50 Cent Says He Delayed Before I Self Destruct So He Could Release More Singles

Posted by By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Tim Kash and Kim Stolz

" Im just looking for the opportunity to present more of my material"

NEW YORK — No big conspiracy here: 50 Cent said he decided to delay the release of his Before I Self Destruct album from December 16 until next year because he needed more setup time.

"I'm trying to leave the same way I came in," he said Sunday night during "Total Finale Live." "February 4 [2003], Get Rich or Die Tryin' came out. I drop this album February 3. The time frame. It used to take six to eight weeks for us to position a hip-hop record. Now, it's taking 12 to 14 weeks.

"Just the positioning," he continued. "I'm not comfortable where I'm at right now. My song 'Get Up' is performing great. I'm happy with 'Get Up.' It moved faster than 'I Get Money' at radio. But I'm just looking for the opportunity to present more of my material [prior to the album's release]. It's not the strongest effort on my album; it's just a great start for me."

The video for "Get Up" is out now. Besides paying homage to the Will Smith blockbuster "I Am Legend," Fif also comes full circle with a nod to his own "In Da Club" video. With the release of Before I Self Destruct, he will fulfill his contractual obligation to Shady/Aftermath and Interscope Records for new recordings. A greatest-hits collection will follow if he does not ink a new contract with Interscope.

"We may put out a greatest-hits record then, [when] we start the renegotiations," he said of his talks with Interscope.

Although he's publicly expressed disdain for the way Interscope and its chair, Jimmy Iovine, have handled projects such as Curtis and the G-Unit's T.O.S., Fif did tell us he'll let bygones be bygones for the right price.

"I think all artists have things they can point to that have been done wrong at different points in their career," he said. "It's cool. I'll get over it. They can just pay me."