On September 11th, 2007, while many Americans were remembering the World Trade Center attack, hip-hop was watching for the results of 50 Cent’s bold wager – that he would end his solo music career if Kanye West’s “Graduation” album outsold his “Curtis” released that same day. In this never-before-seen footage captured exclusively by SOHH.com, 50 Cent explains how he sees the competition with Kanye West and bets the house on himself.
@50Cent @kanyewest
@50Cent @kanyewest
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00:00 The moment 50 Cent bet his entire career on beating Kanye West.
00:05 15 years later, so release has never before seen footage.
00:08 So you worked with Kanye on this album?
00:11 Kanye?
00:12 Yeah.
00:13 We went in the studio.
00:14 So is he going to appear on the final record?
00:16 Nah.
00:17 But we worked together on the actual record to try and create something, you know, to
00:21 create an event.
00:22 I went in with Kanye, I went in with Switchbeats, I went in with Will.i.am, I went in with Polo.
00:29 A lot of the guys that I went in with, just to see if they had something that I didn't,
00:36 to create a new direction for me that I couldn't get my hands on.
00:40 I mean, these guys are popular producers at the same time.
00:47 They have a higher consistency than a guy that's unknown.
00:52 You know what I mean?
00:53 But a lot of times they may have music playing that doesn't fit the project that you're
00:59 working on.
01:00 Like in the past you said, you called him a safe nigger.
01:01 You know, comments about the MTV interview.
01:04 See, that's not actually my feelings about Kanye West.
01:10 It's my feelings about how people perceive Kanye West.
01:15 This is why I didn't have a problem going in the studio with him.
01:20 The people who give out trophies pick him because he's safe.
01:25 When my projects will be making a way bigger impression, you know what I mean, by actually
01:36 selling, that's an indication of the public's interest.
01:40 How many people are interested enough to go spend $16 on a CD?
01:45 So I'd sell 1.1 million records in four days and then not get, I didn't get one trophy
01:55 for the master, for the entire album.
01:59 Didn't release Get Rich or Die Trying as a soundtrack.
02:02 I sold three million records as a soundtrack.
02:05 Soundtracks are harder to sell than solo albums.
02:08 And then no trophies for the soundtrack.
02:12 So I don't get trophies, I get checks.
02:16 He gets the trophies.
02:17 But it's going to be difficult.
02:18 How do you give him a trophy now when he comes out the same time I come out?
02:23 And I'm solo his ass.
02:27 This is going to be a clear, you're going to clearly see the favorites.
02:31 He's going to still get the trophies.
02:34 And I'll be sitting there like, "It's cool because I'll get the check."
02:39 You can pay a boat track record if you obviously outsold him in the past.
02:42 But for some reason a lot of people are saying, "I think he has a shot."
02:45 They're not saying that he's going to outsell.
02:47 Now they would like to see, let me tell you something, listen.
02:49 They'd like to see Kanye West give me a problem because I've worked myself into a space where
02:56 I've become the favorite.
02:57 Or anybody who's for the underdog when he goes against the favorite.
03:00 But part of it is this, let's raise the stakes.
03:04 When Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11th, I'll no longer write
03:10 music.
03:11 I'll write music and work with my other artists, but I won't put out any more solo albums.
03:20 And I bet this, when Kanye West's sales come in, he's going to have a 70% decrease because
03:24 Def Jam is going to buy records to keep him close to the 50 Cent.
03:31 So watch the first week and then watch the second week.
03:33 Watch his ass drop off the planet.
03:36 You see?
03:37 We keep all angles covered before we make a decent bet.