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Nima : First off about your youth, where in queens
are you from?
50 Cent : I'm from South Jamaica, Queens.
Nima : How did you get into rapping?
50 Cent : Well I did it off and on for a while, I always
enjoyed rap music.
Nima : How did you hook up with JamMasterJay?
50 Cent : A friend of mine introduced me to him.
Nima : How would you describe your style?
50 Cent : How would I describe my style.. hmm.. oh now
they say it's gangsta music..
Nima : What happened to your Power Of Tha Dollar project?
50 Cent : My Power Of The Dollar? The record, I completed
it and uhm, I dropped the first street single, which
was supposed to be the b-side of How To Rob, and it
did extremely well, it had really alot of effect. Today
when I have a conversation, we somehow never end up
on the topic that it was supposed to be. My first impression
was a strong impression and uhm, the A-side of the single
was supposed to be Thug Love with Destiny's Child. I
got shot, two days before I was supposed to shoot the
video. I got shot up so I wasn't physically able to,
shoot the video.
Nima : How did that shoot-up change your life?
50 Cent : I feel like.. it changes your life a lil bit.
Like when you get shot at nine times, you start makin
a dream for a reason. You got a purpose.. I'm still
tryin to figure out what my purpose is..
Nima : You're "How To Rob An Industry Nigga"
track made alot of noise, positive and negative. If
you could go back in time, would you take the same decision
as you did?
50 Cent : Absolutely, many people think that like when
you sign a record deal as an artist, uhh when you sign
a record deal, you made it.. Naahh.. its more like you
got a opportunity to make it! Cause you don't have to
be an artist.. most rappers feel like they artists in
their owns, in their rights, thats not the way you become
an artist.. there are things that come with being a
successful artist.
Nima : How did you take the artists and the streets
reactions to the track? Did people want you to appologize?
50 Cent : Yeah.. people wanted it, like they got phone
calls at Columbia.. They work differently right, I don't
appologize for nuttin I'm doin...Its self explanatory
the record was.. It didn't hurt anybody by saying this
so if they take it personal fuck em! I looked at it
like, you on a major label, it might be a hundred other
acts, on that label. You gotta do something to separate
you from everyone else that's there, to get you the
focus for a minute. Like with How To Rob, people stopped
and were like "who is that?", you know in
the company itself, after I released How To Rob, everybody
knew who 50 Cent is, and is excited about 50 cent when
he come to the building. A poster board ain't nothing
but colorful piece of paper on a pole, without a record
that makes it make sense. The ad that they use is just
a pretty picture You know these are the things they
do to promote projects without the actual music, and
that ain't gone to nothin! Get a Sixty Seconds radio
spot, ya commercial that shit ain't gone do nothin without
them hearin some music that they actually doin
Nima : How did G-Unit get together?
50 Cent : G Unit is my record company, it is a group
at this point because the deal is about to complete
the negotiations. But Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks they are
the first two artists that's up on IN the situation.
We grew up together like, Banks is the youngest he's
20 years old.
Nima : How did Eminem approach you?
50 Cent : Eminem... Theo, my attorney and Paul Rosenberg
work close together, like they know each other, they
came up together so, I had a cd called "Guess Who's
Back" and Em, right got a copy of it and he was
in the middle of completing The Eminem Show, so he didn't
get a chance to properly listen to it, but after he
got that done he heard it and he was like "Ya'll
need to come out here now!" so they flew me out
on like Friday night, I fly to Los Angeles the next
day and I met wit him and Dre and then after we met
it was kinda all alright
Nima : Whats it like working with Em & Dre in the
studio, any different than with the producers you've
worked with?
50 Cent : Absolutely, both of them are perfectionists..
With Dre its like.. I do vocals, I write the vocals
and then Dre would come and we'd do vocals, like we
change.. not too much, but if he feels like I could
say something a lil differently, we'll change that.
And Em, he spins records and like he send me a skeleton
and I'll write to it. Then we'll build the song around
it.
Nima : How has being around Shady Records affected
the music you're making?
50 Cent : Oh alot man! I think it made it uhh.. I got
the best rappers, best producers around me. I'm getting
better! This is like my album will be twice as good
as my last album.
Nima : Do you plan to bring up G Unit the way Eminem
did with D-12, like make them blow up too?
50 Cent : Absolutely, G Unit should be out in autumn..
My album is scheduled for February 11th.
Nima : I heard Lloyd Banks signed to Def Jam, is that
true?
