Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, rapper, actor, and entrepreneur, from Jamaica Queens, recently hinted that he’s working on a new album.
A few weeks ago, Fifty wrote on Instagram, “They said i’m not in the Top 10 out of New York artist, i’m nobody’s favorite, i’m a nightmare for these fools when i focus.”
And yesterday, he posted an ad for Branson Cognac with the following caption, “Smile my next album might be my last. I terrorized hip hop for 14 years, don’t believe me Nielsen, the numbers will never lie but i’m nobody’s favorite Smh. Nah. I’m Top 10 dead or alive and i’m not done.”
50 Cent: Destined for the Top 10?
A protege of Jam Master Jay, 50 Cent signed with Columbia Records in 1999. He was let go after being blackballed due to the release of “Ghetto Qu’ran”, a controversial song detailing information about notorious drug dealers in Queens. In 2000, an assailant shot Jackson nine times. The attempt on his life was rumored to have been fueled by the song.
He bounced back harder after recording songs in Canadian studios for mixtapes that caught the attention of Eminem and Dr. Dre and ended up at Interscope for a five-album deal, staying with them through 2014.
Despite Fifty’s financial woes in 2015, he’s still a success. An interview with 50 Cent in The Guardianstated, “bankruptcy allowed him to start afresh – most notably as executive producer (and actor) on the successful American TV crime drama series Power. Soon after filing for bankruptcy, he tells me, he signed a $150m deal with a TV network.”
Is he even serious? Or is it for publicity?
During 50 Cent’s career, he’s dealt with a myriad of tribulations: lawsuits, heavily publicized feuds with former friends and lovers, rifts between his G-Unit crew, bankruptcy, yet he’s figured out a way to survive it, he’s channeled it all to become one of Hip Hop’s favorite villains.
Fifty constantly plays his tough persona to his advantage, which validates his aggression and gives him credibility when delivering gangster narratives in his music and on-screen in TV and film. He’s a provocateur when promoting his multiple business ventures in entertainment, liquor, production, apparel, etc., toying with a long list of celebrities: Floyd Mayweather, Ja Rule, and Rotimi, just to name a few.
Meanwhile, no matter how appalling his antics, his online audience always comes back for more of his dark humor that is punctuated with a hashtag or @ referencing one of his films, tv shows, products, or affiliates. Likewise, he ended the previous posts tagging Branson Cognac and Leche Min du Roi, both wine and spirits companies with which he’s partnered.
What qualifies 50 Cent to be one of the top 10 rappers?
One thing that distinguishes 50 Cent is his style. He’s not as wordy as other NYC rappers, yet his lyrics are relatable. He also has a unique singsong style on his hooks, which works to set him apart from others in the region. However, the title of Top 10 isn’t decided based on stylistic preferences. Top 10 status is based on sales and streams.
After all, 50 Cent’s last album deviated from the pattern of success of his first four releases at Interscope. Animal Ambition was released in 2014 and made significantly lower sales in the first week than his previous projects, and none of his singles charted in the Billboard 100.
A number’s game
According to Southpawers, the current top 10 in album sales are:
Eminem – 227 million units sold
Drake – 152 million units sold
Kanye West – 140 million units sold
Jay Z – 125 million units sold
Lil Wayne – 110 million units sold
Nicki Minaj – 106 million units sold
Flo Rida – 102 million units sold
Tupac Shakur – 75 million units sold
Snoop Dogg – 40 million units sold
DMX – 34 million units sold.
The top 10 in streams on Spotify:
Drake – 54.8 billion streams
Eminem – 27.2 billion streams
Travis Scott – 24.3 billion streams
Kanye West – 22.4 billion streams
Nicki Minaj – 21.8 billion streams
Kendrick Lamar – 20.5 billion streams
Future – 19.6 billion streams
XXXtentacion – 19.4 billion streams
Juice WRLD – 19.2 billion streams
Lil Wayne – 17.8 billion streams
According to IMDB, the approximate worldwide sales for 50 Cent are over 30 million, and Southpawers recently reported that 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ hit 2 billion streams this May. These numbers are a clear indicator that it is debatable whether or not 50 Cent should be in the top ten. However, if he’s going to stay competitive and aspire to it, his upcoming album has strides to make.
