The Massacre

For the album by The Exploited, see The Massacre (The Exploited album). For the 1914 film, see The Massacre (film). For the 1966 Doctor Who story, see The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve. For other uses, see Massacre (disambiguation).

The Massacre is the second studio album by American rapper 50 Cent, released on March 3, 2005, via Interscope Records, Eminem's Shady Records, 50 Cent's G-Unit Records, and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. With production from Dr. Dre, Eminem, Scott Storch, Sha Money XL and others, the album features guest appearances from G-Unit affiliates Tony Yayo, Olivia, Eminem and Jamie Foxx.

The Massacre
Studio album by 50 Cent
Released	March 3, 2005[1]
Recorded	2004
Studio	54 Sound (Ferndale, Michigan) Record One (Los Angeles) Trans Continental (Orlando, Florida) Larrabee North (Hollywood) Rock Central (Los Angeles) RMP (Orlando)
Genre	East Coast hip hop gangsta rap pop rap jazz rap dirty rap mafioso rap boom bap
Length	77:22
Label	Interscope Shady Aftermath G-Unit
Producer	50 Cent Dr. Dre Eminem Sha Money XL Bang Out Jeff Bass Black Jeruz Buckwild Cool & Dre Cue Beats Dangerous LLC Disco D Hi-Tek J.R. Rotem Luis Resto Mike Elizondo Needlz Scott Storch Sire
50 Cent chronology
Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003) The Massacre (2005) Bulletproof (2005)
Singles from The Massacre
"Disco Inferno" Released: December 11, 2004 "Candy Shop" Released: February 15, 2005 "Just a Lil Bit" Released: May 17, 2005 "Outta Control" Released: September 13, 2005

Preceded by the singles "Disco Inferno" and "Candy Shop", the album debuted atop the Billboard 200, selling 1.15 million copies in its first four days; it remained atop the chart for six weeks after its release. The Massacre received generally positive reviews from music critics, and was 50 Cent's second consecutive number one album on the chart. Following its release, the album spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top ten singles "Just A Lil Bit" and "Outta Control."

Background

The original title for the album was revealed as The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, named after the 1929 Chicago gang murder spree known as Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. 50 Cent intended the album to be released on February 15, 2005, but Interscope was not interested. He leaked "Disco Inferno" in order to force their hand, and Interscope released it on March 7.^[2]

Originally, songs intended for the album included "Hate It or Love It", "Higher" and "Special" but the songs were eventually given to the Game's The Documentary, causing a majority of The Massacre to be reworked.^[3]

After 50 Cent released the Game from his G-Unit Records imprint on live radio February 21, 2005, a shootout occurred.^[4] Paul Rosenberg of Shady Records and Jimmy Iovine of Interscope worried that the album would underperform due to the negativity of the Hot 97 shooting. 50 and the Game later entered into a truce six days after The Massacre was released,^[5][6] but their animosity rose up again after Game made fun of G-Unit at Hot 97's annual Summer Jam, where he first used the "G-Unot" insult, later turning to a boycott.^[7]

Censorship

The censored version of the album censors out most profanity, violence, and all drug content. The track "Gunz Come Out" has inconsistency in the editing, and contains some profanity. The opening intro removes the shooting sequence, and is cut down to 20 seconds. The album cover also removes guns in the background behind the rapper, being replaced by motifs and a gradient background.^[8] In comparison, the album is not as heavily censored as his previous album Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003).^[9]

Music and lyrics

Lyricism

Themes from the previous album return on this album, like gangster life and such. What stands out as a novelty is that there is a lot of sexism in the songs, which was so much in the song P.I.M.P on the previous album, but now it is a main part and is now a constant part of the lyrics.

Production

The instrumentation of the album closely mirrors that of its predecessor, incorporating string instruments and orchestral elements; however, cinematic themes are no longer the central focus. This album introduces numerous new musical components, including jazz rap and R&B influences that evoke the essence of early 1990s New York hip hop. A notable addition to the album's sound is the influence of Scott Storch, whose musical ideas infuse tracks like "Candy Shop" and "Just A Lil Bit" with Middle Eastern Arabic melodies layered over hard-hitting hip hop beats. Another notable but underrated addition to the album's sound is Buckwild's production on "I Don't Need 'Em", which uses a jazz rap instrumental. Furthermore, the album benefits from exceptional mixing, primarily attributed to Dr. Dre's involvement, as was the case with the previous album.The album's production credits include Bang Out, Bass Brothers, Black Jeruz, Buckwild, Cool & Dre, C. Styles, Cue Beats, Disco D, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Hi-Tek, J.R. Rotem, Luis Resto, Mike Elizondo, Needlz, Scott Storch, and Sha Money XL.

