Prior to the release of his first studio album, titled Power of the Dollar, 50 Cent was shot nine times in Queens, New York, on May 24, 2000. He survived but was dropped from his label, Columbia Records, who canceled the album's release. In 2002, Eminem listened to a copy of 50 Cent's Guess Who's Back? mixtape album through Jackson's attorney, who was working with Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg.[3] After being impressed with the mixtape, Eminem invited 50 Cent to Los Angeles where he was introduced to producer Dr. Dre.[4] 50 Cent signed a one-million-dollar record deal with Eminem and Dr. Dre; 50 Cent then released his next mixtape, No Mercy, No Fear. It featured his own 8 Mile single, "Wanksta" (in addition to appearances on three other tracks from the album), which was later put on Get Rich or Die Tryin'. Both Eminem and Dr. Dre had started working-productions on his debut album with additional help from producers Mike Elizondo, Sha Money XL among others.
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In his review for USA Today, Steve Jones believed that the album is worthy of the hype 50 Cent had attracted because of how he "delivers, in vivid detail, stories of the violent life he led as a crack dealer and speaks with the swagger of one who has been shot nine times and lived to tell about it."[18] AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier described it as "impressive" and "incredibly calculated", and identified it as "ushering in 50 as one of the truly eminent rappers of his era".[10] Rolling Stone magazine's Christian Hoard praised the album's production and 50 Cent's "thug persona" and rapping ability.[17] Brett Berliner of Stylus Magazine felt that he is versatile as a rapper and wrote that, "while not even close to perfection, [the album] is one of the freshest to come out in years."[20] It is one of only 19 rap albums to receive a perfect rating from XXL magazine.[19] Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times wrote that 50 Cent is "an appealing, mischievous character" whose talent for threatening raps aimed toward rivals is also limiting thematically.[21]
In December 2009, Billboard magazine ranked Get Rich or Die Tryin' at number 12 on its list of the Top 200 Albums of the Decade.[25] In 2012, Complex named the album one of the classic releases of the last decade.[26] The single, "In da Club", earned the number-one spot on Billboard 2003's single and album of the year charts, the first since Ace of Base had both in the same year. "Back Down" was listed on XXL's list of the greatest diss tracks of all time.[27] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[28] Get Rich or Die Tryin' was also ranked as the 139th best album of all time on the Billboard Top 200 Albums of All Time.[29] In 2020, in their second revised edition of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, Rolling Stone ranked Get Rich or Die Tryin' as the 280th greatest album of all time.
Aquemini was certified platinum in November 1998, only two months after its release, and was certified double platinum on July 2, 1999, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It peaked at number two on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Four of the album's tracks had already or would later become singles, although some were limited (promotional) releases and not available commercially. Aquemini received widespread critical acclaim from music critics, who praised the album's musicality, eclectic sound, and unique lyrical themes. Since its initial release, it has gone on to be considered one of the greatest hip hop albums ever made, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked the album number 500 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In a 2020 updated list, it was moved up to number 49.
