50 Cent has admitted he made his hit song “21 Question” with the hopes of it helping his love life.
The comments were made in an interview with MSNBC’s Ari Melber, where 50 elaborated on his recent revelation that Dr. Dre didn’t even want the Nate Dogg-assisted track to appear on his blockbuster 2003 debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin.’
“[Dre] said, ‘I know what this is. It’s N.W.A with just one member and you really don’t need it,’” the Queens, New York legend recalled around the 11-minute mark. “He didn’t know why I wanted to put the record on.”
“Why did you?” Melber interjected.
“Because I wanted ladies to feel like maybe they could fix me, and I had done so many push-ups,” Fif replied with a smile. “So I felt like, ‘This is gonna be good for my love life!’ I’m dead serious.”
He added: “I thought that they would see some way that they could possibly fix me or understand me in a different way. And their favorite line on the song was, ‘I love you like a fat kid loves cake.’ When I wrote it, I was thinking, I love you, but too much of you is no good for me. Like a fat kid loves cake.”
While Dr. Dre might have been skeptical about “21 Questions,” the song was a chart-topping success. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2003, becoming the second consecutive chart-topping single for 50 Cent following the album’s lead single “In Da Club” and the first for Nate Dogg.
“21 Questions” reigned atop the Hot 100 for four weeks and also found international success, reaching the top 10 in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and other countries. It has since been certified 4x platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).
Get Rich or Die Tryin’ dropped on February 6, 2003, via Interscope, Dr. Dre’s Aftermath and Eminem’s Shady Records in conjunction with 50’s own G-Unit Records. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling over 872,000 units in its first week, and has since sold over 12 million copies worldwide.
Last November, the project also became 50’s longest-charting release of his career after re-entering the Billboard 200 at No. 165, bringing its total number of weeks on the chart to 150.
To commemorate the album’s 20th birthday, 50 Cent announced earlier this month that for one week only, fans would be able to purchase a “personally autographed” vinyl of Get Rich or Die Tryin’ via his website. The unique offer also tied in with Hip Hop’s ongoing 50th-anniversary celebrations.
“20 years ago today, I dropped the largest debuting hip hop album of all time,” 50 wrote on Instagram. “Here’s Your chance to Own a piece of History! Get your Autographed Get Rich or Die Tryin’ Albums Today. Available for the next 7 Days.”
The limited edition vinyls are on sale for $399 and are expected to ship in the first week of March.
Revisit “21 Questions” below.
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