S. Samuel
G-Unit leader 50 Cent recently discussed the inspiration behind his upcoming Black Magic album and said the late soul singer Marvin Gaye provided its direction.
50 also said Curtis Mayfield influenced his new album.
“It’s still got a soulful vibe to it and that’s why I called it Black Magic. I had some Marvin Gaye-inspired stuff, some things that content-wise would feel like something Curtis Mayfield would do from my perspective, and just the choices of how the cadences on the records were like performance music that they did in the past. It feels brand new. If I didn’t tell you it was inspired by that, you wouldn’t know that I got it from that. I didn’t say the same things that they said; it’s just my perspective on what they offered.” (Rap-Up)
Recently, 50 said he was going to take a more mature approach to Black Magic.
He calls the album a whole new sound for him, and describes it as “more soulful” and “more mature” than his past work. For inspiration, he says he’s listening to a mix he made of some of his favorite artists’ best songs, including 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G. “I listen to those records to create expectations,” says 50, who turns 35 in July. “It creates a level to me, within myself, of how good the record has to be before I’m ready to launch it.” (Detroit Free Press)
Last March, 50 said he would apply rap lyrics to music outside of his “safety zone” with the new record.
“My Black Magic album, I’ve been listening to a lot of different kinds of music. I just want to create something that’s outta the box,” 50 told radio host Tim Westwood. “It ain’t the same style, same kinda music. I’m using different song formats. I’ll write a rap song in a sequence of a different kind of record…To write it in a different format, instead of writing it the way the traditional rap record is written, it’s to experiment with different things. It’s still hip-hop music, still 50 Cent content, it’s just written in a different way…” (Tim Westwood)
50’s last album, Before I Self Destruct, reached gold status last January.
50 Cent has another Gold certified album on his hands. The rapper’s 2009 effort “Before I Self Destruct” was recently certified Gold by the RIAA due to sales in excess of 500,000 copies. Led by the single “Baby By Me,” 50 Cent’s “Before I Self Destruct” closed out a strong decade of hit albums and singles for him. (Examiner)
50 Cent has not yet determined a release date for the album.
Check out a past 50 Cent interview down below:
