On this day in 2002, 50 Cent released his breakthrough mixtape Guess Who’s Back?, marking a pivotal moment in his career and setting the stage for his rise to global recognition.
Released through the independent Full Clip Records label, Guess Who’s Back? served as 50 Cent’s first major project following his shelved debut LP Power of the Dollar. The mixtape’s gritty storytelling and raw delivery quickly caught the attention of industry insiders, including Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg. This would ultimately lead to 50 Cent signing with Shady Records and Interscope, launching a new era in mainstream hip-hop.
The project featured production from Trackmasters, Clark Kent, and Sha Money XL, and included standout tracks like “Your Life’s on the Line” and the controversial “Ghetto Qu’ran,” a song widely speculated to have been a factor in the rapper’s near-fatal shooting in 2000.
Guess Who’s Back? also made a commercial impact, charting on Billboard and helping to usher in the G-Unit era. The momentum generated by this mixtape culminated in the release of 50 Cent’s major-label debut Get Rich or Die Tryin’, which went on to become one of the most successful rap albums of all time.
As the mixtape turns 23 today, it remains a critical piece of 50 Cent’s legacy and an important chapter in early-2000s hip-hop history.
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