Commercial performance

With a release in the middle of the sales week, The Massacre sold 1.15 million copies in its first four days of release, becoming the sixth-largest opening week for an album at the time since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.^[10] This is the second largest opening week for a hip hop album, behind Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP (2000), which sold 1.76 million copies in its first week.^[11] Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi replaced it as number one in late April 2005, as The Massacre reached 3 million units sold.^[12] In February 2020, The Massacre was certified six times platinum for combined sales and album-equivalent units of at least six million copies in the United States.^[13] It has sold over eleven million copies worldwide.^[14][15]

In 2005, The Massacre was ranked as the number one album of the year on the Billboard 200.^[16]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	66/100[17]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[18]
Blender	[19]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[20]
The Guardian	[21]
Los Angeles Times	[22]
NME	8/10[23]
Pitchfork	7.0/10[24]
Rolling Stone	[25]
Spin	B−[26]
The Village Voice	A−[27]

The Massacre received generally positive reviews from music critics; it holds a score of 66 out of 100 at Metacritic.^[17] Vibe magazine found it "full of finger-pointing panache" and wrote that "50 delivers a taut, albeit less explosive, album aimed at both silencing his detractors and keeping the ladies satisfied".^[28] NME observed "a new depth to the murderous lyricism" from 50 Cent on the album.^[23] Greg Tate, writing in The Village Voice, said that, like Tupac, 50 Cent is "a ruffian who knows the value of a good pop hook", and called The Massacre "the most diabolically sensous collection of baby-making gangsta music since Pac's All Eyez."^[29] Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times found the album to be "nearly as addictive as its predecessor" and called 50 Cent "a crafty songwriter, specializing in obvious but nearly irresistible tracks that sound better the more you hear them."^[30] In his review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau said that 50 Cent's "ugly gangsta lies" are "incidental to the mood of the piece, which is friendly, relaxed, good-humored, and in the groove."^[27]

In a mixed review, Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club said that, although its strengths lie in 50 Cent's "dark charisma" and "fluid delivery", the album is marred by flaws typical of "big rap releases: At nearly 78 minutes, it's far too long, wildly uneven, and not particularly cohesive sonically or thematically."^[31] Uncut magazine wrote that, despite 50 Cent's "cool menace", "not even tight productions from Eminem and Dre can stop things from flagging midway."^[32] Lynne D. Johnson of Spin felt that it lacks "originality" and makes artistic concessions: "He's tryin' too hard to be everything to everybody."^[26] In a negative review for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis panned him as a lyricist and felt that the album lacks "any of the factors that make the best gangsta rap disturbingly compelling ... There's nothing except a string of cliches so limited that repetition is unavoidable".^[21]

Accolades

The Massacre was nominated at the 2006 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album,^[33] but lost to Kanye West's Late Registration.^[34] It was ranked the twenty fifth best album of the year by Rolling Stone.^[35]

