It’s been quite the year of ups and downs for rapper Curtis James Jackson III, better known as 50 Cent. But today the wrapper is giving a little back, finally dropping his highly-anticipated mixtape The Kanan Tape — for free.
The seven-track tape guests Lil’ Boosie, Young Buck and hosts production from Sonny Digital, London On Da Track, and others. As Vibe notes, the mixtape is named after 50 Cent’s character on his Starz drama, Power.
The new mixtape could be considered a high point this year for the rapper, who filed for Chapter 11 for bankruptcy in July amid controversy over a lawsuits.
The Grammy winning artist is the sixth best-selling hip-hop artist (since Nielsen began tracking album sales in 1991) with 16.7 million albums sold stateside and had his net worth estimated at $155 million by Forbes earlier this year. As such, it’s unclear whether it was his lavish spending habits, or simply a savvy move to protect himself from multi-million dollar lawsuits that prompted the rapper’s bankruptcy filing.
Regardless of his financial position, The Kanan Tape shows 50 Cent’s still got his signature spirit. Case in point: the mixtape’s rowdy first track called Ni**a Ni**a, featuring Lil Boosie and Young Buck, based around the confident reprise Ni**a, you ain’t sayin’ nothing. The song is vintage 50 Cent, and a fun jam that’s perfect for getting through your work day.
50 Cent reached international fame in the first half of the 2000s with mega-hit party songs like In Da Club (2003) and Candy Shop (2005). Born in Queens, the 40-year-old rapper got his start when Eminem signed him to a $1 million record deal in 2002.
Acting is where he’s focused much of his efforts as of late, however. Along with his TV show, the rapper also recently appeared in the Jake Gyllenhaal boxing drama Southpaw. He’s also set to appear in new Fox meta-comedy My Friend 50.
According to Rap-Up, 50 Cent is expected to release his next full length album, called Street King Immortal, in 2016.
