Music

Pop Smoke sampled one of 50 Cent's early songs.Here's what 50 thought of the sample and about Pop Smoke's work as a whole.

Published on January 6, 2021

In the process of becoming one of the most legendary rappers of recent years, Pop Smoke sampled the work of another legendary rapper: 50 Cent. He even sampled one of the tracks from 50’s most famous album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. Here’s a look at how 50 reacted to the sample — and Pop Smoke as a whole.

Did 50 Cent have any involvement in the Pop Smoke song that sampled his work?

Sometimes, artists don’t really like it when someone else samples their work. For example, the Bee Gees took issue when Wyclef Jean sampled their most iconic hit, “Stayin’ Alive,” for his song “We Tryin’ to Stay Alive.” 50’s reaction to Pop Smoke’s use of his work was a little different. In fact, 50 revealed it was his idea for Pop Smoke to sample his music. Pop Smoke sampled 50’s “Many Men (Wish Death)” for his own “Got It on Me.”

“When I met [Pop Smoke], I told him, it was time to do my records over,” 50 Cent told Billboard. “Those [first two albums of mine] are [from] ’03 and ’05. If there’s something that struck a chord in you and it’s dope, the new artist is supposed to use that or make their version of it.” In regard to 50 saying it “was time” for someone to do his songs over, he seemed to be referring to the way nostalgia works. People often feel nostalgia for the pop culture of 15-20 years earlier, so it’s not surprising that many people currently feel nostalgic for the music of the 2000s.

What 50 Cent thought about Pop Smoke

In addition, 50 noticed some similarities between himself and Pop Smoke. “I didn’t even realize his [last] name was Jackson,” 50 said. 50’s birth name is Curtis Jackson. “[He even had] the same bucky-*ss teeth that I had before I fixed them.” Some of the similarities between Pop Smoke’s sound and 50’s sound is undoubtedly the result of the fact that 50 was one of the many producers on Pop Smoke’s only album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon.

50 is known for his musical versatility. In addition, 50 noted Pop Smoke’s musical versatility. “You can hear the drill music and aggression,” 50 said. “[Pop] wasn’t showing his abilities to do things different musically. And then, he broke out of that after those first two tapes to create the music that he was creating at those times.”

How the world reacted to ‘Many Men (Wish Death)’ and ‘Get It on Me’

This raises an interesting question: Which song performed better commercially — “Many Men (Wish Death)” or “Got It on Me?” “Many Men (Wish Death) did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Considering Get Rich or Die Tryin’ produced major hits like “In da Club” and “21 Questions,”  the performance of “Many Men (Wish Death)” is surprising. On the other hand, “Got It on Me” reached No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. 50 wanted Pop Smoke to sample his work — and America loved it when he did so.

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