50 Cent Releasing Album No Matter What

50 Cent’s anticipated mixtape, "The Lost Tape," was released yesterday (May 22nd) and the rapper is guaranteeing that his long-delayed fifth studio album will be released on July 3rd as promised--with or without support from a major record label. The untitled project has been delayed for years due to ongoing struggles between 50 Cent and Interscope Records.

“There’s a lot more business involved [in putting out an album] than the general public is aware of. And that part causes the actual delay with [Interscope]. I’m releasing my album July 3rd, whether is has commercial promotions or not,” he told AllHipHop. “My birthday is July 6 and I planned for it. And I’m doing everything that I planned to do regardless if its huge airplay or not. I could care less, I’m putting the record out.”

“I don’t need a record to sell. How much money you think I’ma make off record sales? You think I’ma sell 13 million records? Its starting to feel like that corner that I left,” 50 Cent explained. “I ain’t going to keep sitting on the records. Even if everything ain’t in order, album five will be out July 3 and they can wait another two years for me to give them another one.”

“I have new ideas so my passion for making the music hasn’t gone anywhere. That’s why I’m making music for free. The mixtape is for free unless DJ Drama is getting some paper I don’t know about. I need a piece of that paper,” 50 said, jokingly.