In 2007, hip-hop was still dominated by gangsta rap. 50 Cent was still arguably the genre and culture’s biggest star. Otherwise, it was artists like T.I., Lil Wayne, Jeezy, or Jay-Z all angling for who was the hardest and coolest. But then there was Kanye West, funny, arrogant, and colorful, not claiming to have sold drugs or killed anyone. Instead, he was making 5 beats a day for three summers, donning polos and backpacks. For a while, he was the outlier.
But on this day 19 years ago, the hierarchy changed completely. Ye released Graduation, his attempt to make true stadium-level music within hip-hop. Although the album likely would’ve been massive on its own, the affair got even bigger when Kanye West rivaled 50 Cent and his third album, Curtis.
The showdown and marketing made for hip-hop’s biggest nonviolent event up to that point. There was no real beef— just two of the biggest rappers seeing who was more popular. 50 and his ego argued that if Ye beat him in their sales battle, he would stop making albums. At the time, he wouldn’t accept second place.
“If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11, I’ll no longer write music,” 50 Cent said in an August 2007 interview. “I’ll write music and work with my other artists, but I won’t put out any more solo albums.”
Kanye West Releases His Historic Third Album ‘Graduation’ and Beats 50 Cent in The Process 19 Years Ago Today
Graduation sold over 437,000 copies on its very first day. By the time records were being tallied up for the first week, the debate wasn’t even close. Ye sold 957,000 units while 50 topped out at 691,000 units. It was a real changing of the guard, where hip-hop wasn’t determined by who was the hardest. Instead, it was all about seeing who would be the actual best artist. Only the fans and critics could really determine that.
Kanye West received near-unanimous praise and adulation for Graduation. Pitchfork gave the record a hefty 8.7 out of 10 at the time. Writer Mark Pytlik argued that his third album really earned the legendary status Ye had always pursued. “It also caps off an incredible (maybe even unprecedented) run,” he wrote. “In terms of consistency, prolificness, and general all-around ability, it’s hard to find anyone in mainstream rap who can touch what he’s achieved within the same timeframe.”
Similarly, Nathan Brackett of Rolling Stone gave it a 4.5/5 stars and said that it was a jolt of energy for hip-hop in a year that needed it. “And given the lousy year hip-hop has had, the music needs his spazzed-out, neurotic creativity more than ever,” he argued.
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The post On This Day 19 Years Ago, Kanye West Changed Hip-Hop and Almost Made 50 Cent Retire in the Process appeared first on VICE.
