By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Things are hardly ever as they seem. When 50 Cent first entered the game, it seemed as if his entire team was a united front. Everyone in 50 Cent’s camp teamed up against Ja Rule and his label, Murder Inc., ousting them from the top of the game. But, as 50 Cent took Ja Rule’s position in the rap game, he found himself in an unfamiliar position, as he ended up having issues with members of his own crew, Game and Young Buck.
Through it all, 50 Cent could always rely on high record sales, the support of his record label, and his relationship with Eminem and Dr. Dre. By 2008, 50 Cent could not even guarantee that, as he revealed his relationship with Dr. Dre had not been too strong to begin with. Soon, his mentor had reunited with Game and his label, Interscope Records, was prepared to move on without him.
From a musical standpoint, 50 Cent has taken numerous hits. While his career as a rapper is on the ropes, 50 Cent continues to defy the odds as a businessman. Taking a break from his businesses, 50 Cent recently returned to the studio, recording The Lost Tape, with DJ Drama as the host. The project has been hailed as a classic by many fellow emcees and industry insiders. 50 Cent talked to The Source about all he has gone through over the past few years, discussing his DJ Drama mixtape, his label status, and his relationships.
Refusing to sound negative about his album situation, 50 Cent said he would release his final Interscope album as a birthday present to himself on July 3. Since not being able to sell 1 million copies of his albums anymore, 50 Cent has had a tough go in gaining praise from many hip hop websites. 50 Cent explained that years ago, The Source was the authority in hip hop, as rappers dreamed of their projects getting 5 mics. Criticizing the new era of hip hop media, 50 Cent said most of these new websites do not even know what they are talking about to criticize music, because they do not know anything.
50 Cent also diffused the rumors of tension between himself, Eminem, and Dr. Dre. He explained the roles they played in Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and their overall passion for music. But, as far as having more things in common, 50 Cent said he has much more in common with Eminem than Dr. Dre. Because he gave him his first shot, 50 Cent said Eminem can do no wrong in his eyes.