According to 50 Cent, the album received more mixed reviews than its predecessor Get Rich Or Die Tryin' because he was focused more on the hooks and song structure: "People fought love for the things they see are significant. Jimmy Iovine was a producer … he loves the significance of production. He loves Dre. I don’t give a fuck what I made … look, I made my whole second album as a 10-record. I knew they wasn’t my best verses but my choruses were right so I focused on my song structure."^[36]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro (The Massacre)"	Lindsay Collins	Eminem	0:41
2.	"In My Hood"	Curtis Jackson Teraike Crawford Phillip Pitts Marshall Mathers Luis Resto	C. Styles Bang Out Eminem[a] Resto[a]	3:51
3.	"This Is 50"	Jackson Rashad Smith Michael Clervoix	Sha Money XL Black Jeruz	3:04
4.	"I'm Supposed to Die Tonight"	Jackson Mathers Steve King Resto	Eminem Resto[a]	3:51
5.	"Piggy Bank"	Jackson Khari Cain	Needlz	4:15
6.	"Gatman and Robbin" (featuring Eminem)	Jackson Mathers Jeffrey Bass Mark Bass Resto Neal Hefti	Eminem Bass Brothers[a] Resto[a]	3:46
7.	"Candy Shop" (featuring Olivia)	Jackson Scott Storch	Scott Storch	3:29
8.	"Outta Control"	Jackson Andre Young Mike Elizondo Christopher Pope Steve Standard	Dr. Dre Mike Elizondo	3:21
9.	"Get in My Car"	Jackson Tony Cotrell	Hi-Tek	4:05
10.	"Ski Mask Way"	Jackson Dave Shayman Mathers Resto Bunny Sigler Ryan Presson	Disco D Eminem[a] Resto[a]	3:05
11.	"A Baltimore Love Thing"	Jackson Quentin Staples Norma Toney	Cue Beats	4:17
12.	"Ryder Music"	Jackson Cotrell	Hi-Tek	3:51
13.	"Disco Inferno"	Jackson Crawford Pitts	C. Styles Bang Out	3:34
14.	"Just a Lil Bit"	Jackson Storch	Scott Storch	3:57
15.	"Gunz Come Out"	Jackson Young Elizondo	Dr. Dre Elizondo	4:24
16.	"My Toy Soldier" (featuring Tony Yayo)	Jackson Marvin Bernard Mathers Resto	Eminem Resto[a]	3:44
17.	"Position of Power"	Jackson J.R. Rotem	J.R. Rotem	3:12
18.	"Build You Up" (featuring Jamie Foxx)	Jackson Storch	Scott Storch	2:55
19.	"God Gave Me Style"	Jackson Cain Leonard Caston, Jr. Tom McFadden	Needlz	3:01
20.	"So Amazing" (featuring Olivia)	Jackson Rotem Jasmin Lopez	J.R. Rotem	3:16
21.	"I Don't Need 'Em"	Jackson Anthony Best	Buckwild	3:20
22.	"Hate It or Love It (G-Unit Remix)" (bonus track; featuring The Game, Tony Yayo, Young Buck and Lloyd Banks)	Jackson Allan Felder Jayceon Taylor Andre Lyon Marcello Valenzano Bernard Norman Harris Ron Barker	Cool & Dre	4:23
Total length:				77:22

2006 France re-release bonus tracks^[37]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
21.	"Window Shopper"	Jackson Crawford J.H. Turnbull Bob Marley	C. Styles Sire	3:12
22.	"Best Friend" (featuring Olivia)	Jackson	Hi-Tek	4:14
Total length:				84:48

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer.
• "Intro" is excluded from the 2006 France edition.^[37]

Sample credits^[38]

• "Intro" contains elements from "What Up Gangsta" performed by 50 Cent.
• "This Is 50" contains elements from "Things Done Changed" performed by The Notorious B.I.G.
• "I'm Supposed to Die Tonight" contains vocal samples of "Vocal Planet" performed by Spectrasonics.
• "Gatman and Robbin'" contains replayed elements from "Batman Theme" composed by Danny Elfman.
• "Candy Shop" contains a sample of "Love Break" performed by The Salsoul Orchestra (uncredited).
• "Outta Control" contains an interpolation from "Set It Off" performed by Strafe.
• "Ski Mask Way" contains elements from "What Am I Waiting For" performed by The O'Jays and resung elements from "Cell Therapy" performed by Goodie Mob.
• "A Baltimore Love Thing" contains elements from "I'll Be Waiting There for You" performed by The Dells.
• "God Gave Me Style" contains elements from "Each Day I Cry a Little" performed by Eddie Kendricks.
• "I Don't Need 'Em" contains elements from "Nobody Knows" performed by S.C.L.C.

Personnel

Credits for The Massacre adapted from Allmusic.^[39]

