The early 2000s were full of turning points for hip hop, but few moments felt as seismic as the arrival of Get Rich or Die Tryin’. And among the standout tracks on 50 Cent’s debut was “Patiently Waiting” – a bruising, lyrical back-and-forth between Fifty and his mentor, Eminem.
Now, thanks to Complex TV’s Magnum Opus series, fans can revisit the story behind the song with a sharper lens, literally.
The original 2014 Complex interview footage you can now watch in new high-definition version in stunning 8K. This fresh visual upgrade allows longtime fans to experience the reflections of both artists and collaborators with unprecedented clarity.
How It All Came Together
The episode unpacks not just the song story. Also, it is the story of 50 Cent’s brush with death and his rise from mixtape king to major-label juggernaut. Finally, it is about how Eminem helped make that leap possible. Eminem and manager Paul Rosenberg discovered Fifty’s Guess Who’s Back? project in 2002 and were immediately intrigued.
“At that point and time, I think we had found out he wasn’t signed yet”, Eminem recalls in the interview.
Soon after, Marshall officially signed Fifty to Shady Records, and “Patiently Waiting” became one of their first collaborations. The beat, which Eminem sent over early on, fit Fifty like a glove. “If I can’t find the chorus, I don’t know what I’m writing really”, Fifty says, explaining his songwriting process.
Legacy and Chemistry
The episode features commentary from Sha Money XL, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, DJ Whoo Kid, Mike Elizondo, and Luis Resto — all of whom witnessed the moment the Shady empire truly took flight. Complex’s Noah Callahan-Bever offers additional context on the track’s cultural weight.
To top it off, the episode closes with footage of Em and Fif performing “Patiently Waiting” live — a reminder of their chemistry on stage, now even more vivid in 8K resolution. Two decades in, the track still hits hard — and now it looks better than ever.
