Curtis is the third studio album by rapper 50 Cent. Released on September 11, 2007, the album features production from Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Timbaland, among others. Guest appearances include Akon, Justin Timberlake, Nicole Scherzinger, and other notable musicians.

Music critics have noted that 50 Cent divides between "hard" songs and "soft" songs on the album. Curtis was released to significant commercial success, selling 691,000 copies in its first week on the Billboard 200, the highest sales week for an East Coast album since Jay-Z's Kingdom Come debuted with 680,000 copies sold several months earlier. After years of slumping sales, the album's competition with Kanye West's Graduation and the resulting record breaking performances both albums displayed was considered to be a "great day for hip-hop.

Background

Concept

Initially, 50 Cent's 2007 album was planned to be Before I Self Destruct, however, he decided to push back its release date to 2008, and to release Curtis in 2007 instead. The album's title was changed twice. The first time, it was changed from "Curtis" to "Curtis S.S.K.". The second time, it was changed back to "Curtis". The "S.S.K.", which stood for "SoundScan Killer", was intended to show the pressure 50 Cent felt to succeed. The "S.S.K." also stands for "SouthSide King" and "Shoot, Stab, Kill". 50 Cent stated that the album was inspired by his life before his commercial debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin'. He also stated that he chose the album's title because he was known as "Curtis" before he became famous.

Vs. Graduation

In July 2007, Kanye West changed the release date of Graduation, his third studio album, from September 18, 2007, to the same release date as Curtis, September 11, 2007. This forced the albums to go head-to-head and compete for higher sales against each other. 50 Cent claimed that if Graduation sold more records than Curtis, he would stop releasing solo albums. However, he later dispelled his comments. When asked again about his threat to retire, 50 Cent stated that, if he were to lose, he will release an album every time a major Def Jam artist releases an album. Curtis debuted at number one on the Irish and Swiss album charts, claiming the top spot on the European Top 100 Albums chart. Curtis also topped the Australian and New Zealand album charts.

Graduation's first week sales of 957,000 and Curtis' first week sales of 691,000 meant that the competition resulted in only the second time ever (since Nielsen SoundScan began collecting data in 1991) that two albums sold more than 600,000 in a week in the United States. The first occurrence of such an event was in 1991, when Guns N' Roses released Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, selling 685,000 and 770,000 copies, respectively. The first week sales totals of Graduation and Curtis have outsold the first week sales totals of Guns N' Roses' two albums.

Recording sessions

50 Cent wrote parts of the album in his grandmother's old house in South Jamaica, Queens and he also flew to Florida to work on "Ayo Technology" with Justin Timberlake, and finished the song in Houston. 50 Cent wrote a significant amount of the guests' lyrics.

In an interview with XXL magazine, 50 Cent stated,

Music

Lyrics

RapReviews.com stated that "There is no dip in quality lyrically; 50 is often criticized for not being a good lyricist, but he's exceptionally witty in his writtens". RapReviews.com also stated that 50 Cent "manages to cover different themes very well", praising his "seduction" on "Follow My Lead":

PopMatters noted that ""I Get Money" remains the collection's clear MVP, an iron-fisted ode to living large":

Stylus Magazine writes that 50 Cent is trying to "revisit the raw fatalism that defined the best tracks on Get Rich or Die Tryin'", quoting lyrics from "My Gun Go Off" as an example:

Slant Magazine called 50 Cent "one of the worst lyricists alive", criticizing "Amusement Park"'s lyrics and the execution of his metaphors which he "mumbles without a hint of irony or conviction":

Production

Stylus Magazine stated that "the beats on Curtis sound about as dated and cheap as any Koch record". Stylus Magazine added that "each no-name producer (Veto and Roomio? Jake One? K Lassik?) provides the comfort food they know he'll lap up". Pitchfork Media shares Stylus Magazine's view, saying that 50 Cent "should be able to work with producers who could conjure his hit-making abilities, but instead the MC mostly sticks with tried-and-failed G-Unit stalwarts and Dre-aping up-and-comers that do him few favors". Sputnikmusic praised the production on "Ayo Technology", writing: "Timbaland's shred-guitar-goes-keyboard melody is just mesmerising enough to work".

