Get Rich or Die Tryin' [PA] - Cent, 50 (CD 2003)

By now, most everyone knows the story of Curtis Jackson, better known as 50 Cent. A former drug hustler in Queens, NY, 50 escaped the drug game and went into rapping, making his name on various underground recordings, most especially the underground hit "How to Rob", where he described how he was going to mug many of the top rappers in the game. He scored a record deal with Columbia, and recorded the album Power of the Dollar, to release in 2000. However, before the release of his debut, 50 was shot 9 times, in either a retaliation for "How to Rob" or someone involved in 50's drug-laden past. Columbia then dropped 50's record, cut his deal, and forgot he existed (the record, though, was bootlegged almost immediately, and I have a copy to prove it).

Focus now to 2003 - 50 Cent, now part of Eminem and Dr. Dre's Shady/Aftermath records, is finally set, after the shooting and the damage it did to him, creating an unusual slur in his voice, to release his official debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The hype for this release was incredible, given the following he started acquiring after hearing his tracks on Eminem's 8 Mile soundtrack - most especially the Ja Rule diss, "Wanksta." 50 could never live up to the hype, no matter how good it was - when Eminem is running around calling 50 a combination of Notorious B.I.G and 2Pac, people do take notice. Unfortunately, 50's record doesn't reach the heights of those famous, deceased rappers - nor does it really come close to anything Eminem and Dre have put out. Musically, Get Rich is great, with some bangin' beats and good party tunes, but 50's gangsta-throwback lyrics just can't match the music Dre, Eminem, and company have set up for him. The man has promise, but the question is - will he live long enough to live up to it?

The thing about 50 Cent, is that if it were 1992, when the gangsta rap phenomenon was just hitting its peak, he would have been a pioneer in the genre, with his recollections and braggadocio about all his money, drugs, and killing people. Today though, 50 is just another hardcore rapper with a gangsta edge, albeit one famous for his apparent invincibility after getting shot 9 times at point blank range. Today though, his name is made due to his alliance with Eminem and Dr. Dre, along with his friends in G-Unit (who also have a record coming this fall), who are the 2 most popular acts in the rap game today (not G-Unit, they're up and comers, hopefully). If you don't think this record sold 2 million copies in 3 weeks because of the Shady/Aftermath name, then you're just not paying attention.

Anyway, Get Rich features 16 album tracks and 3 "bonus" cuts, which are older 50 Cent songs thrown on here. There's no skits, and only a short 6-second introduction. 50 obviously means business, and he starts off with "What Up Gangsta?" which is probably one of the better tracks on the record, though it's your basic gangsta callout and bragging. It's a nice opener, as long as you're not paying attention to the lyrics, as the music is great.

The second track is the first of 2 with executive producer Eminem featured, this being "Patiently Waiting." This would probably make a good single eventually, as the Em-produced beat would do well on radio. While it's a basic song lyrically, with 50 rapping about finally getting a shot; "I've been patiently waiting for a track to explode on" is the hook. The amusing part is Eminem trying his hardest to act like a gangsta (a trend that continued on "Don't Push Me", where Eminem and G-Unit comrade Lloyd Banks pull the gangsta trick again), despite the fact that he wasn't ever a gangsta. If I keep spelling gangsta like this I think I'll go loony.

Next up is "Many Men (Wish Death)", and eerily, it sometimes comes off as a prophetic song, as 50 seems to realize that lots of people want him dead and one of them probably will succeed. As much as his Sesame Street rhyming skills are...umm...spotlighted here, even basic words tell that story.

This leads us into the first single, the incredibly overplayed "In Da Club." While Dre's beat and production is great, that's about the only decent quality to the track - though admittedly, it's more of a party song than one to make you think; in hip-hop, it's usually acceptable to have one party song per album, right? Still though, this one has been played so many times that people are programmed to hate it, even if it's nice to hear every once in a while.

From here, unfortunately, the record seems to start going downhill like a runaway truck. With the exception of the G-Funk laced "If I Can't", the amusing Ja Rule diss "Back Down", the newest single "21 Questions" (where 50 takes a love song route, with Nate Dogg delivering the hook) and "Don't Push Me", Get Rich falls into the trap of brag rap, or incredibly contrived lyrics that don't so much as tell a story about street life but demonstrate 50's lacking lyrical prowess. You'd think with talents like Eminem and Dr. Dre in Camp 50, he'd come up with some better lines to tell the story of his life. As is, there's too much bragging, and not enough storytelling, and too many basic rhymes - that even a dumbassed guy like me could come up with. To further bury 50, the biggest bonus cut, "Wanksta" makes an appearance, and given how terrible that cut is (despite being a good Ja Rule diss...the beat and lyrics are awful), it just drags this album downwards.

The unusual thing about Get Rich or Die Tryin' is my realization that I could actually listen through the entire record without skipping, for the most part. How? Because musically, this is a top-notch record. Eminem and Dre's production is outstanding - not as good as a Dre classic like The Chronic or Eminem's The Eminem Show, but pretty darn good. No question that despite 50 being a poor songwriter, he is backed up by great beats that almost makes up for the terrible words behind it. But not quite. With the exception of "Wanksta" and "P.I.M.P", the production is quite good, resulting in a very slick recording. The problem is, as much as this is a musically listenable record, it doesn't have a whole lot of replay, since beats can only take a hip-hop record so far; it has to have some meat behind it in terms of writing a worthwhile song to force you into listening. 50's album just doesn't do this. Hopefully by the time 50 puts out the successor to Get Rich, he'll have gained some more prowess with songwriting. I'm not putting any money on it, though.

The Bottom Line

Despite the great production, Get Rich or Die Tryin' is a lackadaisical release, with boring songs that have a beat to groove to, but nothing to feed your mind or educate. While 50 has his moments, the majority of his record is just another gangsta rap record in a crowded field, and one about 10 years out of date. It really doesn't matter though - 50 is a phenomenon anyway, with millions of records sold already and a huge tour with Eminem and company. It's not like giving this record 2 stars is going to do anything, since his popularity transcends any negative record reviews. Either way though, hopefully one day 50 Cent will release something that matches, or at least comes close to matching, his enormous following.

Track Listing

1 - Intro
2 - What Up Gangsta
3 - Patiently Waiting (Feat. Eminem)
4 - Many Men (Wish Death)
5 - In Da Club
6 - High All The Time
7 - Heat
8 - If I Can't
9 - Blood Hound (Feat. Young Buck of G-Unit)
10 - Back Down
11 - P.I.M.P
12 - Like My Style (Feat. Tony Yayo of G-Unit)
13 - Poor Lil Rich
14 - 21 Questions (Feat. Nate Dogg)
15 - Don't Push Me (Feat. Lloyd Banks of G-Unit and Eminem)
16 - Gotta Make It To Heaven
17 - Wanksta
18 - U Not Like Me
19 - Life's On The Line