How to Rob

Infobox Single
Name = How to Rob


Artist = 50 Cent featuring The Madd Rapper
from Album = Power of the Dollar
A-side =
B-side =
Released = 10 August 1999 in New York City (unofficially)
Format = 12"
Recorded = 1999
Genre = Hip hop, Gangsta rap
Length = 04:25
Label = Columbia
Writer =
Producer = Trackmasters
Certification =
Last single = -
This single = "How to Rob" (1999)
Next single = "Rowdy Rowdy" (1999)
Misc =Audiosample
Upper caption = Music sample
Name = How to Rob
Audio file= How To Rob.ogg

"How to Rob" is the first single released by East Coast rapper 50 Cent from his unreleased album "Power of the Dollar", which was controversial but an underground hit. It is known that he thought of and wrote the lyrics of the song while travelling to the studio, then recorded it when he got there.

Background

It was a noteworthy release for 50 Cent due to its blatant statements about robbing/mugging numerous rappers & musicians, after saying "R.I.P. B.I.G., "R.I.P. P-A-C", he makes statements against, in order: Lil' Kim, Diddy, Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston, Brian McKnight, Keith Sweat, Cordan and the "Harlem World" album by Mase, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Foxy Brown, Kurupt, Jay-Z, Trackmasters, Slick Rick, Stevie J, Big Pun, Master P, Silkk The Shocker, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Joe, Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat, DMX, Treach, DJ Clue, TQ, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, RZA, Sticky Fingaz, Canibus, Heavy D, Juvenile, Blackstreet, Boyz II Men, Michael Bivins, Mike Tyson and Robin Givens, Mister Cee, Busta Rhymes and the Flipmode Squad and Kirk Franklin. Though since the song's release, he's worked with Jay-Z, Diddy, Mase, Busta Rhymes, DMX, Missy Elliott, DJ Clue, Juvenile, Joe, Lil' Kim and Timbaland.

The song originally also had lyrics against Mariah Carey and her ex-husband Tommy Mottola with the lyrics "I'll man handle Mariah like 'Bitch, get on the ground' / You ain't with Tommy no more, who gon' protect you now?", but replaced the lyrics with "I'll man handle Casã like 'Duke, get on the ground' / You ain't with Mary no more, where you gettin' chips from now?" when it was released.

The song was probably a tribute to the infamous 80's gangster Kelvin Martin, who was known to the underworld as "50 Cent", and where Curtis Jackson got the nickname from, which Kelvin robbed a lot of famous people, including stealing chains from the rappers LL Cool J and Rakim, and Curtis Jackson showing people that he is like Kelvin Martin with this song.

Response

50 Cent intended the single to be a "joke", meaning it wasn't meant to disrespect anybody. Nevertheless, a number of rappers mentioned on the song responded on record. The comments made towards the Wu-Tang Clan were responded to on the Ghostface Killah album "Supreme Clientele" on a track called "Ghost Deini" and even more directly on a skit called "Clyde Smith" which included one of the Wu-Tang Clan members talking about how they intended to harm the rapper but it is unsure exactly what member of the clan said this due to the track's vocal distorter. A supposed diss song, "Who the Fuck Is 50 Cent", which circulated the web in the beginning of 2001 was rumoured to be by the Clan, but was proven to be recorded by Polite of American Cream Team (Raekwon's then-side project). Jay-Z also reacted to the comments in the track called "It's Hot (Some Like It Hot)", off the album "" :

"Go against Jigga yo' ass is dense I'm about a dollar, what the fuck is 50 Cents?"

Sticky Fingaz responded to the diss with the track "Jackin' for Beats."Big Pun responds to this track on his album "Yeeeah Baby", in the song "My Turn," in which he states:

"And to the 50 Cent Rapper, very funny -- get our nut off, 'cuz in real life, we all know I'd blow your mutherfucking head off...If I'm gonna write a song, it'll be about how I had to beat your muthafuckin' ass. And that'll be the name of the mutherfucker: 'That's Why I Had To Beat Your Mutherfucking Ass,' featuring Tony Sunshine."

It was this single that created a lot of buzz for his "Power of the Dollar" album that was eventually shelved by Columbia Records. The song was also included on The Madd Rapper's debut album in 2000, as well as the soundtrack for the 1999 film "In Too Deep", along with his next single "Rowdy Rowdy". Though Jermaine Dupri and Sticky Fingaz starred in the film, they are two of the rappers 50 Cent said he would rob in the song. Before releasing the single, 50 Cent collaborated with Onyx, which Sticky Fingaz is a member of, which was the very first major label appearance of 50 Cent on their song "React" from their 1998 album "Shut 'Em Down". The lyrics from How to Rob that were against him was "Tell Sticky gimme the cash before I empty three / I'll beat your ass like that white boy on MTV".

Wyclef Jean referred to the song on "Low Income" from his 2000 album, "The Ecleftic" :

"Low Income, I stay so hungry that if 50 Cent came to rob me, he'd be part of my charity."

Chart positions

References