50 Cent - Get Rich Or Die Tryin Full Album
Kathy Douds
Whether the motivations stem from a Derrideian desire to transform our monsters into pets, a post-feminist need to latch onto a lost sense of dominant masculinity, the streets' unquenchable thirst for heroes, or simply a quest for a compelling urban narrative, hip-hop's obsession with the gangsta has dominated the genre for more than a decade. It has resulted in political pundits-- many, it must be noted, with latently racist agendas-- dismissing the entire culture as violent, misogynistic, and ultimately destructive. Stylistically, gangsta is a mesh of Cinema Verite and action blockbusters, where the grime and moral ambivalence of the crack trade clash with the unmitigated bravado of playa anthems. At its best, gangsta delves into these contradictions-- the pull between community and wealth, morality and survival-- with a deftness and wit alternately charming and horrifying.
Unfortunately, Get Rich or Die Tryin' rarely reaches these pinnacles; for most of the album's duration, 50 wallows in the genre's clichs. The wit is sparse, the details are slim, and the threats are hollow. This isn't as much a moral quarrel as it is one of thematic development. Biggie came with the soul, Pac came with the charisma, L. had the wit, and Nas had the words. But, with the exception of a few quality verses sprinkled here and there, 50 strikes as a parody of these masters, and does little on his debut to establish a persona of his own. He doesn't delve into the character of the gangsta any deeper than the prosaism he spits, and while he obviously has an excellent vocal cadence and a finely tuned ear, his lyrics lack the textured imagery and dexterity of themes necessary to sustain interest over the course of a full album.
In perhaps his biggest misstep, 50 Cent eschews a world inhabited by real people doing real shit for most of Get Rich, instead relying on generalized threats, proclamations of invincibility, and calls for pussy. Even the threats and declarations, bereft of the violent, pull-no-punches absolutism of Big L.'s early horrorcore, seem sanitized for Middle America. To put it bluntly, 50's rap sounds cold and mechanical, as though he were paralyzed by the pressures of hype or the prospect of his album being used as evidence against him in his trial for alleged weapons possession; the album sees him alternately declaring that he cares/doesn't care whether the D.A. hears these tracks.
Yet, for all the flaws in 50 Cent's persona, Get Rich or Die Tryin' isn't without its redeeming qualities. For one, the album offers a handful of great singles (obviously: "In Da Club", "Wanksta"), anchored by his distinctive, rolling drawl. Loping beats and Caribbean Casios adorn "P.I.M.P." while 50 flosses that misogynistic swagger; trigger-happy snares and organ punches cry out from the Dre-produced highlight "Heat". Yet, none of the tracks touch his appearance on 1999's In Too Deep soundtrack-- even while its fish-in-a-barrel attacks on virtually every platinum-selling artist of the last five years smacked of Eminem strategies, "How to Rob (An Industry Nigga)" factored heavily into the anticipation surrounding Get Rich, offering a glimpse of the juggernaut he might become.
In the meantime, the production work remains Get Rich's strong suit, boasting contributions from Sha Money XL, Megahertz, Rockwilder, Kon Artis, and both Eminem's and Dr. Dre's crews. Dre's team drops four tracks, each supreme examples of the raw ingenuity and virtuosity that, beyond the killer rhymes, made 2001 such a visceral, addictive party record. He also proves that, though rarely as experimental as Timbaland or as self-consciously high-tech as the Neptunes, he can still drop a hit to rival either of them, and with half as many layers. The bounce on "In Da Club" is straight-up irresistible, Dre at both his minimalist best and most deceptively infectious.
Still, 50 just isn't quite there yet. Had he offered more tracks that showcased his talents quite as tangibly as "How to Rob (An Industry Nigga)" alongside the massive radio hits bumping from every inner-city Escalade, Get Rich or Die Tryin' very well might have been the landmark achievement it's being touted as. But as his character presently lacks the dynamism and depth required for that elusive gangsta magnetism that's a prerequisite for notoriety, 50 goes down as simply a decent MC with a wrenching back story, whose potential landed him a gig with the world's dopest beatmakers and the hype machine that shot the Great White Way into the pop culture stratosphere.