Guests

While Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre featured mostly G-Unit and G-Unit Records artists respectively, Curtis features artists that 50 Cent has never worked with before, such as Akon, Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige, Robin Thicke, Timbaland and Nicole Scherzinger from Pussycat Dolls. When asked about his choice of working with artists outside of his company, 50 Cent stated, "The album, for me, was finding a space where I am content and comfortable with my career, where I can go off and create with other artists and experiment a little bit".

Sales

Curtis sold approximately 691,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, which was the fourth highest sales week for an album in 2007 (originally topping Linkin Park's Minutes to Midnight which sold 625,000, but later being outsold by the Eagle's Long Road Out of Eden, which moved 711,000 units and later Alicia Keys' As I Am bringing in 742,000 copies). However, Curtis brought in the lowest first week sales of 50 Cent's career, with Get Rich or Die Tryin' selling 872,000 and The Massacre moving 1.1 million copies. As of January 10, 2008 , Curtis has sold 2.2 million copies in the United States.

Curtis debuted at number two on the United World Chart, selling approximately 921,000 copies worldwide in its first week. As of March 24, 2008, Curtis has sold approximately 4,728,000 copies worldwide. However, Vivendi contradicted the United World Chart's claim, stating that Curtis sold nearly two million copies worldwide in less than a week after its release.

Reception

Curtis received mixed reviews from music critics. Allmusic wrote that Curtis "is entertaining but only impressive in that 50 can run in place and still be on top". AllHipHop.com called it "a step backwards" and "while the album is not a total brick, it lacks a true consistency where his previous work flowed seamlessly and almost every record worked". The Boston Globe stated that, "artistically, West is always moving, while 50 is at a standstill". The Chicago Tribune wrote that, "at a time when consumers are expressing their dissatisfaction with music-industry product", the album provides "exactly what they say they don't want: More of the same". Rolling Stone noted that 50 Cent is "out to prove he's everything he used to claim", and like The Massacre, he "divides between hard songs ("Man Down," "Fire," "I'll Still Kill") and soft songs ("Follow My Lead")". Rolling Stone also noted that, on Curtis, 50 Cent is for the first time "letting guests sing most of the hooks". Time magazine named "I Get Money" one of The 10 Best Songs of 2007, ranking it at #6. Writer Josh Tyrangiel praised the song as "hypnotic", observing that its appeal is owed to the "Top Billin" sample, and that 50 Cent's bemusement at his own survival and success "makes the song as wry as it is scary". The album helped him win Best-Selling Hip-Hop Artist at the 2007 World Music Awards.

Credits from the liner notes

Information taken from Curtis' liner notes.

