50 Cent, 'Get Rich Or Die Tryin'' at 10: Classic Track-By-Track Review

Upon release, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" laid a new blueprint for hip-hop releases. Whereas few artists ventured outside of the major label system to build buzz, the rapper overcame getting dropped by Columbia Records and recovering from nine gunshot wounds to architect a career in the streets. The rapper took a mixtape model -- DJs curating compilations that were bootlegged on corners -- and bent it to his advantage, using instrumentals from popular songs to create classic releases like "50 Cent is the Future" and "No Mercy, No Fear" with his G-Unit crew. The mixtape-as-marketing-tool earned him a record deal with two artists with heavy co-signs: Eminem and Dr. Dre.

A decade later, 50 parlayed word-of-mouth buzz and his hit single "In Da Club" into a titanium career marked with platinum albums, multi-million dollar deals, best-selling books and numerous chart hits. He not only rewrote the hip-hop rulebook, but also showed that risking it all for glory can have a ripple effect.