The days of West rapping over sped-up soul samples were drawing to a close. And much of the music on Graduation was created with that goal in mind. Inspired by his experience opening for U2 on their “Vertigo” tour, West professed his desire to record the type of material that would play well in front of crowds of tens of thousands. Rather, it’s the first appearance of “Stadium Status” Kanye. To be clear, the Kanye on Graduation isn’t “Me and my girl split a bucket at KFC” Kanye. Graduation marked the beginnings of West’s ascendance to what he has become today. The success of Graduation was less about Kanye ending 50 Cent’s dominance, and more about Kanye’s transformation into a bona fide rap superstar. However, that read on the situation pretty much misses the point. Most of it centers on how by besting 50 in first week sales, he finally “killed” gangsta rap. Over the last decade, much has been discussed about how with Graduation, Kanye changed rap music. The album sold 2.7 million units, earned West three Grammies, and is one of the strongest entries in his catalogue. Meanwhile, Graduation was, well, Graduation. Without the context of the orchestrated rivalry, it remains an album of little note. Truthfully, both artists benefited greatly from the hype around their competition.Ĭurtis was 50’s last platinum album, and much of its success sprung from the hype leading up to its release. There was lots of ink, digital and otherwise, spilled about how Kanye had crushed 50 Cent, but I doubt there’s a mainstream rapper out today who wouldn’t give up a pinkie-toe for almost 700,000 in first week sales. Kanye “won” the competition, with Graduation racking up 957,000 units sold in its first week compared to 50 Cent’s still-impressive 691,000. The lead-up was filled with all of the hype of a congressional race, with photo-ops and bold pronouncements.Īt one point, 50 claimed that he’d retire if Kanye outsold him in the first week, later modifying his statement.
The “rivalry” was marketed as a referendum on who would be the face of popular rap music moving forward. Months before, Def Jam Records had decided to move up West’s release date in order to directly “compete” with 50 Cent, then an unstoppable sales juggernaut. The hype leading up to this release date was something that rap music hasn’t seen since. 50 Cent was set to drop Curtis, his fourth effort, and Kanye was preparing to release his third album, Graduation. It was Sunday, September 9th, less than 48 hours before the release date of both artists’ newest albums. West stood on his toes so he could look 50 eye-to-eye.
50 Cent was clad in a jacket and jeans, while Kanye was wearing a tux and sneakers.
50 Cent and stood on stage at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, face-to-face, ice-grilling each other. Happy 10th Anniversary to Kanye West’s third studio album Graduation, originally released September 11, 2007.
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