If r & ampb pays attention to melody, so hip-hop pays attention to "story". Whoever's story is tough enough and true enough can become the darling of the rap world.
Who is the hottest rapper today? In terms of influence, Eminem, a rascal who made an autobiographical film and set up his own record company, of course offended every disc he made. But in terms of popularity, I'm afraid he can't compare with 50 cents, a pure hooligan who also comes from the street. In 2003, 50 cents gave birth to his "get rich or die hard". The cruelty, hardship, fear and oppression of the black life at the bottom described in the disc have slapped the increasingly mediocre hip-hop world, and let all those who listen to hip-hop or think they are playing hip-hop know what the real hip-hop originated from black people.
Jianghu background, street hooligans
His original name is Curtis Jackson, and he was born in Queens, new york. His number is 1976. Like many black children born in slums, 50 cents has been dealing with the words robbery, rape, drug trafficking and prostitution since childhood. He has hardly met his real father, and his mother lives by selling drugs. He was found dead in the street at the age of 8, and the cause of death was unknown. From then on, 50 cents was raised by his grandparents. A few years later, 50 cents inherited his mother's business and sold cocaine on the street without telling his grandparents. When he was in high school, he got his first taste of going to jail-it is said that he hid cocaine in his sneakers in order not to let his grandmother find out that he was dealing drugs. One day, he wore the wrong shoes and was found by the school detector. Since then, his underground drug trafficking activities have turned to the public. He bluntly told his grandmother, "I am a drug dealer."
Although a 50-cent black man can earn $5,000 a day, he is frustrated with this chaotic life. Then he found a way to escape this state-rap. 50 cents showed his talent at some street parties and made a small profit. 1997, after the birth of his son Marquez, 50 cent began to take rap as his career and took it seriously.
The more wit, the less courage.
The first Bole who got 50 points was jam master jay, a member of run-d.m.c He gave 50 points a tape full of rhythm, and then asked 50 points to rap with the rhythm. Jay was deeply impressed by the performance of 50 cent, and then signed him into his jmj company. "Jay taught me what kind of lyrics will be hot; Jay taught me how to find creative inspiration; Jay also taught me how to make records. He put me on the right track. " Fifty cents was later recalled in an interview.
Jam master jay has always been a mentor and friend of 50 cent. Even after 50 cent left jmj due to poor development and other reasons, Jay has been giving him advice and help.
Then, under the introduction of trackmasters, 50 cent signed a contract with the powerful Colombian record company 1999. After being locked in a recording studio in new york for two and a half weeks, 50 cent handed over 36 works, including power of a dollar, which was considered as a rap classic by blaze magazine. In another song "How to Robbery", 50 cent teased Jay-Z, big pun, sticky fingers and other big names in his peers, which caused quite a stir among fans. But at the same time, he also made many enemies, such as ja rule, who fought several rounds of war of words with him.
Survived and went underground.
If 50 cents goes smoothly from now on, it is likely that rap is just another screaming little star. The next series of events not only made 50 cent's black background more dense, but also added magical color to his rap road.
In May 2000, 50 cents was shot outside his grandmother's house. Nine 9mm bullets roared at him, one penetrated his face, one hit his hand, and the other seven hit his arm and leg respectively. Fortunately, he survived and was only hospitalized for 13 days, but he was at home for nearly 5 months. Among them, the bullet fired at his face peeled off a layer of gum and left a hole in his two rows of teeth, which changed his voice slightly.
After the shooting incident, 50 cents became a hot potato, and Columbia quickly got rid of this troublesome person, and the upcoming "The Power of a Dollar" was also entered into the ice cave.
50 cents didn't collapse. He and a group of friends formed g-unit and started the life of an underground band. With the help of new partner sha money xl, 50 cent released the independent record Guess Who's Back at the end of 200 1. Some of this album covers famous rap songs (such as raphael saadiq's be here and wu-tang clan's ya'll been warned), some ridicule the rap stars at that time (mainly ja rule), and some 50 cent tells the story of being shot. These things spread quickly on the streets of new york, and jay-z even praised: "50 cents is the future."
Eminem will help you when you finally meet a noble person.
"Fifty cents is my favorite rapper now." This noble sentence comes from the mouth of the most famous white McEminem, which can be said to have changed his life. Eminem and his mentor, dr. dre, a master rapper, appreciate 50 cent very much and are full of confidence in his potential to become the next pop rap superstar. They warmly invited 50 cents to join their shady/affairs company. Facing this fantastic team, 50 cent certainly seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, for which he also got a signing bonus of $654.38+00,000.
With the help of this noble person, the development of 50 cents is naturally smooth sailing. Within a few months after signing the contract, 50 cent prepared the album "Ask for money, don't die" with the help of Rambo Eminem and Dr. Dre, and the two emperor superstars also made some tracks in the album, which made the already anticipated album more eye-catching. Before the album was finished, Eminem spared no effort to promote 50 cents and put his wanksta on the soundtrack of his movie Eight Miles. This single was a great success after it was released at the end of 2002, and won the good result of bulletin boardNo. 13. Then, the first single "in da club" in the album "Want Money, Don't Die" produced by Dr. dre rushed to the champion throne in one breath.
