50 Cent- Massacre (W) (G-Unit/Shady/Aftermath/Interscope/Universal)

 

In 2000, a band out of Mississippi charged onto the rock scene with an explosive smash hit single “Kryptonite”. The band, 3 Doors Down, would not go on to score more huge hits off the album “Kryptonite” came off of (“The Better Life”), being the kind of band who always went for the “safe” hit. They would continue this trend on “Away From The Sun” and “Seventeen”, where the band would hit the occasional chord that they did with “Kryptonite” and create a really successful song; but, more often than not, they would gun for the safe song, rarely, if ever, exerting their true potential.

 

The same, too, can be said for 50 Cent. Emerging in 2002 with a few songs off the “8 Mile Soundtrack” (biggest hit: “Wanksta”), and, along with the catchy club smash “In Da Club”, looked as though he may be the rapper of the future. 50 Cent had enormous potential when the time came for his debut album, “Get Rich Or Die Tryin’”, with major backing by Eminem, who “discovered” him (okay, so it’s not really his debut, since he’s had lots of mixtape experience and independent albums, but in regards to the mainstream, that was his debut).

 

However, while “Get Rich Or Die Tryin’” sold over eight million copies, it was largely a failure, as 50 Cent chose, much like 3 Doors Down did, to go the safe route and not realize his true potential. Having said that, it was a sound business decision in the aftermath of his album sales, and it would delay the inevitable questions surrounding why he doesn’t use his talent.

 

Thus, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when I say that “Massacre” is essentially just like “Get Rich Or Die Tryin’”, in that it is an extremely safe album tailored to fit “just right” in the modern rap world. For example, his first single off this album is the male chauvinistic, “let’s have sex” club track “Candy Shop”, adding nothing to the concept and just simply adding to the deluge of sex rap songs that are so simplistically stupid it’s not even funny.

 

He doesn’t stop there in the “safe” department- “Get In My Car” is another “Candy Shop” clone, while songs like “Gunz Come Out” and “In My Hood” seek to push 50’s “rough, gangsta” side, to no real benefit or originality. They’re merely embarrassing character plugs, the kind of songs where 50 upholds his “street cred”, as if anyone really cared anymore. The worst songs here, though, are the stupid “Piggy Bank”, where 50 sings “clickety-clank/There’s more money in my piggy bank” (thus another “I have money” song), “Gatman and Robin”, a stupid rip on the Batman theme and “I’m Supposed to Die Tonight”, which is supposed to show 50’s honour by admitting his enemies but it comes off as so fake that it becomes irrelevant. It also features an annoying voicing of gunshots in probably the worst display of gunshot sounds ever recorded.

 

This isn’t to say that the album is a total washout- “Disco Inferno” is a pretty danceable song, as is “Hate It Or Love It”, a remix of a song from The Game’s album. However, for the most part, “Massacre” is a failure, again another album where 50 plays it safe instead of expanding his horizons and showing off his real abilities. The beats are nice on this album, granted, but we’ve come to expect so much more from 50 Cent in terms of lyrics. Simply put, a guy like him shouldn’t be singing tripe like “Candy Shop”, because we know he’s capable of doing so much more. In fact, he’s threatening to be overshadowed by his (ex) protégé The Game, who has shown a lot more depth in his character than the one-sided, “tough” 50 Cent and Eminem. In fact, couple “Massacre” with the failure that was “Encore” (another horribly safe album) and it’s easy to see that both 50 and Eminem risk losing the relevancy that they once had, not to mention their star power. Oh, yes, “Massacre” will probably sell buckets, but if 50 keeps going like this, he’ll only be remembered as someone who could sell albums, and not as the legend he could very well be.

 

-DG