50 Cent Bets His Career On "Curtis" Outselling Ye's "Graduation" In Unearthed Footage

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Rappers Kanye West (L) and 50 Cent present the "Most Earth-Shattering Collaboration" award on stage during the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards held at The Palms Hotel and Casino on September 9, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
50 Cent said he wouldn't "put out any more solo albums" if Kanye West's "Graduation" outsold "Curtis."

Sept. 11th marked 15 years since the "death of gangsta rap," as some would call it. The rivalry between 50 Cent's Curtis and Kanye West's Graduation was a pivotal moment in hip-hop that shifted the trajectory and sound of the culture moving forward.

As fans reflect on the first-week sales showdown between the two figures, SOHH shared unreleased footage from an interview with Fif just ahead of the release of Curtis. Coming off of the success of The Massacre a few years earlier, it was clear that 50 Cet was overly confident that he would be able to move just as many units on his third studio album, even if Kanye was a critical darling at the time. “I don’t get trophies, I get the checks. He [Kanye] gets the trophies," Fif said.

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The most shocking part of the interview is that he bet his whole career that he would outsell Kanye West in his first week.

"They’d like to see Kanye West give me a problem because I’ve worked myself into a space where I’ve become the favorite,” 50 Cent continued. “Everybody roots for the underdog when he goes against the favorite, but let’s raise the stakes. If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on Sept. 11, I’ll no longer write music.” 

He clarified, "I won’t put out any more solo albums."

Despite falling 266,000 units short of Kanye's 957,000, 50 Cent still went onto drop Before I Self Destruct a few years later and Animal Ambition in 2014. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise &amp; Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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