50 Cent : Nah thats not true, its like they makin' offers..
I got my solo deal offers now but I'm not gone do it
like that, they all signed to my company! And we're
all stayin in the same situation. Tony Yayo got a offer
too separately, but not Def Jam, another company. You
know how Wu-Tang came out and everybody end up on a
different label? This is kinda similar to that. Or like
The Ruff Ryders, or Rocafella Records.
Nima : Was the track Wanksta aimed at anybody special?
50 Cent : Nah nah man, its just like in general, there's
alot of Wankstas out there, so you gotta make tracks
like that.
Nima : What happened between you and Ja Rule, I heard
you snatched Ja's chain in a club and sent it back to
him in the mail! Is that true?
50 Cent : Ha ha ha, nah I didn't send it back in the
mail but you know, they gave me a watch in exchange
for it!
Nima : Was it Ja Rule's chain on the end of the gun
of your "Guess Who's Back" cover?
50 Cent : Hahaha nah, that wasn't his, hahaha
Nima : You are a real workaholic, you drop new songs
and freestyles like everyday on mixtapes, what pushes
you to record songs all the time?
50 Cent : I like it you know, I think you gotta stay
consistent, consistency is the key to all success. So
I stay in the studio and make music constantly!
Nima : Is the album still dropping February 11th?
50 Cent : Yup, Get Rich Or Die Trying!!
Nima : Is the rumored track listing of Get Rich Or
Die Trying thats on the Internet correct, or fake?
50 Cent : Some of em.... Now all of that's not accurate,
but some of it is.. Oh I know where they got that from
too, cause you know when I speak, when I have interviews
and they ask like whats the name of some of the records
on the album you know, and I say it.. So I guess they
collected their information and wrote some things on
it.
Nima : We have heard the track "In The Club"
which sounds alot like a Dre track, can you confirm
that?
50 Cent : Yeah it is a Dr. Dre produced record!
Nima : Will it be the first single?
50 Cent : Yup, we shot the video yesterday and the day
before!
Nima : Who will be featured on your album?
50 Cent : Guest appearances? Uhm, I got a record I did
with uhm, Busta.. Its a great record, came out really
good! Uhm, Em, Dre, Usual Suspects *laughs*.
Nima : There were rumours that DMX would be on the
album dissing Ja Rule.. is that true?
50 Cent : Ohh I mean I'm not sure if he's gone be dissing
Ja Rule but.. me and X is gone definitely, you should
look forward to hear us work together!
Nima : There was a mixtape by DJ Big Mike which had
a few funny skits about Ja Rule. Are we going to see
those on the album too?
50 Cent : Uhh.. Nah actually I'm trying not to make
my energy totally focus on Ja Rule..
Nima : Which producers have you got on the record?
50 Cent : Production is various.. we got, uhm, Megahertz,
Dre, Em, Primo, Sha Money XL...
Nima : Could you describe the album for us?
50 Cent : I'd say the album is classic. Em and Dre,
we did an interview with MTV yesterday and Em compared
it to his second album, my first album coming out feeling
like his second, he wish that his first album would
have come out like that.
Nima : How do you deal with the worldwide exposure,
you were on 8 Mile and stuff, are you happy now?
50 Cent : Absolutely, you know what I mean, Im workin..
I'm nottin new! This is my first album and I'm a new
artist to the world, but I've been around for a long
time!
Nima : Will you be on DETOX or OH MY GOD?
50 Cent : Yeah, look forward to seein me.
Nima : Have you been in the studio with Rakim?
50 Cent : Nah, I haven't recorded with Rakim..
Nima : Are there any producers that you would like
to work with, or artists?
50 Cent : Uhh, everybody I'd like to work with I've
had communications with so far, uhm you should look
forward to hearin 50 Cent and Jay-Z!
Nima : Whats your view on the Eminem/Benzino beef?
Are you going to get involved, or stay out of it?
50 Cent : Thats not beef! When I first heard about that,
I thought there was a situation where they like ran
into each other, but they never ran into each other!
Its just you know, Benzino is taking shots at Em cause
he's doin' so well, hopin' it would give him some attention!
Nima : How do you think The Source will review Get
Rich Or Die Trying?
50 Cent : I think it will be visible that their review
is based on their situations, which makes their magazine
even worse! They can give me 2 Mics! *laughs* I don't
give a fuck, I don't care what they give! But at the
end of the day, the album gets two mics, and its hot
as fuck and everybody hearin' is goin "yo this
record is crazy"!
Nima : Would you ever work with Nas, Mobb Deep or the
Bravehearts who you have already worked with?
