It’s been 17 years since 50 Cent released his hit “Many Men” off his album single Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ is a classic. Even decades later the song is influencing the current generation of artists including Pop Smoke and 21 Savage.
During a recent interview 50 addresses the impact of the song. “They made it that for me,” reflects 50. “The younger artists doing it over, they made it that. It’s because they feel the same way. You can’t make a person decide to write a song. It’s influenced by a song. Creatively, it’s them going you know what? It’s how I feel right now. You know, the tones of what’s going on with them matches the record.”
He also acknowledged 21 Savage and Metro Boomin’s own Savage Mode II highlight “Many Men.” On the track, 21 dissed Jeezy. “Whether you’re addressing another artist, like in 21 Savage’s piece he dealt with some not so good feelings he had toward Jeezy. Pop was here, Pop didn’t even use the title in it. The melodies is what struck the chord in him. The demographic didn’t mean something to them, in that timeframe there was nothing better than that.”
“I think you’re going to see more artists mirror some of the things from my music, even if they’re doing it a little different,” he continues. “The cadences are a little different cause they’re rapping. And why I pointed out that ‘Many Men’ was the slowest track on Get Rich Or Die Tryin, is because it fits production-wise now. Musically now, things are slower. They like rapping to r&b beats. It provides more space for them to make changes in the cadences.
Check out 50 speak on the influence “Many Men” below, courtesy of Spotify’s RapCaviar.