50 Cent felt like a giant amongst his peers when it came to performances. The narrative and image building that came with being shot in the face 9 times certainly changed his perception. Then you think about the amount of artists he successfully trolled and beefed with over the years. After a while, 50 started to look and feel impenetrable in hip-hop.
All of this made his performances feel massive, using his charisma to smirk and troll further or make him seem unbeatable. Noisey has selected three key performances that demonstrate his strong stage presence.
3 of the Greatest Performances From 50 Cent
‘Amusement Park’ at the 2007 BET Awards
Typically at an awards show, you’re meant to get a very standard, by-the-numbers performance. However, 50 has never been either of those things. Instead, he’ll use the BET Awards to make a point towards his adversaries.
While the beat to “Amusement Park” played, he walked off stage as Tony Yayo hyped him up. Then, he perused the audience to see which rappers there to accept awards would press him the way they had always said. 50 Cent couldn’t contain his grin as he eventually circled back to the stage and rapped as usual. But actively searching for your enemies to see what would happen cements the 2007 BET Awards in the rap canon.
‘Many Men (Wish Death)’ at the Evolution Club in Philadelphia from 2002
It’s interesting to see “Many Men” performed far before it ever came out on Get Rich Or Die Tryin. The acapella rendition in 2002 was chilling, stripping away all of the music to let the crowd know that he feels like a target at all times. It’s one of 50’s strongest moments, even more surprising that it nearly didn’t make the album at all despite this.
‘I Smell P***y’ and ‘Back Down’ at the Roc The Mic Tour in 2003
The year 2003 marked the peak of 50’s powers. By that point, he made it a point to make Ja Rule and Murder Inc.’s lives a living hell. One of the greatest displays of this disrespect is when he performed “I Smell P***y” and “Back Down” at the Roc The Mic Tour.
After mercilessly dissing him in his trademark bulletproof vest, 50 Cent took it off, stood with his back to the crowd and called out everyone in Ja’s clique on “I Smell P***y”, even his underlings in Caddillac Tah and Black Child. Despite them being intent on trying to seriously hurt 50, he didn’t care. He felt untouchable as he unloaded the savage disses on “Back Down”. It’s a foundational part of 50’s superstardom.
The post 3 of the All-Time Best Performances by 50 Cent appeared first on VICE.