50 Cent – executive producer, author Bang Out – producer Jeff Bass – keyboards, producer Mark Bass – producer Steve Baughman – engineer, mixing Akane Behrens – engineer Black Jeruz – producer Buck Wild – producer Jeff Burns – mixing assistant, assistant Dave Cabrera – keyboards Tony Campana – engineer Larry Chatman – project coordinator Lindsay Collins – voices, speech/speaker/speaking part Cool – producer Ruben Cruz – background vocals Cue Beats – producer Dion Jenkins – background vocals Disco D – producer Dr. Dre – producer, executive producer, mixing Mike Elizondo – bass, guitar, keyboards, sitar, producer Eminem – producer, executive producer, mixing Nicole Frantz – creative assistance Brian "Big Bass" Gardener – mastering Yvette Gayle – publicity Zach Gold – photography Scott Gutierrez – assistant engineer, assistant Tiffany Hasbourne – stylist Adam Hawkins – engineer Hi-Tek – producer Lionel Holoman – keyboards Kameron Houff – engineer Eric Hudson – bass Mauricio "Veto" Irragorri – engineer, mixing Tyrue "Slang" Jonas – artwork Rouble Kapoor – assistant engineer, mixing assistant, assistant

Steven King – bass, guitar, mixing Steve Lininger – assistant engineer, assistant Jared Lopez – engineer Andrew Mains – editing Kyla Miller – engineer Needlz – producer Traci Nelson – background vocals Alex Ortiz – engineer Conesha Owens – background vocals Kirdis Postelle – project coordinator Chuck Reed – engineer Luis Resto – horn, keyboards, producer Robert "Roomio" Reyes – assistant engineer, assistant Roberto Reyes – assistant J.R. Rotem – producer David Saslow – video Kelly Sato – marketing coordinator Ed Scratch – engineer Les Scurry – production coordination Sha Money XL – producer, engineer, executive producer, mixing Randy Sosin – video Nancie Stern – sample clearance Scott Storch – producer Chris Styles – producer Rob Tewlow – producer Patrick Viala – mixing Che Vicious – programming Barbara Wilson – background vocals Brandon Winslow – assistant Ravid Yosef – editing

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for The Massacre Chart (2005) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[40] 2 Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)[41] 1 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[42] 2 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[43] 3 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[44] 9 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[45] 1 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[46] 8 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[47] 2 European Albums (Billboard)[48] 3 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[49] 7 French Albums (SNEP)[50] 3 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[51] 1 Greek Albums (IFPI)[52] 2 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[53] 11 Icelandic Albums (Tónlist)[54] 2 Irish Albums (IRMA)[55] 1 Italian Albums (FIMI)[56] 13 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[57] 1 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[58] 3 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[59] 5 Scottish Albums (OCC)[60] 1 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[61] 32 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[62] 10 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[63] 2 UK Albums (OCC)[64] 1 UK R&B Albums (OCC)[65] 1 US Billboard 200[66] 1 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[67] 1 US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[68] 1

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for The Massacre Chart (2005) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[69] 39 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[70] 19 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[71] 10 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[72] 21 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[73] 62 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[74] 27 European Albums (Billboard)[75] 7 French Albums (SNEP)[76] 41 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[77] 8 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[78] 17 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[79] 11 UK Albums (OCC)[80] 29 US Billboard 200[81] 1 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[82] 1 Worldwide Albums (IFPI)[83] 3

Certifications

Certifications for The Massacre

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[84]	Platinum	70,000^
Belgium (BRMA)[85]	Gold	25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[86]	3× Platinum	300,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[87]	2× Platinum	40,000‡
France (SNEP)[88]	Gold	100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[89]	2× Platinum	400,000‡
Greece (IFPI Greece)[52]	Gold	10,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[90]	2× Platinum	30,000^
Italy (FIMI)[91]	Gold	25,000‡
Japan (RIAJ)[92]	Gold	100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[93]	Platinum	15,000^
Portugal (AFP)[94]	Gold	20,000^
Russia (NFPF)[95]	3× Platinum	60,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[96]	Platinum	40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[97]	3× Platinum	900,000‡
United States (RIAA)[98]	6× Platinum	6,000,000‡
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[99]	Platinum	1,000,000*
Worldwide	—	9,000,000[15]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Special edition

The Massacre (Special Edition)
Studio album by 50 Cent
Released	September 6, 2005
Recorded	2004–2005
Genre	Hip hop gangsta rap
Length	73:47
Label	Interscope Shady Aftermath G-Unit
Producer	Dr. Dre Eminem Sha Money XL Bass Brothers Black Jeruz Buckwild Cue Beats Dangerous LLC Disco D Hi-Tek J.R. Rotem Mike Elizondo Needlz Scott Storch
50 Cent chronology
The Massacre (2005) The Massacre (Special Edition) (2005) Curtis (2007)
Singles from The Massacre
"Disco Inferno" Released: November 28, 2004 "Candy Shop" Released: January 15, 2005 "Just a Lil Bit" Released: May 10, 2005 "Outta Control (Remix)" Released: September 6, 2005

