‘In Da Club’ emcee, 50 Cent, is an iconic figure and has become a mogul since he first broke out in 2002. Run-DMC legend Jam Master Jay helped the Queens musician before he signed with Shady Records. However, there is another artist who heavily inspired the Get Rich or Die Tryin’ lyricist, and that is the late west coast legend Tupac Shakur.
50 Cent has drawn a lot of influence from West Coast artists. As an affiliate of Dr Dre, the musician had artists such as Nate Dogg feature on his debut project and asked Snoop Dogg to appear on his ‘P.I.M.P. (remix).’ However, he had a lot of love for 2Pac.
Fifty (real name Curtis Jackson), in an interview with Daily Scoop, once explained that although Shakur may not have been a legitimate gangster, his hunger made him an incredible emcee, stating, “2Pac was not an all-time great if you judge him strictly by his skills. He wasn’t able to articulate street life like Nas, talk slick like Jay-Z or be funny like Biggie. He couldn’t spit as hard as Eminem, but what he had in abundance was passion!”
He continued, “When he rhymed, his passion poured through, even if he was actually an art student playing the role of a thug; he delivered the lines with such intensity that you felt every word that he said. That’s what made him an all-time great!”
In 2008, while working on his album Before I Self Destruct, 50 Cent put out a single that wouldn’t end up featuring on the official project. Entitled ‘Get Up’, the Scott Storch-produced track was released as the lead single but was replaced by he club anthem ‘Baby By Me’ featuring Ne-Yo.
However, according to Jackson, the song was inspired by Shakur. Speaking to MTV News, Jackson explained, Well, you know, ‘California Love’ is a great song. And this joint is more like it. It’s the same key and being played in the same key. It’s the first thing that came to my head when I heard the beat. That’s what I feel like great music does. It inspires you to actually say something that you wouldn’t say.”
He concluded, “Although with different production, I wouldn’t have wrote the verses different and the intro different, but because I felt that way, I started off, ‘I came to bring you that California love and New York hate, all of the above.’”
The track’s visuals were inspired by the 2007 Will Smith film I Am Legend. You can watch the music video for ‘Get Up’ below.
