50 Cent – The Massacre
By Dalton Higgins  50
Cent is now a full two dollars, according to pop culture exchange
rates. His sheer influence on music charts, and thugs hearts,
changed things.
So
why then on Massacre is the 'hood drama that one would think
he'd want to leave behind even more front-and-center than
on Get Rich or Die Tryin'? It's hard to say, but 50's developed
a questionable gun fetish here. With firearms plastered all
over the liner notes, and throughout most of his lyrics--on
"In My Hood" he retorts "…I don't go
nowhere without my strap"--apparently his nouveau rich
status has only accelerated the number of enemies he's accumulated.
On "I'm Supposed to Die Tonight" he even awkwardly
forecasts Notorious B.I.G.-like, Tupac-ian rap game death
scenarios. "Piggy Bank," a virtual diss fest further
cements his "How to Rob" persona as Nas and Fat
Joe get the lyrical smack down; so does A-list actor Vivica
Fox ("Get In My Car") for even daring to consider
their rendezvous to be anything more than a fling.
Despite
beat contributions from Aftermath hombres (Eminem, Dr. Dre),
some of the better beats come courtesy of lesser-known beatsmiths
like Disco D ("Ski Mask Way") and the always-consistent
Hi-Tek, whose "Ryder Music" is a sick concoction
of keys and haunting vocals. At 22 tracks (with no inane interludes),
it's worth the loot, but it doesn't cover up 50's artistic
regression since Get Rich. |
