AFI's Davey Havok Recalls Label's Wildest Pitches: A 50 Cent Collab, a Ringtone Album

AFI frontman Davey Havok recently spoke to Metal Hammer about the tense label politics surrounding the band's 2006 album Decemberunderground, revealing two suggestions from the era that he now calls, in his words, terrible.

Label pressure and strange pitches

AFI had been signed to DreamWorks Records, but when DreamWorks' music division was absorbed by Interscope, the band ended up under the label system run by Jimmy Iovine. "Writing Decemberunderground was a painful time," Havok said.

According to Havok, the label's A&R staff were fixated on getting Jimmy Iovine's attention — and Iovine, who was publicly declaring "rock is dead" at the time, was fixated on 50 Cent. So someone floated the idea of AFI collaborating with 50 Cent. Havok's reaction: "I have nothing against 50 Cent, but what does that even mean?!"

The other pitch rode the ringtone-download boom of the mid-2000s. Havok recalled being asked, "Why don't you guys be the first band to write a ringtone album?" He described the person behind that suggestion as an old friend he still sees monthly — with clearly mixed feelings.

Neither idea went anywhere. Decemberunderground was released in June 2006 and became AFI's first album to top the Billboard 200 in the US, spawning singles including "Miss Murder" and "Love Like Winter."

What's next: new album and upcoming shows

AFI released their 12th studio album, Silver Bleeds The Black Sun..., last October. The band returns to the UK next month for a run of tour dates and festival appearances, including an August 23 slot at the Outbreak event under the All Points East banner at London's Victoria Park, sharing the bill with Deftones and Interpol.

AFI will also appear at Deftones' own festival, Día De Los Deftones, in its 2026 edition in San Diego, expected in November, alongside The Neighbourhood, Converge, Jehnny Beth, and Lip Critic.