50 Cent Explains How The Massacre Evolved Into Two Iconic Albums
50 Cent recently revealed the creative process behind his 2005 sophomore album, The Massacre, offering fans a glimpse into the decisions that shaped its final form. In a recent interview, the hip-hop icon shared that much of the album’s original material was repurposed for The Game’s debut project, The Documentary. These albums followed 50’s classic Get Rich or Die Tryin’.
The Massacre That Could Have Been: 50 Cent’s Original Vision
According to 50, his initial plan for The Massacre differed from the album fans heard. “My second album had nothing sexual on it,” he explained. “The plan was for it to be balanced correctly. It didn’t have anything that was ‘soft.’ It was more about imperfections.”
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The original tracks reflected a raw and introspective direction, including personal revelations like his mother’s sexuality. “It’s not the coolest thing to write about; it’s not the coolest thing to say from an artist’s perspective,” he admitted, “but I was trying to make that cool.”
50 Cent says ‘The Massacre’ was meant to be an album about “Imperfections” instead it lead to being a more sexual album because he gave the original singles “Hate It Or Love It” and “How We Do” to The Game.
Do you guys think ‘The Massacre’ would’ve been a better received album… pic.twitter.com/UR5o5SVvIm
— Diverse Mentality (@DverseMentality) November 12, 2024
Listen to some of our favorite 50 Cent tracks.
How 50 Cent’s Creativity Helped Build The Documentary
50 revealed that much of this material became the foundation of The Game’s breakout success. He pointed to tracks like “How We Do,” detailing his insistence that the song launch The Documentary. “I recorded it in California, and the only reason why Game’s album came out is because I wouldn’t give them the song unless that was a single,” he said.
50 further elaborated on his whirlwind collaboration with Game, recounting how he reworked material intended for The Massacre during a mere four-day studio session. Tracks like “Special,” “Church For Thugs,” and “Westside Story” took shape with 50’s guidance and contributions from collaborators like Snoop Dogg. Listen to “Church For Thugs:”
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From Collaboration to Conflict: 50 Cent and The Game’s Fallout
Despite the success of The Documentary, tensions between 50 Cent and The Game famously escalated, straining their working relationship. “Then s**t went left, man,” 50 reflected, alluding to their well-documented feud.
Though The Massacre went on to become a massive commercial success, selling over a million copies in its first week, 50’s latest revelations offer a compelling “what if” scenario for one of hip-hop’s most iconic eras.
