The hoped-for 50 Cent and Eminem collaboration on the Street Fighter soundtrack is off — but it was replaced with bigger news.

Speaking to The Associated Press on the red carpet at the film's Los Angeles premiere on Monday, October 12, 50 Cent said Eminem had started work on the track before pulling away.

"Em, he put a couple of pieces together for it and decided because he got closer to his album, he kinda fell back on that because he's preparing his presentation for the next album," 50 Cent told the AP, according to International Business Times UK.

Hip-Hop Wired picked up the same quote from the carpet, where 50 Cent added with "his distinctive grin" that Eminem "decided to fall back on that" as the album got closer.

The collaboration had been building expectations for months.

Per IBTimes UK, 50 Cent promised in an Instagram post on December 13, 2025 to involve Eminem in music for the film, and in July 2026 he told NBC's 'Today with Jenna & Sheinelle' that he had worked on a Street Fighter theme featuring Eminem and the late Tupac Shakur — insisting it was not AI-generated, with material supplied through Tupac's estate.

IBTimes UK notes the AP's video report described the proposed song as drawing on Tupac's 'Ambitionz az a Ridah,' and cautions that independent confirmation of the recording's provenance, permissions and final use has not been established.

Whether Eminem's contribution, or the Tupac material, survives on the final soundtrack remains unclear.

Fans have been waiting for a new Eminem project since 2024's The Death of Slim Shady, and 50 Cent's framing — that Eminem is "preparing his presentation for the next album" — reads like the closest thing to a status update.

IBTimes UK stresses the caution: this is not an official release announcement, and Eminem has not publicly confirmed or denied that a new album is on the way, nor has any title, track list or schedule been disclosed.

Hip-Hop Wired likewise reports that Eminem hasn't spoken publicly to confirm the news.

What is verifiable is Eminem's recent activity: IBTimes UK notes he appeared on 'MADARA,' a single with Filipino-American rapper Ez Mil released October 8, 2026, and Hip-Hop Wired reports he is rumored to appear on Kid Rock's upcoming album.

The excitement is inseparable from the pair's history.

Eminem and Dr. Dre were among the executive producers of 50 Cent's 2003 debut 'Get Rich or Die Tryin',' the album that made him a superstar, and the two most recently appeared together on 'Gunz n Smoke' from Snoop Dogg's 2024 album 'Missionary,' as Hip-Hop Wired and IBTimes UK both note.

50 Cent plays Balrog in the Street Fighter film, which IBTimes UK reports opens in cinemas October 16, 2026, alongside Jason Momoa as Blanka and Noah Centineo as Ken Masters. The film's premiere week is now doubling as a window into what Eminem does next.

Two questions hang over the story: whether Eminem will appear on the Street Fighter soundtrack at all, and when his next album might arrive.

IBTimes UK reports that 50 Cent did not say whether Eminem's contribution would be retained, replaced or omitted, and that neither a final track listing nor a soundtrack release date has been confirmed.

Until an official announcement comes, the planned collaboration's final form remains uncertain, and fans will have to watch for word from Eminem himself rather than from his longtime friend and collaborator.