50 Cent - Before I Self-Destruct
By Nick Manteris · 0 Comments · Leave a Comment
50 Cent is the stage name of Curtis Jackson, a rapper whose claim to fame seems to be selling crack, getting arrested, getting shot nine times and releasing a mixtape that somehow got in the hands of Eminem’s lawyer. (At least we know that he’s not frontin’ when he raps about being a gangsta. That’s something.) His nickname is directly stolen from a criminal named Kelvin Martin, a well-known robber and multiple-murderer that went by “50 Cent” in the 80s, who was estimated to have killed dozens of people…probably a worthy choice for street cred purposes, but definitely not the best role model.
Full disclosure: I am not a fan of 50 Cent. I’ve never liked “In Da Club,” “Candy Shop” or any of the other tracks that have been played to death in clubs and on radios across the world. When you’ve got a top-notch track, you can get just about anyone with the tiniest bit of flow to rock that shit and it would work. In fact, I could round up a few random friends that could do a better job. Without music from talented producers like Dr. Dre, 50 Cent wouldn’t be anything right now…his flow is sloppy and slurred and his lyrics are weak. People seem to love his stuff though, so take my opinions with a block of salt.
When 50 Cent says, “one… …one, two… …grrr” on the opening track, “The Invitation,” is he trying to be scary or funny? It actually sounds more silly than anything else, but that can’t be what he was going for. He also admits to having gonorrhea in the same song – so who knows what his intentions really are. “Then Days Went By,” “Get It Hot,” “Baby by Me” and “Do You Think About Me” are all essentially unlistenable because of the choruses. “Death to My Enemies” is a perfect example of his slurred, sloppy style, but the music actually isn’t that bad. 50 steps up his flow for “Psycho,” one of the better tracks on the album…even though Eminem spoils his guest part with his choice of subject matter. “Stretch” explains what a terrible drug dealer 50 actually is when he says, “I take grams of coke, mix it with lactose, that’s what I do.” “So Disrespectful,” “Hold Me Down,” “Strong Enough” and “Ok, You're Right” also suffer from bad choruses. “Crime Wave” might be the best song on Before I Self Destruct…and it’s not particularly great. “Gangsta's Delight” showcases 50’s propensity to steal lyrics from other well-known songs – in this case, The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” – and since he only takes little bits here and there it comes across sort of like sampling…and it’s not a bad track either.
- Score
- 27%
Well…that’s my (admittedly) biased review for 50 Cent…do with it what you will. I can – easily and without hesitation – recommend some other hip-hop artists that I think are better: Cunninlynguists, People Under the Stairs, Chali 2na, Wu-Tang Clan or Zion I, just to mention a few artists that have all released better stuff this year.
