2003: #2 - "In Da Club"

Although some people don't necessarily think of 50 Cent - or even Dr. Dre, who produced - as a sonic pioneer, the fact is that, in 2003, very few rap hits sounded like this - a perfect amalgamation of hard party beats, minimalist minor key tough-guy synths, quoteworthy hip-hop sloganeering, and accessibly simple yet mesmerizing, tongue-twisting vocals. And they were so cool and slick (and catchy) about it, we almost didn't notice how unique it all was.

But now that nearly every moderately respectable street-level rap track has those huge hand claps, sparse keyboards and relentless percussive synths, and every rapper is giving his own updated imitation of Fifty's slurred verbal acrobatics and catch-phrasing, it's easy to look back and see the major influence that this track had on pop music. And, giving it a second (millionth) listen in 2010, it's easy to remember why we loved it so much.

2003: #8 - "Wanksta"

50 Cent's early tuff guy image totally belied the fact that he had some of the hookiest pop-rap songs of all time. The simple melodic hook in "Wanksta" is no exception, and we'd rank it up there with "Nuthin' But A G Thing" and "Big Poppa" as one of the more recognizable and memorable keyboard lines in rap.

Of course, Fiddy is no longer gangsta - though he is pushing some product these days - but musically that was never really the point. The siren-wail of "Wanksta" was always more Warren G than N.W.A., and like the G-Funk all-stars of the early 90's, 50 Cent continued to bridge the gap from the streets to the pop charts.

2005: #6 - "Disco Inferno"

We mainly just like that pitch-shifted trilly thing in the main hook a whole lot.

2005: #7 - "Hate It Or Love It"

On "Hate It or Love It", The Game declares himself "rap's MVP", but he might not even be the most valuable asset in the song. He handles himself admirably, but guest rapper 50 Cent steals the show within 40 seconds, perfectly executing a charismatic verse and booming refrain, and production team Cool & Dre rips one of the smoothest, stuttering soul beats this side of DJ Premier or Erick Sermon circa 1992. After Lloyd Banks shows up to deliver a really sick verse (first lines: "How many of them boys is with you? / When you had that little TV you had to hit on to get a picture"), it becomes clear that, like RZA used to do with The Wu-Tang, all parties involved came with their A-game and forced out the best in each other, the way the best teams often do.

2007: #4 - "I Get Money"

Despite using a sample from a 20 year-old hip hop standard, and subsequently sounding decidedly (and purposefully) retro, 50 Cent had never sounded as relevant or inspired as he did on "I Get Money".

Where some songs are the sample - like Cassidy's "I'm A Hustla" (a fine song, but nothing next to this) - "I Get Money" works itself around the hook and makes its point on its own merits. It's hard to decide what's more menacing about it - the whirring, dizzying keyboard hum that appears after the first measure and doesn't let up; the massive bass drum that kicks in at the same time; or the relentless Fifty himself, who boasts:

"Yeah I smell like the vault
I used to sell dope
I did play the block
Now I play on boats
In the south of France
Baby, St. Tropez
Get a tan? I'm already black
Rich? I'm already that
Gangsta, get a gat
Hit a head in a hat
Call that a riddle rap
Shit, fuck the chitter-chat
I'm the baker, I bake the bread
The barber, I cut ya head
The marksman, I spray the lead
I blood clot, chop ya leg

Do not fuck with the kid"

He even has a new catchphrase to replace "It's your birthday", finally. ("I run New York!")

In a crowded field, he hits #4 for 2007, but in any other year this is easily a #1 or 2 song.