Christopher Wallace will always be the notorious one and Mobb Deep is certainly still infamous, but when it comes to being rap’s official villain, no one in hip-hop currently holds the crown down like 50 Cent.
Straight out of Jamaica, Queens, 50 led an assault on the hip-hop world over the last year and a half, the likes of which have never been seen before.
By now, the story of Curtis Jackson has been told time and time again. After releasing the inflammatory “How To Rob” in 1999, 50 seemed destined for stardom with a deal with Columbia and a hit production squad behind him in the form of Tone and Poke, aka The Trackmasters.
However, a well-publicized beef with Ja Rule and an incident in which 50 Cent got shot up multiple times in front of his home led the shaky executives over at Columbia to drop him over concerns about his behavior.
Written off for dead, 50 went back to the streets and managed, in the span of a little more than three years, to hustle his way to the top of the rap game. While the media may have continued their love affair with the holy trinity of Eminem, Nelly and Ja Rule, 2002 truly was the year of 50 Cent, as it was impossible to find a mixtape that didn’t feature him hollering “g-g-g-g G-Unit!!” all over it.
However, while New York was bumping the new King of the Streets, mainstream America still had no clue. Then rap’s Caucasian boy wonder got his hands on one of 50’s tapes, and the rest has been relegated to the halls of hip-hop lore. 50 was soon signed to Aftermath/Shady, and with it handed an artist’s dream — namely, a chance to record with the legendary Dr. Dre.
Several months later, one of 50’s old songs, “Wanksta,” was re-released on the “8 Mile” soundtrack, and then the monstrous “In Da Club” hit the airwaves. Instantly, 50 Cent became a household name, as anyone who has been stopped at any intersection or in any bar or club in the last few months can attest.
Get Rich or Die Tryin is 50’s debut, an effort that the good doctor himself proclaimed would one day be placed alongside the classic introductions to the world of Nas, Jay-Z and B.I.G. himself.
Despite the incredibly high expectations, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ is a strong debut, not quite perfection but still a powerful album, hardcore hip-hop almost at its finest.
50 derives his skill not from an incredible lyrical arsenal but from a diverse flow, unmatched charisma and a talent for arguably harmonizing/rapping the best hooks of anyone who has ever stepped behind the mic.
Get Rich or Die Tryin isn’t a diverse album in terms of subject matter. 50 puts forth the usual trigger-happy, weed-smoking and lady-loving persona listeners have come to expect from him. However, his tales are equally dark and catchy, and there is no denying his lyrical talent.
In terms of production, the tremendous soundscapes of Get Rich Or Die Tryin have Dre and Eminem’s creative fingerprints all over them. “High All The Time” is a smooth and infectious declaration of 50’s love of bud and is a classic example of him riding a sublime and deadly gangster track to perfection.
Dre blesses 50 with a beat on “If I Can’t” that is guaranteed to cause severe neck trauma, and Eminem’s life-support-machine-influenced production on “Patiently Waiting” is only matched by the fervor with which he and 50 take turns verbally assaulting the track.
Then there’s the obligatory Ja Rule dis “Back Down,” where 50 continues on his successful quest to turn the popular R & B singer into a non-factor in the hip-hop world by spitting pure venom like “I’m back in the game Shorty / to rule and conquer / you sing for ho’s and sound like the cookie monster.”
The only flaw of Get Rich Or Die Tryin is that it appears that in attempting to create a classic debut, 50 has tried to please too many people. There are several tracks on the album, most notably the painfully bad “Bloodhound,” which feature 50 failing while trying to appeal to outside regional markets.
50 Cent has a presence that bears an uncanny resemblance to another outlaw rapper who talked tough and commanded respect from all regions. Like 2Pac, he isn’t the greatest lyricist, but his stories are believable, he has a powerful personality and even though he plays the bad guy, people root for him.
Perhaps the most telling part of the entire album comes on “High All The Time,” when he spits, “If David could go against Goliath with a stone / I could go at Nas and Jigga both for the throne.”
If Get Rich Or Die Tryin is any indication of his determination, chances are no one will be counting Curtis Jackson out again.
Grade: A/B
