50 Cent Revisits Debut, Brings Out Eminem at SXSW Showcase

50 Cent reminisced on his glory days with his headline performance at the Shady 2.0 Showcase at South by Southwest on Friday night. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Get Rich or Die Tryin’, the hip-hop superstar performed a 50-minute set consisting of his entire 2003 debut.

Following a 15-minute delay, 50 stormed the stage at Austin Music Hall in a camouflage bulletproof vest. With Tony Yayo by his side and DJ Whoo Kid on the turntables, the G-Unit mogul kicked things off with “What Up Gangsta” before bringing out Eminem for “Patiently Waiting.”

“It’s been a minute, man. Yeah, 10 years,” 50 told the restrained crowd. “Don’t try to front on me. I make classics, baby.”

He put his money where his mouth is by performing the biggest hit of his career, “In Da Club,” and later brought out G-Unit’s first female rapper Precious Paris, who traded rhymes with her male counterparts.

50 made sure to remind his audience of his success. “Y’all act like y’all just learning this shit,” he said. “The album sold 13 million records. That ain’t hot? Damn. I wanted to sell like 2 million. That shit did 13. The money came so fast, I couldn’t fuck it up.”

After unloading hit after hit with “P.I.M.P.,” “21 Questions” featuring Governor, and “Wanksta,” he returned for an encore, once again addressing the crowd’s lack of energy.

“Ya’ll just gonna sit there and look at me, right?” he asked. “I guess it’s not what have I done, it’s what have you done for me lately.”

A ferocious Eminem returned to give the show a shot of adrenaline with “Love Me,” “‘Till I Collapse,” and “Crack a Bottle.”

“Austin, Texas, make some motherfuckin’ noise for yourselves. Everybody thank you for coming out. We love you,” said Em, while 50 was just getting warmed up. “I wanna stay,” he said as fake gunshots rang out.

[MWP]