The year was 2003, and the air in Queens smelled like ambition and burnt rubber.
He plugged in his off-brand MP3 player—the kind that held exactly twelve songs if you compressed them enough—and dragged the files over. He didn't wait for "Safe to Remove Hardware." He ripped the cord out, shoved his headphones in, and pressed play.
In the years since its release, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" has been recognized as a hip-hop classic, with many regarding it as one of the greatest debut albums of all time. The album's influence can be heard in the work of later rappers, such as Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, who have cited 50 Cent as an inspiration.