“They’ll say, ‘Oh, it’s too aggressive.’ … Soon as you do something that’s a little more lighthearted, and you can play the whole record and feel like you don’t have to cover your kid’s ears, I get penalized for it. So get ready to cover your kid’s ears. Now I’m really interested in seeing how the public responds,“he told MTV.

“I got so much more, so many different records to feel out and see what direction I wanna go in next. I’ve been writing this record for a year. I started Before I Self Destruct before I started Curtis. Conceptually, this one has been very well-groomed.“

In the interview 50 went on to describe his working relationship with Eminem who has been noticeably missing in action for about the last half decade.

“So far, I’ve kinda kept to myself and wrote what I felt was exciting from my perspective. It’s always fun working with Em for me. He’s in a space where he has the luxury of just being able to sit down. The rest of us … me, I do the actual footwork. Dre hasn’t had an album out in seven years. Em — two years. Me— seven, eight months. They send me out to test the waters, and everyone else will jump in the tub. I stay a little more active. Em is by far the biggest rap artist, period. I’m the largest Hip Hop touring artist. I travel more places than he travels to be in front of a live audience.“

I never quite understood the logic behind rappers retiring after less than ten albums but 50 makes it more than clear his intent to cease recording with comments such as those below.

“He’s like, ‘Go, just do it. If you wanna go, just do it, and we’ll figure everything out after the fact.’ There were a few technical questions, considering this is my fourth and final actual studio album. My fifth album requirement [to Shady/Aftermath] is a greatest-hits requirement.“