50 Cent’s classic track “Many Men (Wish Death)” has surpassed one billion streams on Spotify, earning a place in the platform’s billions club more than two decades after its release on the rapper’s 2003 debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, per udiscovermusic.com.
The song, produced by Darrell “Digga” Branch, Eminem and Luis Resto, has become one of 50 Cent’s most enduring recordings despite never being released as an official single from the album.
Originally featured on Get Rich or Die Tryin’, “Many Men” reached No. 11 on the US Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart and was later certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Speaking previously about the track’s origins, producer Digga said he created the beat several years before its release. The instrumental was initially selected by Nas, but 50 Cent heard it during a studio session and obtained a copy to write over.
Producer Sha Money XL later recalled that 50 Cent arrived with the completed song, which was recorded in his basement studio before being taken to Detroit. There, Eminem worked on the final mix, adding sound effects and refining the track’s production.
The song has maintained a strong cultural presence beyond music. It was referenced prominently in Ocean Vuong’s 2019 novel *On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous*, with the author describing it as emblematic of the early 2000s and the closing era of gangsta rap.
Released in February 2003, *Get Rich or Die Tryin’* established 50 Cent as one of hip-hop’s biggest stars and produced several major hits. Although “Many Men” was not issued as a single, it has grown into one of the album’s most acclaimed and widely streamed tracks.
•Featured image: Cover: Courtesy of Interscope Records