# Before I Self Destruct
**Before I Self Destruct** is the fourth studio album by the American rapper 50 Cent, released in November 2009 on [Shady Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/shady-records), Aftermath Entertainment, and [Interscope Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/interscope-records). It followed 2007's *Curtis*, was delayed for about a year, and was packaged with a feature film of the same name written and directed by 50 Cent, who also plays one of its lead roles.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist / album | Fourth studio album by 50 Cent, successor to *Curtis* (2007)[1](https://engineroomaudio.com/clients/50-cent-before-i-self-destruct/) |
| Release | November 2009; dates given as November 9 (Shady Records), November 13 (Universal Music Germany), and November 16 (Metacritic)[2](https://www.shadyrecords.com/album/before-i-self-destruct/) • [3](https://www.universal-music.de/50-cent/musik/before-i-self-destruct-161090) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/music/before-i-self-destruct/50-cent/details) |
| Labels | Shady Records / Aftermath Records / Interscope Records[2](https://www.shadyrecords.com/album/before-i-self-destruct/) |
| Featured guests | Eminem ("Psycho"), Ne-Yo ("Baby by Me"), Governor ("Do You Think About Me"), R. Kelly ("Could've Been You")[2](https://www.shadyrecords.com/album/before-i-self-destruct/) |
| Chart and sales | Debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, 50 Cent's fourth consecutive top 5 album in the U.S.; 497,000 copies sold per SoundScan as of 2012[5](https://device.report/m/39442ec631cc4fb87cb02f0a606a24cc9caf0d46e341e54426cefa0cf07e2869.pdf) |
| Certification | RIAA Gold (500,000 U.S. units), certified January 21, 2010[6](https://bestsellingalbums.org/album/367) |
| Film package | A DVD of the film *Before I Self Destruct*, written and directed by 50 Cent, included with the album[7](https://pitchfork.com/news/34048-50-cent-album-now-due-in-2009-with-bonus-dvds/) |
## Release history
The album was originally scheduled for December 9, 2008, but was pushed back; Pitchfork reported in November 2008 that it would instead appear in early 2009 via Shady, Aftermath, and Interscope.[7](https://pitchfork.com/news/34048-50-cent-album-now-due-in-2009-with-bonus-dvds/) The intended lead single, "Get Up", a [Scott Storch](https://www.edgepedia.org/scott-storch) production, had already been released for digital download on October 13, 2008, after first appearing through 50 Cent's online community Thisis50.com.[1](https://engineroomaudio.com/clients/50-cent-before-i-self-destruct/) Sources give the final release date differently: Shady Records lists November 9, 2009, [Universal Music Germany](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-music-germany) lists November 13, and Metacritic lists November 16.[2](https://www.shadyrecords.com/album/before-i-self-destruct/) • [3](https://www.universal-music.de/50-cent/musik/before-i-self-destruct-161090) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/music/before-i-self-destruct/50-cent/details) A North Dallas Gazette item from late October 2009 announced a November 23 street date.[8](https://northdallasgazette.com/archives/2009/1029_edition.pdf)
## Content and packaging
The standard album runs 16 tracks, from "The Invitation" through "Could've Been You", with "Flight 187" and a second version of "Baby by Me" as bonus tracks on the Shady Records listing.[2](https://www.shadyrecords.com/album/before-i-self-destruct/) "Flight 187" appeared as a bonus track on the iTunes version of the album.[9](https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/6803ebfb3494ae7eba9caf43/685b29656b742bbf19e1146e_zemidobukow.pdf)
**The film.** Pitchfork described the project as more than an album: the accompanying movie, written by 50 Cent, directed by 50 Cent, and starring 50 Cent, follows a basketball player who gives up his dream of playing in the NBA for a life of crime in order to support his academically gifted younger brother and avenge their mother's death. A DVD of the film was included with every copy of the album.[7](https://pitchfork.com/news/34048-50-cent-album-now-due-in-2009-with-bonus-dvds/) Universal Music Germany's page states that the film is based on 50 Cent's biographical experiences and that he wrote the screenplay, directed, and plays one of the lead roles.[3](https://www.universal-music.de/50-cent/musik/before-i-self-destruct-161090) Early deluxe editions added a second DVD, the documentary *Two Turntables and a Microphone: The Life and Death of Jam Master Jay*, about the late Run-DMC DJ who was a mentor to 50 Cent, with appearances from Jay-Z, Russell Simmons, and Rev Run.[7](https://pitchfork.com/news/34048-50-cent-album-now-due-in-2009-with-bonus-dvds/)
**Production and guests.** [Dr. Dre](https://www.edgepedia.org/dr-dre) and Eminem contributed production and guest verses.[7](https://pitchfork.com/news/34048-50-cent-album-now-due-in-2009-with-bonus-dvds/) Universal Music Germany also names [Timbaland](https://www.edgepedia.org/timbaland), Polow Da Don, and Ty Fyffe among the producers involved.