2008 Woodie Awards
50 Cent offers nothing
Leonard Anglade
Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: Entertainment
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There are several reasons why 50 Cent's new album is mediocre. On every track of "Curtis," 50 cent expresses his violent and misogynistic views. "Curtis" is a replication of 50 Cent's last two albums, which is comprised of the same violent and misogynistic content.
50 Cent uses the same set of words repetitively on almost every track. On tracks like "My Gun Go Off" and "I'll Still Kill," 50 Cent exhausts the word "gun" by saying it over 20 times. Although some may regard 50 Cent as a one of the best rap artists in the hip-hop realm, his new album certainly displays no form of creativity or originality. "Amusement park" is a duplication of 50's "Magic Stick," which is on his second album "Massacre."
50 Cent uses the same sexual concept in both songs, but uses different beats and words this time around. The beats to some of his tracks are very insipid and his rhythmic delivery is horrendous. The background beats to "All of Me" and "Touch The Sky" could probably make a bear hibernate before winter.
On "Peep Show," 50 Cent struggles to get his words to rhyme. The only track that is decent is "I Get Money." Although the lyrics are explicit, the background beat sounds like a fast paced retro hip-hop beat from the early 1990s.
In comparison to 50 Cent's "Curtis," West's "Graduation" is a better album lyrically and rhythmically. The rhythm to West's song "Stronger" is so lively that it could probably make a Buckingham palace guard dance. Unlike his rival 50 Cent, West displays his artistic talents through his music. Stylistically, West's songs are a combination of old school and modern rap. West's producing skills are manifested on every track of the album. Unlike 50 Cent's meaningless songs on "Curtis," every song on West's "Graduation" has meaning and purpose. In "Champion," West raps about his accomplishments as rapper and producer, and on "Good Life," West brags about his luxurious lifestyle. On the last track of the album, "Big Brother," West raps about his mentor, Jay-Z. Overall, 50 Cent's new album is no threat to West's.
West's album outsold 50 Cent's album by over 300,000 copies the first two weeks. According to MSNBC, 50 Cent made a statement saying "If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11, I'll no longer write music. I'll write music and work with my other artists, but I won't put out any more solo albums." After releasing an album like "Curtis", maybe it is time for 50 Cent to call it quits.
Looking at the album's sales, it is obvious that people are getting tired of 50 Cent's foul language and gangster antics. It has been said by several rappers that hip-hop is dead. After hearing "Curtis," one could certainly see why.
Leonard Anglade is a third-year student at West Chester University majoring in Kinesiology. He can be reached at LA641354@wcupa.edu.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 15
michael blackstone
posted 10/08/07 @ 10:15 PM EST
to leonard anglade
stop hating 50 cent
if curtis is so bad then why has it sold close to 900,000 u.s and 1.3 million worldwide under a month. kanye is a nerd. (Continued…)
siraj
posted 10/09/07 @ 12:11 AM EST
well said michael, even though his strugglin compared to his last 2 albums, his still sellin a hek lot more albums than artists right now, curtis is a good album but he didnt create the buzz he needed to. (Continued…)
jide
posted 10/09/07 @ 9:31 AM EST
hey mate
stop slagging off 50cent,the guy is a business minded person, want are you on about saying Curtis aint a good album, fink mate, straight 2 the bank , follow my lead ayo technology, amusement park, i get money just to mention a few tracks from the album, they are all hit singles n this guy keeps selling records. (Continued…)
ExXplicit
posted 10/09/07 @ 9:44 AM EST
first of all magic stick was never released on massacre so i dont know what your talking about. magic stick was never even on a album, it was supposed to be on get rich or die trying and then it was to be on kim's album. (Continued…)
TheKing
posted 10/09/07 @ 1:42 PM EST
dude if u gone try 2 critisize make sure yo damn facts are facts... magic stick wasnt on no damn massacre. candy shop dumbass. stop hatin on 50 he gettin money if yall cant respect that suck a d***. (Continued…)
soud
posted 10/09/07 @ 2:59 PM EST
i think that whoever wrote this article has not heard 50 cents new album.. I bought curtis and the lyrics are awesome. i had mixed feelings before buying the album but after listening to it i knoew it was awesome. (Continued…)
trey
posted 10/09/07 @ 7:19 PM EST
to Leonard Anglade:
you know nothing about hip hop, or even what makes a good album a good album. Your just trying to get your name out there and jump on the hate 50 bandwagon. (Continued…)
cyprian
posted 10/10/07 @ 4:32 AM EST
the guy that wrote this article is dumb as hell, i think maybe ja rule or the game or even kanye west payed him to go chat shit on the internet. so fool if u read this try get ur facts right and suck real niggas dick u faggot. (Continued…)
HEsaidWHATt
posted 10/12/07 @ 12:01 PM EST
another 50 cent hater who dont know shit. Stop hating, that Kanye shit is cool for my daughter. I have to pump 50 in my whip and feel those beats knock. (Continued…)
eve
posted 10/25/07 @ 12:20 AM EST
whether you wanta be pimps know it or not, 50 cent and rap in general is heading down-hill. Generations change, and momma don't want to hear that crap come out of junior's mouth. (Continued…)
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