50 Cent is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his seminal debut Get Rich or Die Tryin’ by making a slew of special edition vinyls available to fans.
Get Rich or Die Tryin’ dropped on February 6, 2003 via Interscope, Dr. Dre’s Aftermath and Eminem’s Shady Records in conjunction with 50’s own G-Unit Records. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling over 872,000 copies in its first week, and has since been certified 9x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
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To commemorate his blockbuster project’s 20th birthday, 50 Cent announced that for one week only, fans can purchase a “personally autographed” vinyl of Get Rich or Die Tryin’ via his website. The unique offer also ties in with Hip Hop’s ongoing 50th anniversary celebrations.
“20 years ago today, I dropped the largest debuting hip hop album of all time,” 50 wrote on Instagram. “Here’s Your chance to Own a piece of History! Get your Autographed ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’ Albums Today. Available for the next 7 Days.”
The limited edition vinyls are on sale for $399 on 50 Cent’s website and are expected to ship in the first week of March.
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As the anniversary of his debut album approached, 50 Cent took a moment last week to reflect back on when Get Rich or Die Tryin’ shot to No.1 on the Billboard 200, which he called a defining moment in his decorated career.
“The first time I realized the numbers on Get Rich or Die Tryin’, that was it for me,” 50 said on Big Boy’s Neighborhood when asked which career moment he wishes he could relive. “We had a short first week, and it came back, it was like 830,000 something. And then we didn’t have the decrease that you would have, meaning they under-shipped it.”
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He continued: “The 60 percent, 30 percent decrease that would be there for every album wasn’t there because the following week, it came in with a whole other 800,000. I was on a bus riding in the back, and I remembered [thinking], ‘This is never going to feel like this again.’”
Last November, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ also became 50’s longest-charting project of his career. The album re-entered the Billboard 200 at No. 165, bringing its total number of weeks on the chart to 150.
“Take your time and make a classic, they last a long time,” the Queens, New York native wrote on Instagram while celebrating the achievement.
50 Cent has since put music on the back burner and transitioned into being a television mogul. His most recent show, Power Book II: Ghost, was renewed for a fourth season with Starz on January 30. He also announced last month that his next project will be an 8 Mile TV series to help further Eminem’s “legacy,” though details remain scarce.
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With that said, 2023 could be the year Curtis Jackson makes a musical comeback. As he promised in a recent Instagram post congratulating Em on being the most-viewed rapper on YouTube in 2022, “Im gonna remind people i’m nice this year. New Music New Tv New movie let’s go!”
50 later revealed that he’s working on his new album with none other than Dr. Dre. “As soon as I said that, I got a text from [Eminem] that he had already spoke to Dre, and that Dre is in there and he got some crazy stuff for me to go hear,” he told Big Boy.
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“This is my process: I’ll go make something, what I can find, the best music that I can put my hands on. And when I feel real good about it, I bring it to put pressure on Dre to offer me something. ‘Cause he’ll have something… He’s always had something.”