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I don't have a problem with Spotify having clean versions of albums but for those of us who want to listen to the music the way it was intended, it just makes me feel like turning to Spotify to listen to it is a waste of time. I may as well buy an iPod or burn a CD for goodness sake
Also tempted to cancel over this. So annoying there isn't a choice. I agree 50 cent in particular is unlistenable, always amused me when his videos were on music channels or songs were on the radio and you'd barely hear any words.
The reason that Spotify keeps some songs is that when you play a song from an currently unavaliable album, Spotify searchs for the same song but from a different album. This is why you see a different cover art in the Player Section.
If that doesn't help, we'd also suggest checking if you have the setting to Show unavailable songs in playlists toggled off. If so, you can find more info here on why you can't locate songs or albums you like.
No one is sure why but a lot of songs have been censored or removed from many artists within hiphop. Spotify has left its customers with 2 choices. Listen to a censored version of the album or listen to the explicit version with unplayable songs. I cant work out why it's only certain songs or in 50s case, half an album because there is still other songs with references to gun, murder and drugs which haven't been censored. The only thing I can think of is that it's something to do with the laws within the countries. I'm UK based and that may be why I personally cant listen to certain songs?
Two decades ago this week, 50 Cent released not only his magnum opus but an album that itself would become the mark of a seismic shift in the evolution of hip-hop between the 1990s and 2000s.
But when it came time to hit the studio with Jay, it was the melody that the hip-hop legend required of his recent signee to JMJ Productions. In his eyes, at least for 50, choruses were to be multidimensional and have some refrain to them.
Overall, Get Rich or Die Tryin' may have been the polished product of three of the greatest minds and ears hip-hop has ever produced, but the lyrical concepts behind what was put on wax 20 years ago isn't rocket science. Rather, it was the usage of simple concepts the masses could easily grasp and share among themselves.
All of their stories, in his eyes, were reminiscent of his: a street hustler from Queens who employed rap to help him reach the boundless potential that has now landed him as an extraordinary entrepreneur and TV executive. Immersed in the alcohol business (with his Le Chemin du Roi champagne and Sire Spirits brands) and shows like BMF and the Power universe, 50 has helped create and produce some of the most watched on television.
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Before I give my review of this album, I would like to state that it is very evident Pop Smoke used 50 Cent's career as inspiration for his own. Their stories are very similar to one another. They even have the same last name even though they are not related to each other. They both started from impoverished and rough beginnings. They both had the same hunger and desire to succeed.
50 cent was able to produce and assemble this song perfectly. In several interviews, 50 has stated that this record was supposed to have Pop Smoke rapping his lyrics first and then Lil Baby and DaBaby would come in later with their verses. As he was mixing the record, it didn't sound right to have Pop Smoke go first, so he reversed the order of rappers on the song.
The nostalgic feel of this beat is reminiscent of a sound that 50 Cent and the G-unit Crew would rap on during their prime in the early 2000's. Pop Smoke's production team did an amazing job of bringing back a vibe of nostalgia and creative musical interpolations. Fans of 50 cent. will rejoice and feel like they are in a time warp.
This song is a standout and my personal favourite. The production values are tight and the arrangement is timeless. From the crisp beat to the lyrical concepts in the guest rapper verses, it all really connects and relate to the overall concept of the song.
The only other artist to ever pull off this kind of record selling and high performance feat was 50 cent with "In Da Club" off of his debut album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin, which was released in 2003. 50 cent adds his own level of gangsta to the record by adding the following lyrics to The Woo track, I pull up on her top gone, I'm the Don, I'm the Don, you can f*** around if you want, if you want!"
I will be playing this single for a long time, easily the next 3 -5 years! That is how great and memorable, this song is. I am also impressed by the Spanish influences and musical touch added to this record thanks to world renowned artist Karol G. Previously this record had afro beats artist Burna Boy on it but Karol G was still able to do this song justice with her version of the song. Having Karol G on this record also allows Pop Smoke's team to reach into a different demographic of fans. This still allowed him to present how talented and well versed he really was about the industry. Pop knew that in order to be a worldwide superstar he would have to try making songs with artists that his core fan base didn't expect him to work with. To the surprise of no one, his experimental beat and production choices merged with the charismatic nature of the singers and lyrics on this album have really paid off both for the listener and the artist.