New York (Top40 Charts/ Interscope Records) - Though
50 Cent has sold nearly 30 million albums worldwide and scored eight Top 10 Hot 100 hits (including three No 1s), he has not forgotten the hard times. So in these difficult economic days, the artist who debuted with Get Rich Or Die Tryin' will give something back to his fans by adding a free DVD of a full-length original movie to his much anticipated fourth album, Before I Self Destruct (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope), releasing Monday, November 23, 2009. In early September, 50 released the single "
Baby By Me" produced by Polow da Don (Fergie, T.I., Ludacris).
The gritty 90-minute film, also titled Before I Self Destruct, written, directed and starring Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent), is a coming of age story about an inner city youth raised by a hardworking single mother. When his dream of becoming a basketball player fails to materialize, he finds himself employed in a supermarket. After his mother is tragically gunned down, Clarence (played by Jackson) is consumed by revenge and takes up a life of crime in order to support his younger brother.
But 50 Cent is offering even more for hip-hop fans with Before I Self Destruct. For a limited time, the package will also include a second DVD featuring "Two Turntables And A Microphone: The Life And Death Of Jam Master Jay," a documentary about 50 Cent's late mentor and friend. Hip-hop pioneer Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC gave 50 Cent his first big break in music by signing him to JMJ Records in the late 1990s. In fact, 50's first official recording was an appearance on a 1998 JMJ-produced Onyx album and Jay produced 50 Cent's first, though unreleased, album. 50 Cent executive produced the documentary and appears in the 85-minute film, along with Rev Run, Russell Simmons, Jay-Z, and others.
For the explosive Before I Self Destruct album, 50 Cent returned to working closely with Dr. Dre and Eminem as he did on Get Rich Or Die Tryin', his first official album. With Dr. Dre and Eminem producing and guesting, Before I Self Destruct is darker and harder than 2007's Curtis, as shown by the grimy single and video to "OK, You're Right" (produced by Dr. Dre), which was released earlier this year.
Before I Self Destruct, both album and film, continues 50 Cent's phenomenal rise from street culture hero to pop culture icon. 2003's Get Rich Or Die Tryin' sold 872,000 units in the first four days of its release, making it the fastest-selling debut disc in the SoundScan era (since 1991). The No 1 Pop, No 1 R&B/Hip-hop album was the biggest seller of 2003 and has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. Tracks such as "In da Club," "21 Questions" and "P.I.M.P." scorched the airwaves.
2005's The Massacre, again No 1 Pop, No 1 R&B/Hip-hop, was the second biggest-selling album of that year and has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. With the album's "Candy Shop," "Disco Inferno" and "How We Do," 50 Cent became the first solo artist in Billboard history to have three singles in the Top 5 in the same week. The 2005 Get Rich Or Die Tryin' soundtrack sold more than three million copies.
2007's Curtis reached No 2 Pop and No 2 R&B/Hip-hop, selling more than five million copies worldwide. Three tracks reached the Top 40: "I Get Money," "Ayo Technology" and "Straight To The Bank." Time magazine named "I Get Money" one of "The 10 Best Songs of 2007." Thanks to Curtis, 50 Cent was honored as the year's Best-Selling Hip-hop Artist at the 2007 World Music Awards. His music career has also been marked by an impressive 13 Grammy nominations, from Best New Artist to Best Rap Album.
In addition to his record label, G-Unit Records, 50 Cent has enjoyed enormous global success across a vast array of entrepreneurial ventures, including videogames, clothing, footwear, beverages, personal care products, automotive and books. 50 has joined forces with New York Times best-selling author Robert Greene ("The 48 Laws of Power") to introduce a groundbreaking collaboration, "The 50th Law," which recently landed on the New York Times' best sellers list. He has also starred in a handful of films, including 2005's semi-autobiographical Get Rich Or Die Tryin', Al Pacino and Robert De Niro's Righteous Kill and now Before I Self Destruct, which also marks Curtis Jackson's directorial debut.
