Hunker down with your iPod and set "Just a Lil Bit" to repeat mode ... you may be hurting for new 50 Cent tracks if he leaves the business. Last month, the Eminem protégé (née Curtis Jackson III) made a flippant statement to reporters that he would leave show business if Kanye West's latest release, Graduation, topped 50 Cent's new album, Curtis, in its first week of sales. Both albums "dropped" on September 11. The publicized sales battle was resolved today, and to Kanye went the spoils. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the man behind the 2005 smash single "Gold Digger" sold 957,000 copies in its first week of release, while 50 Cent's new album sold just 691,000. 50's last album, The Massacre, hit shelves in 2005 and sold 1.1 million copies in its first week. A publicized temper-tantrum after the Video Music Awards and a self-mocking appearance on Sunday's Emmy's broadcast may have helped give Kanye the edge.
Graduation was released on Roc-A-Fella Records, co-founded by Jay-Z, while Curtis was on the Aftermath label, which is owned by Dr. Dre. Both are ultimately distributed by Universal Music Group, a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal.
Now I would say 50 Cent's earlier declaration is a little juvenile, or perhaps a wee bit passive aggressive, but 50 isn't someone I'd want as my enemy. Besides, in a recent interview on Howard Stern's morning radio show, he admitted that he was already cutting tracks for a new album and said the rivalry was little more than a publicity stunt.
In response to today's news, 50 Cent was respectful to his hip-hop peer, telling the Associated Press "I am very excited to have participated in one of the biggest album release weeks in the last two years. Collectively, we have sold hundreds of thousands of units in our debut week. This marks a great moment for hip-hop music."
While Curtis may not have had the initial sales rush of Graduation, 50 Cent does have Kanye beat in one very important area ... the bottom line. Last month, Forbes recognized 50 as the second-wealthiest man in the hip-hop business, trailing only Jay-Z. The sale of his stake in Vitamin Water to Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) - for a reported $400 million - certainly helped.
Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.
In response to today's news, 50 Cent was respectful to his hip-hop peer, telling the Associated Press "I am very excited to have participated in one of the biggest album release weeks in the last two years. Collectively, we have sold hundreds of thousands of units in our debut week. This marks a great moment for hip-hop music."
While Curtis may not have had the initial sales rush of Graduation, 50 Cent does have Kanye beat in one very important area ... the bottom line. Last month, Forbes recognized 50 as the second-wealthiest man in the hip-hop business, trailing only Jay-Z. The sale of his stake in Vitamin Water to Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) - for a reported $400 million - certainly helped.
Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.
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