“To build a future, you have to know the past” ~ Otto Frank
Please excuse me for being overly nostalgic for an album that was released in 2003. I know there might be older and arguably more influential projects out there, but the deeper I dive into the research, the more credible I find the idea that “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” paved the way for future artists and their mixtape-style debuts. And when I say research, I mean this totally comprehensive Genius breakdown that you can check out here:
I hope many of you are already familiar with this hip-hop classic, and I’m going to refrain from nitpicking at each and every song like I usually do. This time I’ll just be sharing what I appreciate about the album and all that it represents.
The hooks, firstly. Nearly every song has a catchy rave-worthy hook that I felt was engineered to hold attention even if you kinda got bored with the verses. I can imagine casual listeners lip-syncing the half-rap-half-sang hooks at the very least, and that speaks volumes.
Production is awesome and took me back to the sound of the early 2000s, unsurprisingly. Most instrumentals are repetitive and are backed by low-passed but still neatly arranged drums. I think this approach provided enough room for everything 50 brought to the table with the vocals.
Finally, let’s talk legacy. Confession: I’ve never listened to this entire album from start to finish, and I’m glad I did it at some point in life. There were bars that I instantly recognize from newer raps from newer cats, further solidifying the idea that this is a really important piece of work for the culture. I was today years old when I realized that lines like “how do you fit in em jeans” and “Ima let it go till the clip go empty”, among others, stem from “Get Rich or Die Tryin’”. Better late than never?
It’s clear to see why this album was such a head-turner, and served as the foundation for a stellar career for 50. By the way my absolute favourite line was “I love you like a fat kid love cake” off “21 Questions”. Gosh why is that so relatable?
