50 Cent rattled the cages of Hip Hop’s mainstream with the release of his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, but one standout song nearly didn’t make the cut.
During a recent appearance on Big Boy’s Neighborhood, 50 confirmed that Dr. Dre didn’t believe the Nate Dogg-assisted “21 Questions” was a fit for the acclaimed 2003 project, but the G-Unit boss’ intuition said otherwise.
“He said, ‘I don’t know why you want?’ Why I wanted the record,” he explained. “I’m like, ‘Damn, I gotta do all these muthafuckin’ push-ups?’ Dre would say this is N.W.A… ‘We didn’t do that.’
“Like they didn’t have to reach to make a commercial record or anything that sounded like a commercial record. And that’s just in his DNA. Like on his path, he’s like, ‘We don’t need that.'”
Produced by “Dirty Swift,” the storytelling love ballad would prove 50’s gut right and “21 Questions” became his second Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit as the single topped the chart for four weeks and remained on the Hot 100 for 23 weeks.
Dre allegedly didn’t understand how a love song could fit into 50 Cent’s gangster persona, but 50 always wanted to maintain a duality and commercial appeal.
“Dre was, like, ‘How you going to be gangster this and that and then put this sappy love song on?’ ” 50 recalled in 2005. “But I told him, ‘I’m two people. I’ve always had to be two people since I was a kid, to get by. To me that’s not diversity, it’s necessity.'”
While “21 Questions” could be a lethal go-to track to play in a Verzuz battle, don’t expect to see 50 Cent in one anytime soon, according to Tony Yayo.
“I think 50’s on the level where he’ll never do a Verzuz, bro,” the G-Unit cog said. “He’s not interested in certain things like that. I just think, you know, that guy sold a lot of records, he gets a lot, a lot of money — and not saying that anything is wrong with Verzuz I just think he’s not interested in doing it, you know?”
Dre doesn’t like those kinds of songs. Those or introspective songs with a message. It’s one of the reasons that I’ve never been a big fan of his outside of acknowledging that he’s the greatest producer in hip hop history.
Dre didn’t sign Ne-yo because he wasn’t street enough meanwhile Dre makes RNB all the time
Dre is a solid producer, but greatest I’m history? Wtf are you smoking? His best hits from the 90s and earlier were all from legendary samples thrown over drums. From his newer age albums, the most beloved beats had the most important parts, such as the melody, produced by other artists. He’s talented yeah, but GOAT is a complete joke.
DRE HASN’T HAD A LEGIT BANGER SINCE OUTTA CONTROL REMIX.
The chronic isa classic what you talking about.
The fact that you called him a solid producer invalidates your opinion right off top. Dude has made three superstars out of his production and his own group went on to be superstars with him behind the boards. Those are the clinical facts, not your subjective bullshit about who did it better or the nonsense about him ghost producing when people who worked with him said he was the one who made that shit pop with or without them there. Again, I have never been a big fan of his because he prioritizes hit making over the soul and storytelling of the genre, so this is not coming from a fanboy or biased placed, but you bugging if you think anybody else has had the impact he had. He is one of one in the genre, and bringing up sampling, FOH with that shit. It’s an essential element of the genre. This hip hop shit, just like I talk about the lyrics and how people debate that elementary shit even for the best of them and my favorites, isn’t exactly Mozart or some shit in complexity. None of these dudes are special musicians, but what he did do was create soundtracks for eras or moments in history that have stood the test of time.
I mean, the song doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the album. But of course it would be a hit with Nate on the hook and the trends at the time.
It makes the most sense because he’s a street rapper and anyone that’s been in that life has these type of questions with the girl they with I just get civilian vibes from you lol
And that was the last good 50 Cent song we ever got. Good times.
GAME, PLEASE FIND SOMETHING BETTER TO DO WITH YOUR TIME.
I’m at work yo. Seems like I’m profiting off of hating lol. Seriously though, I enjoyed his pre-success material and the debut for him and the Unit, but I hated pretty much everything after. Massacre just made me sad for how bad it was in comparison.
YOU A SEX OFFENDER!
Damn so many feelings we don’t care what you think.. if being soft was a person 🤣🤣🤣
SHUTUP
Double-edged sword. On one side, it was a hit. On the other, it’s the worst song on an album with BANGER after BANGER after BANGER after BANGER…
Dre was right. “Smile” was even more abhorrent.