Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ emcee 50 Cent has expressed on many occasions how Eminem helped him in his career as a mentor and stressed the importance of their relationship. However, some individuals tried to stop the Queens rapper from signing with Shady Records at the turn of the millennium.
Following Eminem’s vast success with his Slim Shady LP in late 1999, Dr Dre saw Eminem as a genius of music and knew that Eminem could bring him exciting artists, so he gifted him his imprint, Shady Records.
50 Cent was a known name on the New York underground and was the new kid on the block. As such, following the release of his iconic debut mixtape, Guess Who’s Back? on Full Clip Records, Eminem swiftly signed him to his label, Shady Records, under Interscope and began working with Jackson on his debut album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’.
Jackson has since revealed that he was once advised that being associated with the 8 Mile star would be detrimental to his career. Prior to Eminem’s offer, Dino Delvaille had offered 50 Cent a $1.3million record deal for both him and his crew, G-unit. However, he turned the deal down.
In an interview with the Baltimore Sun, Eminem expressed why he was keen to sign Jackson stating, “When I first heard 50’s tape, I was just listening like a fan – and loving it. I played his music for Dre, and he gave it the green light. So I called 50, I said, ‘Man, if you are down with it, we would love it if you would come out here and work with us.’”
But following the call, a Colombia Records worker whom 50 Cent was close to, Steve Stoute, advised Jackson to decline the opportunity. During a late-2000s interview with MTV News, Jackson disclosed that “At the time, Em was doing ‘Purple Pills’ with D12, so [Stout was] thinking Eminem is a joke, but of course, I did the deal with the white boy because Em was the only one that showed interest in me. He’s my favourite white boy.”
The two have since become a dynamic duo and have both become multi-platinum hip-hop legends. Although 50 has found more success in the business world with his Power series and Starz streaming service, the pair have achieved unfathomable amounts of success. You can watch Eminem, Dr Dre, and 50 Cent speak about Shady Records in the video below.
