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It’s been three years since 50 Cent dropped his Before I Self Destruct album, but 2012 marks a new musical direction for the rapper. After teasing and then scrapping the release of Black Magic, and public discrepancies with his label, Interscope Records, fans will finally get a chance to hear his fifth project, Street King Immortal.

While promoting his forthcoming feature film Freelancers— hitting select theaters in Los Angeles and New York today, and available on Blu-ray and DVD Aug. 21—50 spoke with Hip-Hop Wired about creating the album. “I had enough time to make this record perfect, I took almost three years on this actual album, and it wasn’t by choice,” he said, explaining that Street King Immortal will mark his fifth and final album requirement  with Interscope.“Now everything is order, so you see the difference in the movement of the actual record.”

Rather than follow the blueprint of his previous work, the G-Unit leader took an alternate route. His latest single “New Day,” featuring and produced by Dr. Dre, is an example of his creative head space. The track, which samples Alicia Keys’ single of the same name, was an opportunity for 50 to show a different facet of his lyrical skill.  “I started on the bright side of things because I offer the dysfunctional behaviors and the environment that I grew up in. I write what I always call the ‘Harsh realities.’ To kind of create a balance on this record was really a task.”

Street King Immortal is due out in November.

Check out the rest of our exclusive interview below.