Track listing

1. "Intro" - 0:50
2. "My Gun Go Off" – 4:06 -
• Written by C. Jackson, A. Deitch, E. Krasno, D. Prosper
• Produced by Adam Deitch & Eric Krasno for Fyre Dept.
• Recorded by Tony Yayo @ The Big House, Farmington, CT & Eric Krasno @ Fyre Dept Studios, Brooklyn, NY
• Mixed by Steve Baughman @ Legacy Studios, NYC, NY
• Assisted by Seamus "Shameless" Tyson
• Keyboards & Programming by Adam Deitch
• Guitar, bass & additional programming by Eric Krasno
3. "Man Down" – 4:20 censored on both explicit and clean version
• Written by C. Jackson, J. Powell, D. Cannon, D. Mook, B. Raleigh
• Produced by Detroit Red & Don Cannon for B.S.T., LLC.
• Recorded by Detroit Red @ You Know Me Well Recordings, Atlanta, GA & Tony Yayo @ The Big House, Farmington, CT
• Mixed by Steve Baughman @ Legacy Studios, NYC, NY
• Assisted by Seamus "Shameless" Tyson
• Production Coordination by Kek & Amy fr Cookies and Milk, LLC
• Keyboards by Detroit Red
4. "I'll Still Kill" (featuring Akon) – 3:44
• Written by C. Jackson, K. Abdul Rahman, A. Thiam, B. Honeycutt
• Produced by DJ Khalil
• Recorded by Tony Yayo @ The Big House, Farmington, CT
• Mixed by Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica @ Hit Factory Criteria Studios, Miami, FL
• Assisted by Doug Sadler
5. "I Get Money" – 3:44
• Written by C. Jackson, W. Stranberry, Kirl Robinson
• Produced by Apex for Apex Productionz, LLC
• Recorded by Alonzo Vargas for 4 Media @ The Big House, Farmington, CT
• Additional recording by Ted Clayton @ G Unit Studios, NYC & Steve Baughman @ Pacifique Studios, LA, CA
• Mixed by Steve Baughman @ Pacifique Studios, LA, CA
6. "Come & Go" – 3:29
• Written by C. Jackson, A. Young, J. Harris, T. Lewis
• Produced by Dr. Dre
• Recorded by Mauricio "Veto" Iragorri & Robert "Roomio" Reyes @ Avex Honolulu Studios, Honolulu, HI & Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA
• Assisted by Jacob Gabriel
• Mix Engineered by Mauricio "Veto" Iragorri
• Assisted by Robert "Roomio" Reyes
• Keyboards by Mark Batson & Dawaun Parker
7. "Ayo Technology" (featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland) – 4:08
• Written by C. Jackson, T. Mosley, N. Hills, J. Timberlake
• Produced by Timbaland for Timbaland Productions, Inc. & Co-produced by Danja for Danjahandz Productions, Inc.
• Recorded by Demo @ Hit Factory Criteria, Miami, FL, Pressure Point Studios, Chicago, IL. & Studio 7303 Houston, TX
• Additional recording by Ian Stewart & Gary Hadfield @ Blueprint Studios, Manchester, UK.
• Mixed by Demo @ Legacy Studios, NYC, NY & Hit Factory Criteria, Miami, FL
• Assisted by Seamus "Shameless" Tyson
8. "Follow My Lead" (featuring Robin Thicke) – 3:18
• Written by C. Jackson, J. Henderson, C. Whitcare
• Produced by Tha Bizness for Tha Bizness Productions/Money Management Group
• Recorded by Tony Yayo @ The Big House, Farmington, CT
• Mixed by Steve Baughman @ Legacy Studios, NYC, NY
• Additional mixing by Mauricio "Veto" Iragorri & Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA
• Assisted by Seamus "Shameless" Tyson
9. "Movin On Up" – 3:24
• Written by C. Jackson, J. Dutton, L. Ware, F. Perren, C. Yarian
• Produced by Jake One for White Van Music/Money Management Group
• Recorded by Tony Yayo @ The Big House, Farmington, CT
• Mixed by Steve Baughman @ Legacy Studios, NYC, NY
• Assisted by Seamus "Shameless" Tyson
