50 Cent vs Kanye West: Fans Pitch Why the Latter Came Out Victorious in 2007 With His Graduation Album

Published 05/28/2023, 7:30 AM EDT

via Imago

Even artists loved competing with Kanye West regardless of the results. Despite not releasing an album in a long time, the ‘Donda’ singer’s work remains a favorite topic for fans. There was a time when originals like 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre butted heads or even collaborated. Starting off as a producer, success first came to Kanye West with the release of albums like ‘The College Dropout’, ‘Late Registration’, and ‘Graduation’. And fans have an idea why.

Reminiscing the old times, a fan on Twitter talked about the two albums 50 Cent and Kanye West released in 2007. It came as an answer to the question asked about the biggest ‘I’m not him’ moment in history. Both the mega-successful rappers decided to have the same release dates, knowing the stir and competition it would cause. While 50 Cent released ‘Curtis’, Ye dropped his ‘Graduation’ album.

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From Rolling Stone magazine cover to displays at music stores, the competition between them sold like hotcakes. Both albums became wildly successful, despite the competition. According to Uproxx, Ye proved to be the clear winner with his albums selling 957,000 units as opposed to his competitors’ sales of 691,000 units. ‘Graduation’ even won the Best Rap Album of the Year award during the 47th Annual Grammy Awards.

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More than 15 years after its release, the legendary battle of albums still remains a topic of discussion amongst fans. Today, fans discuss why Ye’s album triumphed over his competitors despite a close race.

Music Twitterati gives two cents on the battle of albums between 50 Cent and Kanye West

There are various factors that make a good album, right from the song choice and lyrics to its production and end result. It is likely why Ye outdoing the ‘Candy Shop’ singer did not come as a surprise.

One fan feels that ‘Graduation’ won simply because it was better made than ‘Curtis,’ and a few changes could have given different results. Although 50 Cent once confessed how releasing the album together helped him boost his own sales, as evident from the numbers.

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One pointed out how 50 Cent actually spoke about it in his book ’50th Law’, which means the ‘public beef’ about the albums were likely just a sales plan by both artists. So even though he couldn’t outsell Ye, the album rivalry helped him get free PR, cementing its name in history.

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What do you think of the competition between Kanye West and 50 Cent’s albums? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Neha Subhash

1424 articles

Neha Ghag is a prime-time entertainment writer for Netflix Junkie, who has written nearly 1000 articles, immersing herself in pop culture. Writing was not her first choice, but she has now found solace in unraveling the fascinating stories of public figures' personal and professional lives. Neha is a fan of classic hip-hop and psycho thrillers, and she can talk endlessly about Kanye West.

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