(AllHipHop News) At one point last decade a 50 Cent album was expected to easily go at least gold in a week. His major label debut Get Rich or Die Tryin’ opened with 872,000 units sold and went on to sell 8 million copies. His sophomore LP The Massacre pushed 1.1 million copies in its first week, and album number 3, Curtis, managed nearly 700,000 in first week sales as he famously competed with Kanye West’s Graduation.
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His last official studio album Before I Self Destruct in 2009 barely cracked 100,000 sales its initial week, and his long-awaited fifth LP Street King Immortal has been pushed back several times. The Hip Hop mogul seems to recognize that at this stage in his career he will not be the top-selling rapper he once was.
“I know I won’t sell as many albums as I did previously,” 50 tells the Miami New Times. “Eminem’s new record sold 700,000 copies and was number 1. I think to myself, ‘Is this where we are? I can’t look at a 7 again.’ He doesn’t do anything else but music. It is extreme focus. It’s his passion.”
As 50 puts it, his mentor and label mate Eminem puts all his time into making music. Meanwhile the Queens rapper has been dipping into other business ventures. He has his SMS boxing promotions, SMS Audio headphones, Street King energy drink, and film/TV work. Even with all that on his plate 50 says he still comes back to music for inspiration.
“[The album’s] done actually. I go back to music because it inspires me,” says 50. “I will feel that I am set, but then I hear something new, and I want to go back to the studio.
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