Man, what a time to be in high school. In 2003, an unknown rapper at the time, 50 Cent, exploded onto the scene with his Get Rich or Die Tryin’ album. As a sixteen-year-old, it was impossible to go anywhere without hearing someone bumping this in their 1996 Chevy Beretta with their Pioneer CD player and trunk-rattling speakers. Let’s face it, you probably installed the speakers yourself, and it probably sounded like s***, but hey, you were all about disturbing the peace! So before you sip that Bacardi on your birthday, let’s celebrate the success of “In Da Club.”

So Come Give 50 Cent a Hug

It all happened so quickly. 50 Cent dropped the single “Wanksta” on the 8 Mile Soundtrack, then hit back-to-back home runs with “In Da Club.” The song that some non-rap fans would try to mock for the “Go shawty, it’s your birthday” intro. Little did they know that it would become not only a staple in Hip-Hop but also a pop culture phenomenon!

If you’re messing with Dr. Dre and selling like Eminem, you must be doing something right. The video itself demonstrates the two rap icons doing “lab work” on their next big project. 50 Cent was given the nod and instant credibility. If getting shot nine times wasn’t enough to get over, he was being backed by two of the most influential legends in music.

In the song, the leader of G-Unit states that he “plans to put the rap game in a chokehold,” which would have been an understatement. Not only did the song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 (and stayed there for nine weeks), but he also won MTV Video Music Awards for Best Rap Video and Best New Artist in a Video. Kids, make sure you ask your parents about when MTV actually played music videos.

Toastin’ to the Good Life

50 Cent’s “In Da Club” took on a life of its own. According to Billboard’s “Hot 100 Songs of the Decade,” it ranked 24th. If that isn’t high enough for you, it also ranked 13th on Rolling Stone’s “Best Songs of the Decade” list. Rolling Stone would also add it to the list of “500 Greatest Songs of All Time!”

With over 1.2 billion streams on Spotify and over 1.8 billion views on YouTube is most certainly deserves to be on those charts. The song was nominated for a Grammy, and 50 Cent notably performed it at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show in 2022. I consider the best halftime show of all time, but, of course, I am biased, having grown up with all the artists who performed.

The Get Rich or Die Tryin’ album had three number one singles, including “21 Questions” and “P.I.M.P.” It’s a certified Diamond record, going ten times platinum! It was nominated for five Grammys and won “Rap Album of the Year” at multiple award shows. It would also be made into a film starring 50 Cent and Terrence Howard.

Final Thoughts

Way before the Diddy documentary on Netflix and the constant trolling of Ja Rule, 50 Cent was putting out some of the greatest Hip-Hop songs in history. The ones you could drive to, club to, workout to, or just sit around the house playing dominoes to. In 2003, it was hard to avoid the man who got shot nine times or people yelling “GGGGGGGGG-Unit” in your ear.

He was everywhere and larger than life. The prodigy of Eminem and Dr. Dre did not disappoint. “In the hood in L.A., they sayin, 50 you hot, they like me, I want ’em to love me like they love Pac.” Well, 50 we can safely say we all love you (well, maybe not Ja and Diddy). If he taught me anything, “if they hate, let ’em hate, and watch the money pile up!”