[3](https://www.universal-music.de/50-cent/musik/before-i-self-destruct-161090) Pitchfork's review adds Rick Rock to the production team and describes the sound as the "cold and clinical Aftermath sonic architecture".[10](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13700-before-i-self-destruct/)
## Commercial performance
The album debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200, giving 50 Cent his fourth consecutive top 5 album in the United States.[5](https://device.report/m/39442ec631cc4fb87cb02f0a606a24cc9caf0d46e341e54426cefa0cf07e2869.pdf) A 2012 Billboard feature reported cumulative SoundScan sales of 497,000 copies and noted that *[Street King Immortal](https://www.edgepedia.org/street-king-immortal)* would be 50 Cent's first album since *Before I Self Destruct* and his last under his Interscope deal.[5](https://device.report/m/39442ec631cc4fb87cb02f0a606a24cc9caf0d46e341e54426cefa0cf07e2869.pdf) The Recording Industry Association of America certified the album Gold, for 500,000 U.S. units, on January 21, 2010.[6](https://bestsellingalbums.org/album/367) On June 20, 2011, 50 Cent announced a follow-up, *Before I Self Destruct II*, to come after his fifth album.[9](https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/6803ebfb3494ae7eba9caf43/685b29656b742bbf19e1146e_zemidobukow.pdf)
## Critical reception
Reviewers generally read the album as a return to the harder style of 50 Cent's early work after the more pop-oriented *Curtis*. The *Washington Post* found the violent material dated, writing that "shoot-'em-up lyrics are passe" and calling the album tough to take, while singling out the R&B-leaning tracks "Do You Think About Me", "Could've Been You", and "Baby by Me" as the most interesting.[11](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/style/2009/11/17/quick-spins/a8524cd6-f4b0-4af4-906c-d44c9361456c/) The Guardian's Kitty Empire wrote that the much-delayed album "recovers his inner gangsta" but judged 50 Cent's flows leaden, noting an Eminem guest spot on "Psycho" that leaves "the breathless 50 awaiting emergency services".[12](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/nov/15/before-i-self-destruct-50) Pitchfork's Ian Cohen argued that the record was designed to appeal to listeners still rooting for 50 Cent, called "So Disrespectful" its most talked-about track, and concluded that the middle of the album bogs down and that the second half returns to would-be hits without the inevitability of his earlier singles.[10](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13700-before-i-self-destruct/) AllMusic ranked it below *Get Rich or Die Tryin'* for balance and structure but called it "a fantastic juggernaut of a 50 album if you exit early, and a very good one even if you don't".[13](https://www.allmusic.com/album/before-i-self-destruct-mw0000800935) A review quoted on Metacritic, from Rolling Stone, called it "easily his best album since 'Get Rich or Die Trying'".[14](https://www.metacritic.com/music/before-i-self-destruct/critic-reviews)
## References
1. [50 Cent – Before I Self Destruct, Engine Room Audio](https://engineroomaudio.com/clients/50-cent-before-i-self-destruct/)
2. [Before I Self Destruct, Shady Records discography](https://www.shadyrecords.com/album/before-i-self-destruct/)
3. [50 Cent | Musik | Before I Self Destruct, Universal Music Germany](https://www.universal-music.de/50-cent/musik/before-i-self-destruct-161090)
4. [Before I Self Destruct Details, Tracks, and Credits, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/before-i-self-destruct/50-cent/details)
5. [Billboard Magazine, 15 December 2012 (archive)](https://device.report/m/39442ec631cc4fb87cb02f0a606a24cc9caf0d46e341e54426cefa0cf07e2869.pdf)
6. [BEFORE I SELF DESTRUCT by 50 CENT – Sales & Charts, Best Selling Albums](https://bestsellingalbums.org/album/367)
7. [50 Cent Album Now Due in 2009, With Bonus DVDs, Pitchfork (November 17, 2008)](https://pitchfork.com/news/34048-50-cent-album-now-due-in-2009-with-bonus-dvds/)
8. [North Dallas Gazette, October 29, 2009 edition (archive)](https://northdallasgazette.com/archives/2009/1029_edition.pdf)
9. [Web-archived 50 Cent biography excerpt (Before I Self Destruct II announcement)](https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/6803ebfb3494ae7eba9caf43/685b29656b742bbf19e1146e_zemidobukow.pdf)
10. [50 Cent: Before I Self Destruct Album Review, Pitchfork (Ian Cohen, November 16, 2009)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13700-before-i-self-destruct/)
11. [Quick Spins, The Washington Post (November 16, 2009)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/style/2009/11/17/quick-spins/a8524cd6-f4b0-4af4-906c-d44c9361456c/)
12. [50 Cent: Before I Self-Destruct, review by Kitty Empire, The Guardian (November 15, 2009)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/nov/15/before-i-self-destruct-50)
13. [50 Cent: Before I Self Destruct Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/before-i-self-destruct-mw0000800935)
14. [Critic Reviews for Before I Self Destruct, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/before-i-self-destruct/critic-reviews)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Hip hop albums › East Coast hip hop albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license