50 Cent : I worked with Nas and The Bravehearts before,
but I doubt that you'll hear us on records together
again..
Nima : Did anything happen between you and The Bravehearts?
50 Cent : Nah, I mean Jungle and Wiz is cool, Nas's
businesses makes me uncomfortable workin' wit them.
Nima : In the early 90's, there were alot of dope rappers,
and only few wack ones. Nowadays its the opposite. What
do you think happened?
50 Cent : HipHop is growin, they openin up.. They see
the possibilities.. People rappin what they feel like
the world will embrace it if its a pop record. Or they
perform that when they get a RnB singer and they singles
is about a girl.. And they see some people had success
with that and they follow that.. and thats what you
gotta do!
Nima : If one day, people ask you to do a pop song,
or work with some singer or anything, would you do that,
or rather try to keep the street credibility?
50 Cent : I mean it depend on the record.. If I feel
the record is a hit record I'll do it, I wanna make
good music, you know what I mean? Like Im not stupid
enough to say "no I won't do it because I wanna
be street" *laughs* If the record is a hit, you
know I'm wit it!
Nima : What albums do you bump at the moment?
50 Cent : I got that uhh, Missy Elliot record, I've
been playin' it. I did a remix! I'm on that album!
Nima : How did that Missy Elliot remix happen? Were
you happy with it?
50 Cent : Well Missy is managed by Violator and we felt
like we had that in common, so they.. uhh.. it was real
easy for us to put it together. They said "Missy
got this crazy record, we want you to get on it"
I thought it was a hit, I jumped on it, I was right!
Nima : Whats your view on Bootlegging?
50 Cent : Bootleggin.. can be used a form of promotion..
Like when you create a buzz for your stuff, I have no
beef with bootleggin.. I mean when people hear good
music, thats when they buy the CD anyway! And I think
when people buy bootlegs, they buy it cause they got
cheated! I think they download it, cause in the past
they bought CDs that maybe had 8 cuts...once they hear
you enough to know that you're gone get them a good
record, they gone end up spendin money on your CD.
Nima : Now a little personal question.. Did you listen
to the WC album "Ghetto Heisman"?
50 Cent : Yeah I got it, he played some joints for me
himself. I think it would have done better if Def Jam
wouldn't have fucked up him over with that shit.. Something
was wrong with the CD at mastering, they got a skip
and nobody was paying attention to it. .And they pushin
it all back cause of that.. Shit like that is when the
companies hurt the artists.. you know what I mean?
Nima : Are you afraid something like that could happen
to you too?
50 Cent : Hell no, I mean it depends on.. I think that
I express myself to the people that I work with, so
no point to beef with me. I'm not rapping because I
don't much of a choice, I rap for a livin!
Nima : Who is signed to Shady Records and Aftermath?
50 Cent : Aftermath is loaded, like you got alotta great
essence.. You got Ice Cube, Rakim, you got new artist
Joe Beast, new artist Brooklyn, thats on aftermath but
theres some more acts I'm not really familiar with..
Shady is Eminem, D-12, Obie Trice and I'm kinda splittin
between the two, cause my deal is a joint between Shady
and Aftermath.
Nima : Are you planning to go on a tour anytime soon?
50 Cent : Yeah right after the uhm, single and then
my album, when the album drops I'm tryna do it.
Nima : Would you come overseas too?
50 Cent : Absolutely.
Nima : With the whole Shady Records, Aftermath, a whole
show like Up In Smoke Tour with everybody?
50 Cent : You want me to bring everybody? *laughs*
Nima : Oh yeah, something I was wondering about, I
was listening to that track, also from the DJ Big Mike
Mixtape where you were dissing Ja Rule and you say something
like you know the Stylist he's fuckin and that you paid
him 50 thousand.. What's up wit that?
50 Cent : Yeah you'll hear it February 11th *laughs*
it's on my album!
Nima : What was the story about that?
50 Cent : Oh yeah, I got the guy he had relations while
he took the drug Ecstasy, a friend of the stylist that
I used told me that he knew the guy, know what I mean.
He had a date with him, and I paid for it.
Nima : Do you have anything to say about Suge Knight?
50 Cent : I wonder if he has anything to say about me!
*laughs*
Nima : Any last words, Shoutouts or Fuck You's?
50 Cent : Haha nah I'm straight man..
Nima : Ok man, thanks alot for taking your time.
50 Cent : Aight, Peace
Interview by Nima for Dubcnn.com
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