Background

The album was re-released on September 6, 2005, as the Special edition. It included a remix of "Outta Control" featuring Mobb Deep, which replaces the original version of the song as track eight. This edition included a bonus DVD with music videos for a majority of the album's tracks (with the exclusion of "Disco Inferno", "Gunz Come Out" and the intro), and the trailer for the film Get Rich or Die Tryin', which released two months later. Due to the ongoing feud between 50 Cent and The Game, this version omits the G-Unit remix to "Hate It or Love It" as the twenty-second track. Once the special edition was released, The Massacre re-entered the top three of the Billboard 200 at number two, being blocked from number one by Kanye West's Late Registration.^[100] The original version was also re-issued using the special edition track listing leaving out the parts for the DVD.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	Lindsay Collins	Eminem	0:41
2.	"In My Hood"	Jackson Crawford Pitts Mathers Resto	C. Styles Bang Out Eminem[a] Resto[a]	3:51
3.	"This Is 50"	Jackson Smith Clervoix	Black Jeruz Sha Money XL	3:04
4.	"I'm Supposed to Die Tonight"	Jackson Mathers Resto King	Eminem	3:51
5.	"Piggy Bank"	Jackson Cain	Needlz	4:15
6.	"Gatman and Robbin'" (featuring Eminem)	Jackson Mathers Jeffrey Bass Mark Bass Resto Hefti	Eminem Bass Brothers[a]	3:46
7.	"Candy Shop" (featuring Olivia)	Jackson Storch	Storch	3:29
8.	"Outta Control (Remix)" (featuring Mobb Deep)	Jackson Young Elizondo Mark Batson Albert Johnson Kejuan Muchita Pope Standard	Dr. Dre Elizondo	4:07
9.	"Get in My Car"	Jackson Cotrell	Hi-Tek	4:05
10.	"Ski Mask Way"	Jackson Sigler Resto Mathers Shayman Presson	Disco D	3:05
11.	"A Baltimore Love Thing"	Jackson Staples Toney	Cue Beats	4:17
12.	"Ryder Music"	Jackson Cotrell	Hi-Tek	3:51
13.	"Disco Inferno"	Jackson Crawford Pitts	C. Styles Bang Out	3:34
14.	"Just a Lil Bit"	Jackson Storch	Storch	3:57
15.	"Gunz Come Out"	Jackson Young Elizondo	Dr. Dre Elizondo	4:24
16.	"My Toy Soldier" (featuring Tony Yayo)	Jackson Bernard Mathers Resto King	Eminem	3:44
17.	"Position of Power"	Jackson Rotem	J.R. Rotem	3:12
18.	"Build You Up" (featuring Jamie Foxx)	Jackson Storch	Storch	2:55
19.	"God Gave Me Style"	Jackson Cain Caston, Jr. McFadden	Needlz	3:01
20.	"So Amazing" (featuring Olivia)	Jackson Rotem Lopez	J.R. Rotem	3:16
21.	"I Don't Need 'Em"	Jackson Best	Buckwild	3:20
Total length:				73:45

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer.

Sample credits Information taken from The Massacre liner notes:^[38]

• "Intro" contains elements from "What Up Gangsta" performed by 50 Cent
• "I'm Supposed to Die Tonight" contains samples of "Warning" by The Notorious B.I.G.
• "Gatman and Robbin'" contains replayed elements from "Batman Theme"
• "Candy Shop" contains a sample of "Love Break" performed by The Salsoul Orchestra (uncredited)
• "Ski Mask Way" contains elements from "What Am I Waiting For" performed by The O'Jays and resung elements from "Cell Therapy" performed by Goodie Mob
• "A Baltimore Love Thing" contains elements from "I'll Be Waiting There For You" performed by The Dells
• "God Gave Me Style" contains elements from "Each Day I Cry A Little" performed by Eddie Kendricks
• "I Don't Need 'Em" contains elements from "Nobody Knows" performed by S.C.L.C.

See also

• List of number-one albums from the 2000s (UK)
• List of number-one albums in 2005 (New Zealand)
• List of number-one albums of 2005 (Ireland)
• List of number-one albums of 2005 (U.S.)
• Lists of fastest-selling albums