50 Cent's fifth studio album

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The upcoming yet-to-be-titled fifth studio album by American rapper 50 Cent is set to be released in November 2011 on Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album will reportedly be 50 Cent's final album released through Interscope, as part of the contract he initially signed after joining the label in 2002 which requires him to release at least five albums with the label. The album is set to include several featured vocalists, including Shady Records founder Eminem and several other rappers, including Lloyd Banks, Kidd Kidd and Busta Rhymes, among others.

Originally, 50 Cent's fifth studio album was set to be Black Magic, an album influenced by several genres including rock and dance music: however, its release was postponed as 50 Cent began to write material based on a different concept than the one influencing Black Magic. As a result, recording sessions for a brand new album began from scratch, with the new material reportedly of a traditional hip-hop nature, involving several record producers, including Cardiak, Boi-1da, Dr. Dre, Alex da Kid, Hit-Boy, Jim Jonsin, S1 and Just Blaze, among others.

Initially reported to be released during the summer of 2011, the album's release date has since been revised, largely due to disagreements between 50 Cent and Interscope Records over the release and promotion of the album, which led to the album's brief cancellation. However, 50 Cent has confirmed that the album has been completed and in the process of being mixed, and reports have stated that the album may be released in November 2011.

Background

"I got a chance to hear the music that was playing out there prior to me coming there. It’s almost like when I come into the territory they change the music to 50 Cent music, so I’m saying, “What were you playing before I got here?” And this music was all fast, the tempo and production, it was just different."

—50 Cent, speaking on Black Magic's influences of dance music.

In November 2009, 50 Cent released his fourth studio album, titled Before I Self Destruct. The album did not match the previous commercial success of his first three studio albums, only selling 160,000 copies in its first week of commercial sale in the United States in peaking at number five of the Billboard 200. To help promote the album, 50 Cent went on The Invitation Tour: whilst on the European leg of he tour, he visited several nightclubs, where he was impressed with the vastly changing styles of music played. Because of this, and whilst still on tour, 50 Cent began to write and record material for an album called Black Magic, whose music would be influenced through a number of genres, most notably dance, rock and pop music, and would have a "higher tempo" than his previous work, although he claimed that the predominant genre of the music would still be rap. However, 50 Cent later revealed to the Brasilian edition of music magazine Rolling Stone that he was unsure whether to continue with the recording of the album, which he had begun whilst in the European venues of the tour, as he had begun to write material that he claimed "didn't quite fit the concept" of the album. He later revealed the release of Black Magic had been postponed indefinitely, although he stated the album may be released in the future. The new album will be more hip-hop influenced than Black Magic, which was inspired and influenced by a number of genres.

For musical inspiration whilst recording the album, 50 Cent listened to a mix of music performed by his favourite artists, including the deceased rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, 50 Cent explained these actions, stating "I listen to those records to create expectations... It creates a level to me, within myself, of how good the record has to be before I'm ready to launch it." In the same interview, he described the album as a "whole new sound" for him and felt that it was "more soulful" and "more mature" than his previous work. In an interview with hip-hop magazine Rap-Up on 1 June, 2010, 50 Cent revealed that he had been inspired by prominent soul artists such as Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield to write and record more soulful material for Black Magic, and in an interview with the same magazine on 13 May, 2011, American rapper Soulja Boy revealed that these themes were on the new album.

Development

Production

Whilst on The Invitation Tour and writing material for Black Magic, 50 Cent recorded a song with the backup-band he was performing with on the tour. However, he admitted that the song was not likely to make the final cut for the album. Recording sessions for a new album resumed from scratch in early 2010 once 50 Cent returned to the United States from The Invitation Tour, when he was immediately was "bombarded" with potential productions for the album by several record producers, which partly influenced his decision to postpone the release of Black Magic. In total, forty-three potential songs for the album were recorded during the album's recording sessions.

In a November 2010 interview with MTV News, Surf Club producers Hit-Boy and Chase N. Cashe revealed that they had contributed productions for the album. Hit-Boy revealed that they had visited 50 Cent to play him a selection of their productions and hear "where he was going with it". He went on to talk positively about the album's material and its musical variation:

He's taking it back to the old 50. And he had some new records that were some different-sounding stuff too. I'm excited to see how people react to it, and hopefully we end up with some stuff on the album. I gave him some stuff he really loved. It's really a blend of the old 50 mixing with the new stuff that he's doing. It's crazy.

Whilst attending the Sundance Film Festival on 25 January, 2011, 50 Cent revealed to MTV News that "80 percent" of the album had been recorded, and also revealed that he had recorded material with for the album with record producers Boi-1da, Alex da Kid and Symbolyc One.. In an interview in March 2011 with online blogger DDotOmen, record producer Cardiak revealed that he had produced a record for the album called "Outlaw", which was later released to several digital outlets to promote the album.

On 8 April, 2011, MTV Mixtape Daily reported that producer Jim Jonsin had been involved in the album's recording sessions. In an interview with Rap-Up on 13 May, 2011, American rapper Soulja Boy revealed that 50 Cent had requested several productions from him for the album whilst the pair were in California the previous month, and that he had given him roughly five of these productions to record over. He also claimed that 50 Cent had played him all of the material recorded for the album at the time, and was impressed with the material, stating that "His album was kinda dope. I ain’t gonna lie to you. That’s my big bro and all that. I got love for him. He’s got some good stuff on there". In an appearance with singer Nicole Scherzinger on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, hosted by comedian and actress Ellen DeGeneres, on 24 May, 2011, 50 Cent and Scherzinger performed their single "Right There", and 50 Cent revealed that the album was only a single song away from completion. He also confirmed that the mixing process for the album had already begun.

