Curtis

American rapper 50 Cent, released September 11, 2007, on Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album features production from Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Timbaland, among others. Music writers have noted that 50 Cent divides between "hard" songs and "soft" songs on the album. Upon its release, Curtis received generally mixed reviews from music critics. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 691,000 copies in its first week. After years of slumping sales, the album's competition with Kanye West's Graduation and the resulting record breaking performances both albums displayed was considered to be a "great day for hip hop." Initially, 50 Cent's 2007 album was planned to be Before I Self Destruct, however, he decided to push back its release date to 2008, and to release Curtis in 2007 instead. The album's title was changed twice. The first time, it was changed from "Curtis" to "Curtis S.S.K.". The second time, it was changed back to "Curtis". The "S.S.K.", which stood for "SoundScan Killer", was intended to show the pressure 50 Cent felt to succeed. The "S.S.K." also stands for "SouthSide King" and "Shoot, Stab, Kill". 50 Cent stated that the album was inspired by his life before his commercial debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin'. He also stated that he chose the album's title because he was known as "Curtis" before he became famous. In January 2007, DJ Whoo Kid predicted the album to be a double disc LP, with one CD having a "crazy club-bangin' ridiculous" theme and the other having a "hard-core killer sh--," theme. However this did not materialize