50 Cent’s Tupac favourite album explained: why he chose ‘The Don Killuminati’

50 Cent’s Tupac Favourite Album has been a topic that fans of rap and hip-hop always return to, especially when looking at how deeply Tupac shaped the next generation of artists. For 50 Cent, Tupac wasn’t just an influence; he was a foundation, someone whose music helped guide the sound, emotion, and storytelling in his own work.

Understanding how Tupac inspired 50 brings new insight into why his music became so iconic in East Coast rap. 50 has always been open about the artists he studied early in his career, and Tupac was at the top of that list. Listening to Pac before writing became part of his ritual, and it shaped the way he built albums, approached lyrics, and delivered emotion.

In this article, we break down why The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory stands as 50 Cent’s favourite Tupac album, how it influenced his creativity, and what it reveals about the connection between two of hip-hop’s most important voices.

Why The Don Killuminati is 50 Cent’s Tupac album

Long before his own rise with G-Unit, 50 Cent drew inspiration from Tupac Shakur. He often listened to Tupac’s strongest material, followed by Biggie Smalls’ classic tracks, to get into the right headspace before creating his own music. According to 50, Tupac shaped not only him, but nearly every rapper from the 1990s.

“Every rapper who grew up in the ’90 owes something to Tupac,” he told Rolling Stone in 2001. He praised Tupac for crafting a unique style, saying, “He didn’t sound like anyone who came before him.”

When speaking on 50 Cent’s Tupac album, he pointed directly to The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. The album was released after Tupac’s death and recorded in only seven days.

“My favourite Tupac album is The Don Killuminati,” 50 said. He admired the urgency behind the project, describing it as if Pac knew time was running out: “It was like a doctor told him he was going to die, and he was trying to get it all down on paper.”

His favourite track from the album is “Hail Mary,” which he praised for its depth and honesty. “Tupac’s aggressive records are my favourite… Most artists now just aren’t smart enough to write that,” he said.

50 also compared Tupac’s writing style to Biggie’s, calling Pac “a poet” who wrote without music, documenting his life with raw detail.

He ended by reflecting on Pac’s legacy: “All of us on the East Coast loved Tupac… Now that he’s not here, he’s bigger than ever.”