is less of a music star and more of a TV mogul these days â is looking to return the favor by producing an 8 Mile TV series to help further Eminemâs already bulletproof legacy.
âIâm gonna bring 8 Mile to television,â Fif announced in an interview with Big Boyâs Neighborhood in January. âWe in motion. Itâs gonna be big ⊠I think it should be there for [Eminemâs] legacy because itâs important to me that they understand it.â