Country Star Warns 50 Cent And Kanye West

By: Yves Erwin Salomon

Hip hop mogul 50 Cent and super producer Kanye West have been going at it in the press leading up to the release of both of their new albums on September 11th. 50 Cent had vowed that his new album, Curtis, will outsell West's Graduation but both men were recently reminded that another super star is also putting an album out on September 11th.

Kenny Chesney told EW, ''It's funny how with every record that comes out, we're aware of the urban competition, and none of those acts acknowledge that I exist, until I have that No. 1 debut on the Top 200."

Chesney will release his 11th album, Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates, on September 11th. If Chesney beats 50 Cent it won't be the first time. In November 2005, Chesney's The Road and The Radio beat out the soundtrack to 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' to take the top spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

50 Cent hasn't publicly addressed Chesney but he's had a lot to say about West. He said, "To have people come out and say it's a bout, it ain't no bout or competition. The guy Kanye West will say to you right away, 'I don't mind being number two.'He'll make the statement, 'cause it's clear that there ain't no competition like that."

West took more of a diplomatic approach about the situation. He said, "It's something really great for Hip-Hop. 50 Cent he's a pretty intimidating guy. I don't want to go to war with him, I just want to put out my album. I really like 50, I don't want him to retire once my album sells the most."

50 Cent initially said he would retire if West outsold him, but he's since backtracked.