On February 6, 2003, Interscope (the parent company of shady/aftermath) officially released the album "Want money, don't die". In just five days, this album sold 872,000 copies, which is the fastest-selling debut album since the establishment of the sales statistics system in 199 1 May.
When 50 cents comes out, who will compete with it?
In 2003, the American music industry was monopolized by 50 cents. His "Want Money, Don't Kill" was the highest-selling album of the year, selling 6.5 million copies in the United States alone, far ahead of all other artists. Although 50 cent lost to alternative rock group evanescence at the Grammy in 2004, 50 cent maintained its limelight and won many awards at some award-winning ceremonies dominated by fan voting or record sales, such as the mtv Awards Ceremony.
Now the time has entered 2005, and 50 minutes has finally saved enough saliva to start swearing. The album "Holocaust" triggered a saliva massacre before its release, and a fan wallet massacre after its release. In front of the dazzling "butcher's knife" of 50 cents, jennifer lopez, a Latin beauty who has always had unlimited scenery, can only be a vase beside the boss, ranking second. Four-day album sales 1 140000, the billboard champion for six weeks in a row, broke through the 3 million mark in less than two months. It is really "fifty cents, who is better than the front?" No wonder he once vowed that "this album will kill them all."
Several key words of 50 cents
50 cents
The reason why he got such a stinking name is because 50 cents hopes that his life will change accordingly; This is also the name of a drug dealer in Queens.
Rogue Eminem
Speaking of friends with 50 cents, of course, I have to mention Eminem the rascal. The meeting of these two people can be said to have changed the history of hip hop. Without Eminem, 50 cents would have to struggle for at least n years. What do you think of this great benefactor for fifty cents?
"Eminem is an annoying genius," 50 cents said with a smile. "Every time we walk into the studio, he has new ideas, so I have to say,' Oh, man, I have new ideas'. Eminem really means the rapper in the singing hands. He listens to everything-every word, every slang, and the slightest change in your tone. "
So how do two people outside the recording room communicate? 50 cent said that because of their tight schedule, they can't go out to play often. They often exchange parenting experiences together (50 cent has an 8-year-old son Marquez and Eminem has a 10-year-old daughter Haley, both of whom are single fathers), and they also discuss their enemies in hip-hop circles.
enemy troops
The quarrel between Ja rule and 50 cent can be traced back to ja rule being robbed in a club in Queens. The robber is an acquaintance who lives near 50 cent's home, and ja rule thinks 50 cent is behind it. Later, 50 cents was shot at the hit factory. It is said that ja rule asked his men to execute it. Now ja rule and his record company Murder are on the shoulders of the whole shady company. The records released by these two companies often contain abusive songs.
50 cents for this old enemy is "He is also very popular. The reason why he is jealous of me is that my records can sell well, but he can't. People are not interested in his story, and he pesters Mary J. Blige on TV all day. "
shoot
In addition to the shooting that hit nine bullets in succession in 2000, he was involved in another famous shooting. That is, on October 30th, 2002 10, his teacher jam master jay was shot in the recording studio in Queens and died on the spot. The police suspected that 50 cents had something to do with it and took him back to investigate for a few days. Ironically, 50 cents made the front page of the entertainment section, which was the first time that he received the attention of the mainstream media, and also made free publicity for his upcoming "Want Money, Don't Die".
armoured vest
Black rap naturally offended many people. After being robbed in 2000, 50 cents finally realized this. He will take three bodyguards when he goes out now, which is not enough. He also wears a bulletproof vest very carefully to prevent accidents. It is said that he also bought one for his son, which can prevent not only bullets but also bombs.
G unit
G-unit is the abbreviation of guerrilla, which means "guerrilla alliance". G-unit consists of four like-minded friends, namely 50 cent, lloyd banks, tony yayo and young buck. G-unit followed the East Coast rap style, and released the album Begging for mercy on June165438+1October, 2003, ranking second in the billboard, and has sold 2 million copies so far. The success of this album led the famous Reebok Company to release a running shoe named after g-unit.
upstart
"50 cents" has never concealed his desire for success and money, from the sound of copper coins in the prelude to the unemotional singing of "... I don't know what rumors you heard about me, but you can't get a penny from me ..." The image of a nobody who wants money and doesn't want to die is thus established. Perhaps people have a strong impression on him. He was born in a slum, and his success now is undoubtedly attracting worldwide attention. "nouveau riche" is one of the most commonly used words when the media mentions him.
Fortunately, 50 cents didn't forget its roots because it became rich. In an interview, he once said, "I never intend to give up my street qualities. Without this background, I will never achieve today's success. ..... If my true colors are gone, I will have no meaning to get along in the music world. Maybe one day, fans will say,' 50 cents is boring, let's listen to other people's songs', and then I will disappear immediately. "