[1] On December 4, 2013, while doing a press run for the launch of his SMS Audio line of headphones and speakers, 50 Cent announced that a "full body of work", titled Animal Ambition would be released in January 2014.

I recorded so many album quality songs that I'm going to put the Animal project out as my viral marketing plan and then it will come out after, Street King Immortal.

"[3] In January 2014, while visiting the Consumer Electronics Show, he explained his motivation to release new music in early 2014, saying: "I'm so anxious to put out material.

"[4] In a January 2014 interview with Sonic Electronix, he said that he was recording heavily in preparation for both of the albums, saying, "I want to put Animal Ambition out in the first quarter.

And the actual visuals match the song so if you weren't impressed by the music you'll understand creatively why it's the way it is when you see the images.

"[9] In June 2014, 50 announced that he would be accepting Bitcoin payments for the album, making him one of the biggest artists to use the cryptocurrency to date.

[11] On March 18, 2014, the songs "Don't Worry 'Bout It", featuring Yo Gotti and "Hold On", were released via digital distribution, as the album's first and second singles.

[17] On March 31, 2014, the album's fourth single "Smoke" featuring Trey Songz and produced by Dr. Dre was serviced to mainstream urban radio in the United States.

Also adding, "The theme here, we are told, is prosperity and its discontents, but he doesn't do much more than flaunt it and berate people for hating his success.

"[39] Sheldon Pearce of HipHopDX said, "This release was essentially pitched as a concept album on how wealth alters perception and inspires envy, and though it's possible to follow this loose narrative, the execution of this idea is thoroughly botched.

Animal Ambition is a drastically underperformed gut punch marred by its own limitations and its obsessive portrayal of self-worth amid a recitation of Get Rich or Die Tryin' buzzwords.

"[35] Simon Vozick-Levinson of Rolling Stone wrote "Tracks like "Hold On" and "Pilot" have all the smirking charm of 50's glory days.

wrote "Animal Ambition showcases a very creatively confused 50 Cent, trapped in some sort of musical purgatory we can only hope he find his way out of.

"[36] Brandon Soderberg of Spin said, "Animal Ambition half-assedly pimps the phony idea perpetuated by his Jesse Pinkman-like core fans and an increasingly clueless 50 Cent himself: that his success was built on bona fide gangster rap swagger rather than incredibly accessible club bangers.

"[41] Ian Cohen of Pitchfork Media said, "There may not be much Curtis Jackson on Animal Ambition, but it does give an accurate survey of where 50 Cent is at right now.

All of this only means 50 has to push even harder to elevate his status to that level, and with Animal Ambition, he shows he's ready to put in the work.

"[44] Jordan Sowunmi of Now said, "The album has a few bright spots: on Irregular Heartbeat, the emcee snarls the stone-faced threats that made him an irresistible menace in the early aughts.

"[45] Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine wrote "It's unfortunate that 50 Cent can't offer more, tackling his anxieties head-on rather than burying them under the guise of shopworn gangster narratives, but while simple pleasures are about all Animal Ambition can offer, it at least presents them with listenable panache.

"[46] Animal Ambition debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 46,000 copies in the United States giving 50 Cent his fifth consecutive top 5 album in the country.