The excitement surrounding Get Rich Or Die Tryin' was largely due to the announcement, in 2002, that 50 Cent (born Curtis Jackson) had tapped a $1 million recording deal with Eminem's Shady Records, and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records. The kings of hip-hop controversy were undoubtedly impressed with 50 Cents own fearless ways.

50 Cent first made waves on the hip-hop scene in 1999 when he released the song 'How To Rob' that took, painful, though hilarious, verbal shots at all the big names in rap. The song appeared on his unreleased debut album, Power Of A Dollar, that he recorded for Columbia Records. The Jam Master Jay protege's rants about robbing hip-hop's top acts did not go over too well with the likes of his lyrical victims Jay-Z, Big Pun, Sticky Fingaz, and Ghostface Killah, who all recorded responses.

In April 2000, before 50 Cent's rap career began to flourish, he was shot nine times while in front of his grandmother's house in Queens, New York, where he was raised. During his recovery, 50 Cent severed ties with Columbia Records, and began promoting himself via appearing on mixtapes.

Just before the summer of 2001, 50 Cent released independently, Guess Who's Back?, with his crew G-Unit, further fueling his buzz. Eminem and Dr. Dre proclaimed their support of 50 Cent after he issued another independent record, a bootleg entitled 50 Cent Is The Future.