Ghetto Qur'an (Forgive Me)
{{Infobox song
| name = Ghetto Qur'an (Forgive Me)
| cover =
| alt =
| type =
| artist = 50 Cent
| album = Power of the Dollar
| released =
| format =
| recorded = 1999
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{hlist|Hardcore hip hop|gangsta rap|East Coast hip hop}}
| length = 04:35
| label = Trackmasters/Columbia/Sony
| writer = C. Jackson
| producer = Trackmasters
}}
"Ghetto Qur'an (Forgive Me)" is a song by American rapper 50 Cent from his unreleased Columbia Records debut album Power of the Dollar and the song itself was leaked in early 2000. The song mentions drug dealers from the 1980s in his neighborhood of South Jamaica, Queens.
As with most of the album the song was produced by Poke & Tone of Trackmasters,{{Cite web |title=Release "Guess Who's Back?" by 50 Cent - MusicBrainz |url=https://musicbrainz.org/release/7d86abae-8c21-4812-90e5-885d228390b6 |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=musicbrainz.org}} who used a sample from Diana Ross' and Marvin Gaye's duet "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)".[http://www.undergroundhiphop.com/store/detail.asp?UPC=SB9819LP 50 Cent - 'The 50 Collection Vol. 1 (Original Samples)'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070526004925/http://www.undergroundhiphop.com/store/detail.asp?UPC=SB9819LP |date=2007-05-26 }}. Accessed March 29, 2008. The name of the song is a reference to the Islamic holy book the Quran.https://ecollections.law.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1284&context=lawreview {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}
Lyrics
The track's lyrics mention several characters 50 remembers from his formative years in Queens, including Kenneth McGriff and his nephew Gerald Prince Miller of the '80s drug gang Supreme Team.{{Citation|title=50 Cent – Ghetto Qu'ran (Forgive Me)|url=https://genius.com/50-cent-ghetto-quran-forgive-me-lyrics|language=en|access-date=2017-06-11}}
Aftermath
It was rumored that the song and the subsequent music industry blacklisting of 50 Cent by Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff and his associates led to the murder of Run DMC's Jam Master Jay. There is speculation that Jay ignored the blacklisting by mentoring the young 50 Cent and introducing him to the people in the music industry. According to an affidavit by IRS agent Francis Mace, law enforcement officials believed that the shooting of 50 Cent in 2000 was in retaliation for the lyrics of the song which detailed the history of The Supreme Team.Teather, David (September 8, 2005). [https://www.theguardian.com/usa/story/0,12271,1564919,00.html US investigators uncovered plot to kill rapper 50 Cent] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021004000/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/sep/08/arts.usa |date=2022-10-21 }}. The Guardian. Accessed July 6, 2007.
"Ghetto Qur'an" served as a basis for 50 Cent's rivals (mainly Ja Rule, Irv Gotti and the Murder Inc. music group, with whom he was feuding at the time) labeling him a snitch. 50 Cent mentioned in an AllHipHop.com interview that the song was appreciated. He also talked about how Nas' song "Get Down" from the album God's Son similarly mentions names, but few people consider anything wrong with it.Berrios, Martin A. (June 27, 2007). [http://allhiphop.com/blogs/features/archive/2007/06/27/18191339.aspx Streets is Watching: 50 Cent Part Two] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914110948/http://allhiphop.com/blogs/features/archive/2007/06/27/18191339.aspx |date=2007-09-14 }}. AllHipHop. Accessed July 6, 2007.
The song was later added to his 2002 mixtape Guess Who's Back?, titled as "Ghetto Qua ran".{{cite web | url=https://www.discogs.com/release/435195-50-Cent-Guess-Whos-Back | title=50 Cent - Guess Who's Back? | website=Discogs | date=2002 }}
The chorus to this song was sampled on Proof's solo CD Searching for Jerry Garcia on the song called "Forgive Me".
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/19991124193831/http://www.50cent.com/ 50 Cent's official website]
- [https://genius.com/50-cent-ghetto-quran-forgive-me-lyrics/ Genius lyrics annotation of "Ghetto Qu'ran"]
{{50 Cent singles}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Songs written by 50 Cent