In 1994, the duo released their debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, which was recorded when members Big Boi and André 3000 were 18. Bolstered by the success of "Player's Ball", the record established OutKast as prominent figures in the Southern hip hop scene.[2] After the album was certified platinum, LaFace Records gave OutKast more creative control and advanced money for their 1996 follow-up album ATLiens.[3] On ATLiens, André 3000 and Big Boi abandoned the "hard-partying playa characters" of their debut album in favor of personas that were more futuristic, and produced many of the songs on their own for the first time.[4][5] Critics praised the group's maturing musical style on the record, which debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart and sold nearly 350,000 copies in its first 2 weeks of release.[6][7] The single "Elevators (Me & You)" reached number 12 and spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[8]
For the record, André 3000 did most of the album's production, while Big Boi crafted hooks for the songs.[11] André 3000 and producer Mr. DJ learned about beat creation through observing the members of Organized Noize at work, with Mr. DJ observing that despite André 3000's normally frugal lifestyle, his enthusiasm for production led him to splurge on costly recording equipment.[10] At one point, André 3000 attempted singing and modifying his voice with pitch-correction equipment, but Big Boi warned him that this would alienate the group's urban audience.[13] Another point of contention was the order of the track listing; Big Boi wanted to begin the album with "Y'all Scared" while André 3000 and the other producers and musicians wanted the first track to be "Return of the G", preferring that the record start with a song with just the duo as opposed to one with multiple collaborators. Big Boi missed his flight to attend the album mastering session and by the time he arrived, the others had already settled on a cohesive track list for the record. After a long, heated discussion, Big Boi eventually agreed to opening the album with "Return of the G".[10] The album features the song "West Savannah", which had been recorded during the Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik sessions, and was included on Aquemini to give listeners a "bonus" that had sentimental value for the duo, as well as to pay homage to Big Boi's family living in Savannah.[10]
OutKast wore their musical connections easily, and sometimes literally. The references to 70s funk and soul weren't just in the deep, colour-saturated funk underpinning the whole album ... It's also a very musical album. Sure, there are samples, but it's mostly real musicians playing guitars and horns, or in the case of the charmingly named South Central Chamber Orchestra, strings and woodwind.
Aquemini's opening track "Hold On, Be Strong" was written by session guitarist Donny Mathis and originally conceived as a full song with verses, but the group preferred to only use the refrain.[10] André 3000 played a kalimba on the song after purchasing the instrument at a flea market, drawing inspiration from Earth, Wind & Fire.[10] "Return of the G" addresses concerns from fans who felt that the group's style had changed too drastically since the release of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, as well as those who make poor decisions in order to keep their street credibility.[10][24] When discussing the lyrical content of the song, André 3000 explained, "I was young and wilder and some of my fashion choices people didn't accept at the time. I started getting flak from some people, so they were like, 'Either he's gay or on drugs' ... 'Return of the Gangsta' was trying to give them a sense of, 'Hey, I'm still a regular person.'"[10] "Rosa Parks" contains blues-influenced guitar work and folksy harmonies that "announce OutKast's distinctive style of Southern boogie. The groove goes into overdrive during a clapping, foot-stomping breakdown funkified by a fierce harmonica as the kick drum pounds incessantly."[25]
"Y'all Scared" is a collaboration with three members of Goodie Mob and contains the chant "If you scared, say you scared" accompanied by prominent organ and guitar work.[10] "Nathaniel" is an a cappella rap by the group's close friend who at the time was an inmate in a Georgia prison, and the song is a recording of an actual collect call during his time in jail. The track is an introduction to "Liberation".[10] The eight-minute-long "Liberation" combines a variety of musical styles, including gospel, jazz, blues, and world music. The song is notable for not including rapped vocals and instead features vocal alternations between singing and spoken word styles.[30] Lyrically, the track utilizes images of slavery to symbolize artistic freedom and not being concerned with the opinions of the public and record labels.[30] The album closes with "Chonkyfire", which features a fuzzy guitar riff and snippets from OutKast's speech at the 1995 Source Awards in which the group emphasized the Southern hip-hop scene as a legitimate subgenre.[31] Billboard called "Chonkyfire" a track of "bad-trip psychedelic rock."[21]
The group originally planned to create a film in conjunction with Aquemini, completing a script three months before the release of the record. OutKast met with MTV for the project, who, despite liking the idea for the film, hoped to instead buy the project and cast Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes instead, feeling they had more "star power."[32] Although the duo recalls being "heartbroken" at the time, André 3000 and Big Boi continued to work on ideas for a collaborative film, eventually resulting in the 2006 musical Idlewild starring the group.[32] David Browne of The New York Times viewed the album art as an homage to blaxploitation films of the 1970s.[33] The record's title is a combination of the two members' zodiac signs, with André 3000 being a Gemini and Big Boi being an Aquarius.[26] The packaging featured a sticker describing Big Boi as "the playa" and André as "the poet".[21] 2ff7e9595c
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