How an Assassination Attempt on Donald Trump Helped Rapper 50 Cent Go Viral on the Internet

'A loss for one is a gain for another.' This phrase fits perfectly in the case of 50 Cent, who went unexpectedly viral after a gunman shot former president Donald Trump on July 13, 2024. Apparently, the internet exploded with the rapper's Many Men (Wish Death) memes after he posted his iconic Get Rich or Die Tryin album cover in reaction to Trump's attack. 

A lone gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, shot the Republican nominee during his Butler, Pennsylvania rally, killing one man from the crowd and injuring two more in the brutal shooting attempt. The bullet pierced through Trump's right ear, and he was immediately rushed off the stage by the US Secret Service agents. Immediately after, a police officer located and killed the would-be assassin, as per BBC.

The next day (July 14), 50 Cent reacted on X, formerly Twitter, "Trump gets shot and now I'm trending." The viral meme featured the ex-president's face on the rapper/business mogul's 2003 album cover. The post amassed 19.1 million views followed by hundreds of memes, photos, and videos of Trump raising his fist in the air, mouthing, 'Fight!' after surviving the attack with rapper's classic song Many Men (Wish Death) in the background. 

An X user, @floridabadboy69, commented, "If you would walk out on stage with him in next appearance, it would cause pandemonium." @terri_k88 added, "And your record sales would skyrocket." This X fan, @PingouinHeureux, suggested a campaign strategy to Trump, "They should use the track for their campaign ad now." @ZacSmall_ weighed in, "How did you respond to the attempt? You took the game over. Trump's turn." 

@CryptoWendyO joked, "The internet never fails." @Frost3030 asked 50 Cent, "Give Trump permission to use your music at his rallies." @D00MMittens echoed and requested Don Jr., "@DonaldJTrumpJr Get your Dad's campaign to play Many Men. That will get everyone pumped." @Buoyant_Bear hoped, "The idea of you and Trump performing 'Many Men' together has a LOT of people hyped for the RNC right now, just saying, lol." 

The hit track Many Men is based on 50 Cent's own near-death experience as he survived getting shot nine times in 2000. The New Yorker raps: Many men wish death upon me /Blood in my eye, dawg, and I can't see/ I'm tryin' to be what I'm destined to be /And n— tryin' to take my life away. No wonder, the lyrics fit perfectly in Trump's situation. 

A few days later, Billboard reported in the aftermath of Trump's assassination attempt, 50 Cent's Many Men witnessed a massive surge in streams and sales, collecting over 2.2 million U.S. on-demand streams from July 13-15, up to 250% from the previous streaming record of the track. 

Meanwhile, the Jamaican-American rapper fully capitalized on the track's online fame as TMZ reported the rapper also used the photoshopped version of the 2003 album cover during one of his shows in Boston.