10. "Straight to the Bank" – 3:11
• Written by C. Jackson, T. Fyffe, A. Young
• Produced by Ty Fyffe for TYBU Entertainment. Additional Production by Dr. Dre.
• Recorded by Frankie "Whispers" Zag] @ Music Factory Recording Studios, West Hampstead, NY
• Mixed by Dr. Dre @ Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA
• Instruments played by Taj "Mahal" Brown
11. "Amusement Park" – 3:09
• Written by C. Jackson, T. Crawford, H. Campbell, A.R. Hatchett
• Produced by Teraike "Chris Styles" Crawford & Hailey "Silence" Campbell for Dangerous LLC/Money Management Group. Additional Production by Dean "Freak" Farmer & Andrea "Fluterscooter" Fisher for Dangerous LLC
• Recorded by Tony Yayo @ The Big House, Farmington, CT & Mauricio "Veto" Iragorri @ Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA
• Mixed by Dr. Dre @ Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA
• Mix Engineer: Mauricio "Veto" Iragorri
• Assisted by Robert "Roomio" Reyes
12. "Fully Loaded Clip" – 3:13
• Written by C. Jackson, K. Muchita
• Produced by Havoc for Kejuan Entertainment
• Recorded by Tony Yayo @ The Big House, Farmington, CT
• Mixed by Steve Baughman @ Legacy Studios, NYC, NY
• Assisted by Seamus "Shameless" Tyson
13. "Peep Show" (featuring Eminem) – 3:52
• Written by C. Jackson, M. Mathers, M. Strange, J. Bass, T. Campana
• Produced by Eminem
• Recorded by Mike Strange & Tony Campana @ 54 Sound in Detroit, MI
• Mixed by Eminem & Mike Strange @ 54 Sound in Detroit, MI
• Keyboards by Mike Strange
• Additional keyboards by Tony Campana & Jeff Bass
14. "Fire" (featuring Young Buck & Nicole Scherzinger) – 2:50
• Written by C. Jackson, A. Young, D. Parker, S. Jordan, N. Grier
• Produced by: Dr. Dre
• Recorded by Mauricio "Veto" Iragorri & Robert "Roomio" Reyes @ Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA & Ky Miller @ The Big House, Farmington, CT
• Assisted by Charles "Red" Garcia
• Mixed by Dr. Dre @ Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA
• Mix Engineered by Mauricio "Veto" Iragorri
• Assisted by Robert "Roomio" Reyes
• Keyboards by Mark Batson & Dawaun Parker
15. "All Of Me" (featuring Mary J. Blige) – 3:52
• Written by C. Jackson, J. Dutton
• Produced by Jake One for White Van Music/Money Management Group
• Recorded by Tony Yayo @ The Big House, Farmington, CT
• Mixed by Steve Baughman @ Legacy Studios, NYC, NY
• Assisted by Seamus "Shameless" Tyson
16. "Curtis 187" – 3:58 censored on both explicit and clean version
• Written by C. Jackson, K. Muchita
• Produced by Havoc for Kejuan Entertainment
• Recorded by Philip "Philly Blunt" Shpiller @ The Big House, Farmington, CT
• Mixed by Steve Baughman @ Legacy Studios, NYC, NY
• Assisted by Seamus "Shameless" Tyson
17. "Touch The Sky" (featuring Tony Yayo) – 3:10
• Written by C. Jackson, K. Harrold, M. Bernard
• Produced by K-Lassik Beats for Key Kat Productions, Inc.
• Recorded by Tony Yayo @ The Big House, Farmington, CT
• Mixed by Steve Baughman @ Legacy Studios, NYC, NY
• Assisted by Seamus "Shameless" Tyson
18. "Smile (I'm Leavin')" (iTunes pre-order bonus track/Japan bonus track) – 4:29*
• Produced by K-Lassik Beats for Key Kat Productions, Inc.
19. "I Get Money (Forbes 1-2-3 Remix)" (iTunes Bonus Track) - 4:31*
• Produced by Apex for Apex Productionz, LLC
20. "Hustler's Ambition" (UK bonus track) - 4:02*
• Produced by B-Money "B$"

