If you want to listen to some real hardcore rap music, you might want to check out those bumpin' beats put forth by the big name rap masters G-Unit. The outfit was comprised of 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Together, the three dynamic rappers produced music that was wholeheartedly embraced by the music community. Their prominence was during the early 2000s, as they were just getting their feet on the ground, and they helped propel their fame with several mixtapes like 50 Cent is the Future, God's Plan, No Mercy, No Fear and Automatic Gunfire. The tapes helped to introduce the "unit" of rappers to a wide audience and set forth what looked to be a promising path to the top of the charts.

Several things interrupted G-Unit's initial vision. The first was 50 Cent's own debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', which flew off the shelves at a record pace and established 50 Cent as an extremely talented and persuasive musician. The second problem that confronted the group was when Tony Yayo was sentenced to prison for a gun-possession charge. The band re-grouped and took on Young Buck as Yayo's replacement. G-Unit finally recorded their debut effort, Beg for Mercy, throughout 2003, and Interscope released the record in November of that year with "Stunt 101" as the lead single.

G-Unit thrived on the success of the album as well as "Stunt 101" and other singles that included "Poppin' Them Thangs" and "Wanna Get to Know You." After Yayo was finally released from prison, he rejoined his former bandmates and continued recording for a few years. Other well-known artists affiliated with G-Unit were the Game, Mobb Deep and Olivia. For the most part, though, G-Unit's success hinged on that of 50 Cent. As his career began to slump in the late 2000s, so did theirs, and many members left to seek out other possibilities.