50 Cent pushed to have “21 Questions” included on his debut album, despite Dr. Dre’s hesitancy.
During a recent visit to Big Boy’s Neighborhood, 50 Cent revealed how Dr. Dre pushed back against the release of one of his biggest hits. Fif explained that Dre wasn’t totally convinced about releasing “21 Questions” ft. Nate Dogg, largely because it didn’t fit the mold of Get Rich or Die Tryin.
“He said, ‘I don’t know why you want it?’ Why I wanted the record,” he explained. “I’m like, ‘Damn, man, I gotta do all these muthafuckin’ push-ups,’” Fif added. “I want the girls to like me.”
50 Cent explained that he felt as though Dr. Dre wanted him to follow a similar blueprint to N.W.A., who didn’t rely on catering to certain demographics to expand their reach.
“Like they didn’t have to reach to make a commercial record or anything that sounded like a commercial record,” 50 Cent continued. “And that’s just in his DNA. Like on his path, he’s like, ‘We don’t need that.’”
Despite the pushback, the BMF exec. pushed for the record and the results speak for themselves. “21 Questions,” produced by Dirty Swifty, became a massive hit once it dropped. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100, marking yet another #1 single in his career.
Check out 50 Cent’s comments below and let us know your thoughts in the comment section.