50 Cent On Wisin Y Yandel

Is this what's happening with your music?

What I fell in love with and inspired me to get into hip-hop is dwindling away. I'd like to be a representation of that, because there isn't much of that left. I think people are so conscious of the numbers they're not being creative anymore. I've received nothing but positive feedback on this collaboration. And it's a surprise because it's playing in a space where you wouldn't traditionally hear 50 Cent. It's exciting and it's a whole new charge of energy for the person that is tuning in.

Can collaborations hurt or cannibalize other product from the same artist?

Absolutely not. It allows you to write outside of whatever your album concept was. When I'm putting together my album conceptually, I develop this thing in my head and on paper of what I want it to feel like. Sometimes I need to do things several times to get it right. I feel a song is a piece of what they were putting together as part of the actual album. And if the album is sequenced properly, it could be something people consider a classic and you fall in love with every song. I think even the best albums we love would have been different if they had been sequenced different.

You say your album, "Before I Self Destruct," will come out in August or September. What about your film?

I wrote, directed and produced the project. With the purchase of the CD you get the film. I wanted my audience to see it, because I was inspired by what I wrote on the album. I wanted to create reasons for the actions, and I was able to develop cause and effect. When the song is three minutes long you only have time to create descriptions; you can't explain why things are the way the are. That's why I put it in the album package. It's a different form of entertainment. I feel music marks time, and there's a lot of great music being made now that doesn't completely match the time period.

Do you have a first single yet?

When these guys finish mixing I'll finish making the decisions. People look at my projects as if it's only 50, but it's really 50 Cent up to Dr. Dre and Eminem standards.

Is there anything about your Latin America performances that stand out?

While I was performing in Medellín [Colombia] this girl near the front was so excited and she was so beautiful, and I thought, 'Oh, my God, I want to have kids. With her. Now.' And when the concert was over she was gone.