50 Cent later elaborated on Boi-1da's contribution in an interview with DJ Whoo Kid on the hip-hop radio station Shade 45, when he revealed that Boi-1da had produced two potential songs for the album. In the same interview, he revealed that producer Just Blaze had contributed two productions for the album. In an interview with BET.com on 19 September, 2011, 50 Cent confirmed Dr. Dre's involvement with the album, claiming that he had produced two of the songs on the album.

Guest appearances

Although a confirmed tracklisting for the album is yet to emerge, several other recording artists have been reported to be appearing on the album. On 24 January, 2011, Rap-Up reported that fellow rapper and longtime collaborator Eminem would appear on the album, along with Akon, Lil' Kim, Swizz Beatz, Busta Rhymes, and fellow G-Unit member Lloyd Banks. In the aforementioned interview on Shade 45, 50 Cent elaborated on Eminem's contributions to the album, revealing that he would appear on four songs. He also stated that the songs were designed to appear to various audiences: two of the songs were referred to as "definite singles", and the other two were described as created to appeal to his "core audience", as well as being "more aggressive" and having a "different kind of energy". On 11 July, 2011, whilst on the set of the video for the Tony Yayo song "Haters", 50 Cent revealed that New Orleans rapper Kidd Kidd, formerly of Young Money Entertainment but now of G-Unit Records, would appear on the album's title track. On 28 September, 2011, singer Jeremih was reported to appear on a song called "Girls Go Wild".

Singles

After its leakage onto the Internet on 16 June, 2011 and its premier by Funkmaster Flex on the New York City radio station Hot 97, MTV Rapfix writer Alvin Blanco reported that "Outlaw" would be the first single released from the album. However, on his page on the microblogging website Twitter, 50 Cent revealed that the song was not the album's first single. Although the song did not receive an official airplay release, it received unsolicited airplay on urban contemporary radio stations, which meant that the song peaked at number ninety-nine on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for the week ending 23 July, 2011. It was later released to several digital outlets on 19 July, 2011, these including the iTunes Store and Amazon MP3, and after its digital release peaked at number eighty-seven on both the US Billboard Hot 100 for the Canadian Hot 100 for the week ending 6 August, 2011.

On 28 September, 2011, director Colin Tilley revealed through his page on the microblogging website Twitter that he had finished shooting a music video in Los Angeles for the album's first single, although the song's title was not reported at the time. The same day, hip-hop website HipHop-N-More exclusively reported that the song's title was "Girls Go Wild" and featured singer Jeremih.

Release and promotion

During his appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on 24 May, 2011, 50 Cent revealed that the album was one song from completion and being mixed, and he expected to release it as early as summer 2011, stating: "This summer they’ll have new music from me". However, due to 50 Cent's various disputes with Interscope Records (see below) over the promotion and release of the album, including the leakage of several songs intended for the album, the album's release was briefly cancelled by 50 Cent himself, before being rescheduled to November 2011: currently, he plans to release the album in conjunction with his headphone line Sleek by 50.

Interscope Records tensions

The album is set to be 50 Cent's final release on his current contract at Interscope Records, originally signed when he joined the label in 2002, as the contract requires him to release five albums with the label. However, there have been tensions between 50 Cent and the label throughout the album's recording process. The first reports of disagreement between the label and 50 Cent emerged on 16 June, 2011, when 50 Cent released a series of tweets through his account on microblogging website Twitter: he explained that Interscope Records were disputing with him over the album's recording process, and claimed he would delay the album's release until the dispute was resolved. He also stated that the album would not be released during 2011.

The issues with Interscope intensified when a song called "I'm on It", produced by The Cataracs, leaked onto the Internet on July 27, 2011 ahead of its intended release date. 50 Cent blamed Interscope Records for the leakage, and, as he had intended to release the song as the album's next single, revealed through his account on the microblogging website Twitter on 28 July, 2011 that he would retaliate against the label by cancelling the release of album. He also revealed that he planned threatening to leak the single from the Dr. Dre album Detox, "The Psycho", in which he is featured. He later clarified his comments, revealing that he was willing to collaborate with other artists during his remaining time at the label, but confirmed that he would not release another album with the label because "[Interscope] dropped the ball with me one time to [sic] many". However, he later retracted these statements, and apologized to Jimmy Iovine, head of Interscope Records, and also to Dr. Dre for threatening to leak "The Psycho", as he stated that the pair of them had been supportive of his career throughout his time at the label.

After his statements were retracted, 50 Cent later announced that the album's release date had been rescheduled to November 2011. In an interview with MTV News on June 22, 2011, 50 Cent revealed that the incident had left him unsure as to whether to resign to Interscope once his five-album contract with the label ended, upon the release of his next album:

I don't know... It will all be clear in the negotiations following me turning this actual album in. And, of course, the performance and how they actually treat the work will determine whether you still want to stay in that position or not.

Despite these comments, 50 Cent confirmed that it was not certain that he would leave Interscope after the release of the album, admitting that problems with finding a suitable alternative label would be difficult: "If not [signed to a label], if you don't have that support, [so] why would you want to sign to another system?".

Recorded songs

• "Outlaw" (produced by Cardiak)
• "Girls Go Wild" (featuring Jeremih)