Buy

"50-Cent" CD Cover Download

Amazon.com Review:

Album Description: Australian pressing (identical to U.S.) of his smash hit 2003 album features three hidden bonus tracks, 'Wanksta' (from his currently unavailable album, 'No Mercy, No Fear'), 'U Not Like Me' (from his 'Guess Who's Back?' album) & 'Life's On The Line' (from his deleted EP, 'Power Of The Dollar'). Universal. He’s been shot nine times. Incarcerated. And stabbed up and down. And that’s only what’s happened on 50 Cent’s down time. Hands down, 50 Cent is the biggest buzz emcee since Eminem (who just happens to be his label CEO), and Get Rich also features Dr. Dre on production, so it’s a can’t-miss record, right? Well, mostly. Get Rich is not filled with midtempo, radio-friendly numbers like "Wanksta," his thinly veiled Ja Rule dis first heard on the 8 Mile soundtrack. Instead, Cent brings the heat, not heater. He sheds his inner thug on "21 Questions," featuring G-funk crooner Nate Dogg showing some semblance of respect to the hotties, and then reverts right back to his thug persona on "In da Club," where he boasts "I’m into having sex, I ain’t into making love." There’s no "How to Rob, Pt. 2" here, although "Many Men" comes close, as he addresses some of the haters who may not fully get why he’s now rap’s big cheese. Surprisingly, the two Eminem-produced joints--"Patiently Waiting" (which thematically is very much like Em’s "Lose Yourself"), and "Don’t Push Me"--almost rival the beats supplied by Dre. Then again, it seems his most well-known cuts ("High All the Time" and "Wanksta," for example) are actually some of the weakest of the lot. Sure, Get Rich could never have lived up to the hype, it’s nowhere near Biggie's Ready to Die or Nas's Illmatic, but there's no fast-forward material here, a near miracle in these times. --Dalton Higgins

Buy

50 Cent CD Cover Download

Amazon.com Review:

Album Description: THIS CD INCLUDES A FREE RINGTONE AND MOBILE PHONE WALLPAPER (please see insert for details) The Superstar Rappers Third Album Includes Production from Dr. Dre, Eminem and Timbaland, and more.

CURTIS (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope), features guest appearances by Eminem, Timbaland, Akon, Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige, Robin Thicke, and Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls.

50 has 2 HOT tracks leading up to the release of Curtis! Both have taken the radio airwaves by storm: "AYO TECHNOLOGY" featuring JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE and TIMBALAND - produced by TIMBALAND, and "I GET MONEY!" Curtis continues 50 Cent's phenomenal rise from the mean streets. His official debut album, 2003's Get Rich Or Die Tryin.., sold 872,000 units in the first four days of its release, making it the fastest-selling debut disc in the SoundScan era (since 1991). The album was the biggest seller of 2003 and is currently ten times platinum worldwide. Later that year, The New Breed, a DVD with a bonus CD including new songs, charted #2 Pop and #1 R&B/Hip-Hop. His second album, 2005's The Massacre, was the second biggest-selling album of the year and is now seven times platinum worldwide. Since he first dropped his bombs on the music world, 50 has earned 11 Grammy nominations, from Best New Artist to Best Rap Album for each of his first two efforts. Attesting to his worldwide popularity, Get Rich Or Die Tryin' hit #2 in the U.K. and #1 in Australia while The Massacre went #1 in both those countries, #2 in Sweden, and is the biggest-selling rap album in India, where it has been certified double platinum, selling more than 2,000,000 copies. Back in the U.S., 50 has scored three singles claiming the #1 spot across the charts -- R&B/Hip-hop, Rap, and Pop: "In Da Club," "Candy Shop," and "21 Questions" (featuring Nate Dogg). Three more went Top 3 across the board: "P.I.M.P," "Just A Lil Bit," and "Disco Inferno." Yet another four were Rap Top 10s: "Wanksta," "Outta Control (Remix)," "Window Shopper," and "Best Friend." Four of the above have been certified digital gold: "In Da Club," "Candy Shop," "P.I.M.P," and "Disco Inferno." From music to movies, video games to books, a clothing line to footwear, 50 has taken street culture by storm. But as Curtis proves, and as he says in ..Straight to the Bank,.. 50 Cent wants even more.If you believe everything you hear, Curtis is 50 Cent's bid to be hip-hop king--the rumor goes that he issued it the same day Kanye West released his Graduation CD to spawn a sales race and thus, a) establish superiority, or b) retire with his head hung low. But here's what might not have occurred to 50: Given enough talent and a fully loaded speed-dial--the kind that can raise Timbaland, Akon, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, and Eminem faster than the sickest rapper can stitch together a verse--it's possible for two diabolically good discs to drop the same day. Forgetting the Kanye competition for a moment, Curtis might come up short in a race with its creator's other albums--the rawness and reach of Get Rich Or Die Tryin' isn't here. But certain cultural moments (who would refute that the release Get Rich… was one?) can't be replicated, and what Curtis lacks in credible grit, it more than makes up for in finesse. Never let it be said that you can't be fierce and flow at the same time: "I Get Money" glides back to the old school in sound--there's a house party happening behind this track--but sends out a modern message, "I'll Still Kill," with Akon, underscores 50's continued thug-hood with a lethal hook, and "Follow My Lead," with the smoothie Robin Thicke, is a finger-popper worth 100 plays for its sly mood alone. May the best rapper, if there is one, keep rapping. --Tammy La Gorce

Buy

50 Cent CD Cover Download

Amazon.com Review: 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. --Dalton Higgins

Co-Conspirators' Greatest Hits

The Eminem Show, Eminem	The Chronic, Dr. Dre	Olivia, Olivia
The Slim Shady LP, Eminem	Hi-Teknology, Hi-Tek	Straight out tha Trunk, Disco D