50 Cent is where he is because of Eminem and that deal he signed over there
No way that nikka got down with Def Jam or some other label and had anywhere near the success he had over there
50 wasn't close to being the hottest nikka in the game prior to gettin down with Em
In 2002 it was all about Cam and then the Dips, Hov was still hot, Em was in prime mode, Nas was fresh off Stillmatic, even AZ made a comeback droppin an album 2 years in a row for the first time in his career
Then you had The Fix, Styles P debut album, not to mention Nellyville, etc
Most people prior to his Em signing only knew 50 as some nikka who made "How To Rob" a few years back
Other than that 50 was a nobody and this coming from a nikka who fukked with 50 before the Shady Records craze
None of them tracks on Guess Who's Back were hits, got radio play, or even got mixtape placements like that so I dont get where nikkaz get this 50 was huge before the Em deal from
Em and Dre made him hot and that Em cosign coming around the time of Eminem Show and 8 Mile was what skyrocketed him to the success he had