Fifty’s iconic track from his Shady/Aftermath debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’ has entered the 1 Billion Club.
His party-ready “In Da Club” and “Candy Shop” have more more streams overall, but the dark undertones of “Many Men (Wish Death)” make it stand out in his catalogue. At the moment, it’s pulling more daily streams than “Candy Shop”. And the fact that this anthem to resilience was written by a rapper who quite literally survived an assassination attempt only adds to its convincing power.
Eminem’s meticulous production adds to its intensity, building on a beat Digga pitched to Nas before Fifty heard it during one of Nas’s sessions.
The slowest one on the album, it was far from Fifty’s favourite. “Many Men” appeared as the B-side to “21 Questions”, the album’s second single. And yet it’s closing in on “21 Questions” on Spotify and has nearly twice as many streams as “If I Can’t”, the album’s fourth single.
Seems like it has found its audience anyway. It is certified multi-platinum in New Zealand, the United States and the UK and was named the most influential rap song in 2020.