50 Cent Reveals What Hit Almost Didn’t Make His Debut Album and How Tony Yayo Advocated for It

The track ultimately wasn’t a single, but was one of the most impactful songs on the album

50 Cent and Tony Yayo in 2005Frank Micelotta/Getty

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50 Cent sat down with Rolling Stone to talk about his Super Bowl commercial and commented on what fans of his music can expect for him

The rapper, 50, discussed how timing and trends are important in putting out successful rap albums

50 looked back at a song that almost didn’t make his 2003 debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’

50 Cent will only ever release music that feels right for the moment.

In a recent chat with Rolling Stone, the media mogul, 50, talks about where music stands among his many projects, for fans who want to hear more from the rapper. He explained that he’s “excited” that fans want to hear more from him, but the time needs to be right.

“Look, I’m going to make music. I’m excited that this is the feeling. The general consensus is they want to hear something new from me, right? You can have the best verse, but I don’t think you should have the best verse at 50 years old,” he shared, adding, “I think hip-hop is connected to youth culture and I think simplicity is a part of why it’s the best music.”

He continued, “I’m glad I stopped, ’cause you can bang your head against the wall until your brain falls out the other side. And it’s not that the music isn’t right, it’s that they’re choosing something else at the moment.”

50 explained he hasn’t always done what other people want, using an example from his 2003 debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin’.

“I have music that I didn’t release, pieces that I put to the side because I didn’t think it was the right thing for that period, but something I created, you know what I’m saying? There’s always stuff that you look at it and they go, ‘Yo!’ When I play it for people in the house, like personally around in the studio, they’ll go, ‘Yo, why you didn’t put that out?’ I was like, ‘No, for that time period, it didn’t work,’ ” he explained.

“Like, the tempo. I almost didn’t put ‘Many Men’ on Get Rich or Die Tryin’ because it was slow. Production-wise, we were in boom-bap at that point. So everything was faster and up-tempo and had harder-hitting drums.”

50 Cent and Eminem in 2020Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

50 credited Tony Yayo for changing his mind about the track, calling his collaborator “why that record made it.”

While the rapper contemplates new music, fans also hope to see him collaborate with Eminem.

Back in 2002, Eminem discovered 50 Cent and signed the “Candy Shop” artist to his Shady Records label. Since then, 50 Cent has become a massive success in music and on-screen. While Eminem has often pivoted between music, TV and touring, he has stayed laser-focused on music. In late 2024, the Detroit native, 53, talked about being open to the idea despite how much has changed for each rapper in their respective career journeys.

“That would be great,” Eminem said. “We just gotta stop bulls—ting and just do it… I would never say it’s not possible.”