50 Cent Fought Dr. Dre to Have ’21 Questions’ on His Debut Album ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin”
Rapper Dr. Dre has produced many hit-making rappers’ albums over the years, from Eminem to 50 Cent. Dre was an executive producer on 50 Cent’s 2003 debut solo album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, which contained hit singles such as “In da Club” and “21 Questions.” “21 Questions” in particular became a point of contention between 50 Cent and Dr. Dre.
Dr. Dre executive produced 50 Cent’s debut solo album ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin”
Dr. Dre first rose to fame in the late 1980s as a part of the iconic rap group N.W.A. In the early ’90s, he launched a solo career, releasing his debut album The Chronic in 1992. Dre produced the entirety of the album, showing that his talents extended beyond rapping.
Dre went on to produce massive albums for other artists in subsequent years. This included Eminem’s breakout albums The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP and hit songs from Mary J. Blige (“Family Affair”), Gwen Stefani and Eve (“Rich Girl”), and 50 Cent “In da Club.”
Besides “In da Club,” Dre produced other songs on 50 Cent’s debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’ including “Back Down” and single “If I Can’t”.
Dr. Dre didn’t want ’21 Questions’ on 50 Cent’s album, and 50 had to fight back
One song on 50 Cent’s album that Dre had his doubts about was “21 Questions” featuring Nate Dogg. According to 50, Dre pushed back on the Dirty Swift-produced track being included on the tracklist because of its commercial, non-hardcore-hip-hop content.
“[N.W.A.] didn’t have to reach to make a commercial record or anything that sounded like a commercial record. And that’s just in his DNA. Like on his path, he’s like, ‘We don’t need that,'” 50 confessed in a January 2023 interview on Big Boy’s Neighborhood.
Dre couldn’t understand how a love song could align with 50 Cent’s gangster public image. But 50, for his part, always wanted to show that he could be a versatile artist, being a no-holds-barred rapper as well as a commercially viable emcee.
“Dre was, like, ‘How you going to be gangster this and that and then put this sappy love song on?’” 50 recalled in a 2005 interview with Newsweek. “But I told him, ‘I’m two people. I’ve always had to be two people since I was a kid, to get by. To me that’s not diversity, it’s necessity.'”
“21 Questions” went on to become 50 Cent’s second No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, following his breakout single “In da Club” and remaining at No. 1 for four weeks.
The two shared the stage at the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show
In 2022, Dr. Dre headlined the Super Bowl LVI halftime show along with four other hip-hop legends: Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem.
They weren’t the only artists to show up to the halftime show stage. 50 Cent made a surprise appearance to perform “In da Club,” while Anderson .Paak played drums while 50’s friend Eminem rapped.
