50 Cent has been focusing on completing a record "that was completely up to album standard."

The rapper has announced that his new EP Five (Murder By Numbers) will be released in July.

50 Cent has been off the musical radar for years to ensure that his new work is exceptional.

"I said I was gonna put a record out that was completely up to album standard, and I'm gonna do that. I worked on this album for a long time. It's been three years," he said in an interview with Philadelphia radio station Hot 107.9.

The musician also attributes the delayed release to business politics at his label Interscope Records.

"Labels at different points, they drop the ball," 50 Cent explained. "It's not visible when the momentum is feverish. For me, with Interscope, all the success I've had in music has been with them."

Five (Murder By Numbers), which is his final album with Interscope, will hit shelves on July 3.