Cast your mind back to September 2007 and one of the fiercest album battles of the 21st century: 50 Cent’s Curtis and Kanye West’s Graduation went head-to-head, the current king of gangsta rap facing off against the innovative new kid on the hip hop block.
“It’s a great promotional tool. To me, it’s the greatest thing ever,” Timbaland said about the battle at the time. “I think people should do it more often. I’m a fan of both albums. Hip hop needs this right now.”
In the end, Ye’s album outsold Curtis by 957,000 to 691,000, marking a huge turning point for the world of hip hop.
And in a previously unseen footage (as per Complex), 50 Cent got very bold about his chances of dominating his fellow rapper. “I don’t get trophies, I get the checks,” 50 boasts. “He (Kanye) gets the trophies.” If anyone’s counting, 50 has one Grammy to Ye’s 24.
“They’d like to see Kanye West give me a problem because I’ve worked myself into a space where I’ve become the favorite,” 50 Cent continues in the clip. “Everybody roots for the underdog when he goes against the favourite, but let’s raise the stakes. If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11th, I’ll no longer write music.”
50, of course, didn’t back up that claim, releasing two more albums, 2009’s Before I Self Destruct and 2014’s Animal Ambition, although his output did slow down following his 2007 loss to Ye.
The rappers recently renewed their rivalry after 50 called out Ye over his alleged fake post about Kim Kardashian’s diarrhea issues. “What the fuck made you do this, smh,” 50 blasted. “Not liquor, nah. That boy on dat branson!”
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Ye unsurprisingly responded quickly, denying that he was the one who wrote the inflammatory message about his former partner. “I ain’t wrote this bro,” he claimed.
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