50 Cent's major label debut album ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin' was the biggest drop of 2003
50 Cent took the mainstream by storm in 2002-2003. “In Da Club,” produced by Dr. Dre, DJ Quick and Elizondo, was an instant smash upon dropping. 50 Cent's debut studio album, Get Rich or Die Tryin was released on Feburary 6, 2003. In its opening week, the album earned a total of 872K units sold. This made the album the biggest in terms of sales for the year.
According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album sold 6.5 million copies that year.
The album would put 50 in an elite category moving forward. “21 Questions,” “P.I.M.P.,” and other notable songs would go on to make this album a “classic,” as the culture would declare. The album was released a week in advance to combat leaks and bootleggers.