An asterisk (*) indicates a bonus track.

Credited samples

• "Intro" contains dialogue from the motion picture "Shooters". Used courtesy of Lions Gate Films, Inc. & Geops Amsterdam, B.V., by arrangement with PFG Entertainment, Inc. Dialogue excerpts spoken by Andrew Howard and Matthew Rhys.
• "Man Down" contains elements from "Scooby Doo Theme" (Mook/Raleigh). Mook Bros Music (admin by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp) (BMI)/Ben Raleigh Music (admin by Music Sales Corp) (ASCAP). Used By Permission. All Rights Reserved.
• "I Get Money" contains elements from "Top Billin" (Robinson) Songs of Universal, Inc./First Priority Music (BMI)/Hot Buttermilk Music, Inc. (admin ICG Alliance) (ASCAP). Used By Permission. All Rights Reserved. Performed by Audio Two. Produced under license from Altantic Recording Corp, by arrangement with Rhino Entertainment company, A Warner Music Group company.
• "Come & Go" contains replayed elements from "Just Be Good To Me" (Jam/Lewis). EMI-April Music, Inc./Flyte Tyme Tunes, Inc./Avante Guarde Music Publishing, Inc. (admin by Universal Music Corp) (ASCAP). Used By Permission. All Rights Reserved.
• "Movin On Up" contains elements from "Give Me Just Another Day" (Ware). Used By Permission. All Rights Reserved. Almo Music Corp. Performed by The Miracles. Used by courtesy of Motown Records, Co, LLP. By arrangement with Universal Music Enterprises. "Do It Baby" (Perren/Yarian). Jobete Music Co, Inc. (ASCAP). Used By Permission. All Rights Reserved. Performed by The Miracles. Used courtesy of Motown Records, Co, LLC. By arrangement with Universal Music Enterprises; "Nuttin But A Drumbeat". Performed by Russell Simmons. Used courtesy of Island/Def Jam Records. By arrangement with Universal Music Enterprises.
• "I Get Money (Forbes 1-2-3 Remix)" contains elements from "Top Billin" (Robinson) Songs of Universal, Inc./First Priority Music (BMI)/Hot Buttermilk Music, Inc. (admin ICG Alliance) (ASCAP). Used By Permission. All Rights Reserved. Performed by Audio Two. Produced under license from Altantic Recording Corp, by arrangement with Rhino Entertainment company, A Warner Music Group company.
• "Hustler's Ambition" contains elements from "I Need You", performed by Maze.

Personnel

• Producers – 50 Cent (exec.), Adam Deitch, Apex, Tha Bizness, Dangerous LLC, Danja, Detroit Red, Don Cannon, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Eric Krasno, Havoc, Jake One, DJ Khalil, K-Lassik Beats, Timbaland, Ty Fyffe
• Mixing – Demo, Doug Sadler, Dr. Dre, Mahal, Ms. Lago, Shameless, Steve Baughman
• Assistant mixer – Shameless, Veto
• Keyboard – Adam Deitch, Dawaun Parker, Detroit Red, Eminem, Jeff Bass, Mark Batson, Mike Strange, Tony Campana
• Guitar/bass – Eric Krasno
• Engineers – Veto
• Assistant engineers – Roomio

Charts

Album chart positions

Charts (2007)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart	1
Austrian Charts	4
Belgian Albums Chart	3
Canadian Albums Chart	2
Italian Charts	9
Dutch Albums Chart	3
European Top 100 Albums	1
French Albums Chart	3
German Albums Chart	2
Irish Albums Chart	1
Norweigan Charts	4
New Zealand Albums Chart	1
Swiss Albums Chart	1
UK Albums Chart	2
United World Chart	2
U.S. Billboard 200	2
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	2
U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums	2

Singles

Year	Song	Peak positions (US)
		Hot 100	R&B/Hip-Hop	Rap Tracks	Pop	Bubbling Under	Canadian Hot 100
2007	"Straight to the Bank"	32	30	10	24	–	–
2007	"Amusement Park"	–	36	17	–	21	–
2007	"I Get Money"	20	10	4	–	–	63
2007	"Ayo Technology"	5	41	10	7	–	12
2007	"I'll Still Kill"	95	52	22	79	–	–

• An en-dash (–) denotes where the single did not chart.

Year	Song	International Peak positions
		Switzerland	Austria	France	Netherlands	Germany	Sweden	Finland	Norway	Denmark	Italy	Spain	Portugal	Australia	New Zealand
2007	"Straight to the Bank"	–	60	38	–	–	53	7	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2007	"Amusement Park"	–	–	32	–	–	68	–	–	–	53	–	–	–	–
2007	"I Get Money"	88	–	–	–	–	–	–	72	–	–	–	58	–	–
2007	"Ayo Technology"	2	14	5	17	3	8	7	7	7	–	–	5	10	1
2007	"I'll Still Kill"	29	–	28	–	–	–	58	–	–	–	–	–	–	14

• An en-dash (–) denotes countries in which the singles did not chart.

References