On Curtis, his third
major label album, rapper 50 Cent gives no quarter. As hard and brutally
honest, yet musical and entertaining, as his first two albums - each of
them #1 Pop, #1 R&B/Hip-hop and at least seven times platinum -- 50 Cent
(aka Curtis Jackson) tells it like it is on Curtis and makes the resulting
controversy pay as he heads "Straight to the Bank," the title of the
album's first street track.
Curtis (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope), releasing June 26, 2007, features
guest appearances by Eminem, Akon, Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige, Robin
Thicke, and Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls.
Curtis continues 50 Cent's phenomenal rise from the mean streets. His
official debut album, 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 album was the biggest seller of
2003 and is currently ten times platinum worldwide. Later that year, The
New Breed, a DVD with a bonus CD including new songs, charted #2 Pop and #1
R&B/Hip-Hop. His second album, 2005's The Massacre, was the second
biggest-selling album of the year and is now seven times platinum
worldwide.
Since he first dropped his bombs on the music world, 50 has earned 11
Grammy nominations, from Best New Artist to Best Rap Album for each of his
first two efforts. Attesting to his worldwide popularity, Get Rich Or Die
Tryin' hit #2 in the U.K. and #1 in Australia while The Massacre went #1 in
both those countries, #2 in Sweden, and is the biggest-selling rap album in
India, where it has been certified double platinum, selling more than
2,000,000 copies.
Back in the U.S., 50 has scored three singles claiming the #1 spot
across the charts -- R&B/Hip-hop, Rap, and Pop: "In Da Club," "Candy Shop"
and "21 Questions" (featuring Nate Dogg). Three more went Top 3 across the
board: "P.I.M.P.," "Just A Lil Bit" and "Disco Inferno." Yet another four
were Rap Top 10s: "Wanksta," "Outta Control (Remix)," "Window Shopper" and
"Best Friend." Four of the above have been certified digital gold: "In Da
Club," "Candy Shop," "P.I.M.P." and "Disco Inferno."
From music to movies, videogames to books, a clothing line to footwear,
50 has taken street culture by storm. But as Curtis proves, and as he says
in "Straight to the Bank," 50 Cent wants even more.