50 Cent
Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003)

review by: Chelan David
Date: 3/24/03

I rarely listen to the radio anymore. As the proliferation of radio consolidation continues, I cannot stomach the abhorrent, seemingly identical playlists that saturate the airwaves.

On a recent unseasonably warm day however, I was craving a song with a hook. I was in a jubilant mood and desperate for a Missy Elliot "Get Ur Freak On" type jam. Popping out my Velvet Underground CD, I hit the scan button. Once around the dial and nothing but annoying advertisements and miserable music. Electing to try one last time, a song found me, instantly transporting me into a glorious night "In Da Club," driven by thumping bass-driven beats and narrated with hypnotizing, egocentric rhymes.

"In Da Club" is one of the standout tracks on gangsta rapper 50 Cent's new Get Rich or Die Tryin' album. This album is definitely not for everyone. If you don't enjoy NWA, DMX or Dr. Dre you probably won't like this either. 50 Cent's songs are rife with gang-banging, image-posturing and lurid tales of womanizing.

A protege of Eminem, 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' is the fastest selling album of the year. Born Curtis Jackson, 50 Cent is a heavily muscled former hustler, crack dealer and inmate who was dropped from Columbia Records after he was shot nine times. Upon recovery, he sold self-made mix tapes on the streets and quickly established himself as one of the underground's best MCs. Eminem happened to hear a track, introduced 50 Cent to Dr. Dre and signed him to a deal with Shady Records.

50 Cent doesn't reinvent gangsta rap but succeeds in giving it an interesting twist. His uniqueness lies in his drawling laid-back countenance which he sums up in "Like My Style": "I'm a New Yorker, but I sound Southern." The effortless rapping combined with funky hooks make for listener friendly songs.

Posing on the cover of the album, a shirtless 50 Cent glares through a window that has been shattered by a bullet. A diamond encrusted platinum cross hanging from 50 Cent's torso frames the bullet hole, signifying that he hasn't died getting rich just yet. Listening to the lyrics of "Many Men (Wish Death)" however, one can't help but wonder how long he will last. On this track he raps about an impending sense of doom: "Better watch how you talk, when you talk about me/'Cause I'll come and take your life away/Many men wish death upon me."

Like Tupac and Biggie before him, 50 Cent not only raps about a dangerous lifestyle but lives it as well. His raps are full of profanity and violence, documenting the gritty urban life he has grown up in. Whether you like his music or detest it, get used to him, because like Eminem he will be part of the cultural landscape for years to come, providing he can survive.