Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was the perfect storm. Like many other rap classics, it was created in a blur - seven songs of the end product were created in just five days. Dr. Dre, at the height of his powers, produced four songs, Eminem contributed two, and the rest of the songs were handled by a variety of relatively known, highly effective beatsmiths. The impeccable production served as the perfect backdrop for 50’s harrowing hood tales. There was no boom-bap or carefully chopped soul samples put on a dusty loop.
It sounded like no other New York rap album - or any other rap album for that matter. When 50 calmly says, “God’s on your side? Shit, I’m a-ight with that, ‘cause we gon’ reload them clips and come right back,” on “Heat,” before matter-of-factly adding, “Don’t think you safe ‘cause you moved out the hood, ‘cause your momma’s still around, dog, and that ain’t good”.
Music, like all things, is cyclical. Trends and tastes ebb and flow. But certain records stand out as landmarks. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ marked the end of slick, flashy ladies-man rappers and cleared a space for new voices like Young Jeezy who, like many others before him, saw rapping as a way to turn their misery into monetary gain. But what was once novel eventually becomes commonplace. Looking to replicate 50’s success, copycat killers began popping up, pushing unbelievable stories in an attempt to out-gangster one another. After 50's debut, crack rap hit a wall. It was a time for a change, which Kanye and Young Money would soon provide. But for that moment 15 years ago, before blogs became tastemakers and the streets made hits, 50 Cent was the only thing that mattered.
- Damien Scott - complex.com
