In The Deck

50 Cent – “Before I Self Destruct” – @@1/2

The average life-span of a rapper’s career is usually about ten years – some move to the Hamptons, while others fade off into obscurity. Make no mistake, the length of any given rapper’s career has little to do with how talented they are, or how good their respective albums are. Some can eat off of one song for two decades (i.e. this guy), while others venture off into other forms of entertainment (i.e. this guy), and others deliver sub-par albums, but always manage to score a hit single (i.e. this guy). Where does 50 Cent fall? 50 has managed to deliver one arguably classic LP, but since then has dropped a couple of forgettable follow-up records which failed to meet the hype of his debut. Nevertheless, 50 has the keen business sense of Diddy or Jay-Z, and has always managed to create hype for the release of each album, usually by ruffling the feathers of his competitors.

Last year’s title bout with Kanye West proved to be embarrassing for 50, as the self-absorbed gangster rapper suffered a humiliating defeat from a dude who sings in autotune while wearing Louis Vuitton sneakers and corduroy jackets. What started as a friendly duel turned sour when 50 began dissing Kanye publicly, proving himself to be a sore loser.

This time around has been no different, as 50 has once again relied on beef to create a buzz for his latest LP, Before I Self Destruct, baiting hood-favorite Rick Ross into a summer battle. The beef got ugly, once 50 started delving into Rick’s personal life, flying his ex-girl to New York for shopping and who knows what else. He further instigates beef with anyone else in hip-hop who is successful on “So Disrespectful”, a belligerent dis track that name drops Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, and others, in an obvious attempt to draw out his competitors into a high profile war of words. Sadly, this is 50’s most exciting moment on Before I Self-Destruct, proving that his brand of idle gun-talk and tired tales of drug dealing are pretty much all he’s got.

We like gangsta shit as much as the next site, at least when it’s pulled off correctly. While 50 is king of genre – at least in a monetary sense – he makes sure to drive the point home on this record, as his last LP couldn’t figure out how to balance itself with it’s commercial half. This time around, 50 goes in completely, with a non-apologetic, bullet-ridden rhymes pretty much from start to finish. When the production is on point, such as on the previously released buzz single “Ok, You’re Right”, or the Shady/Aftermath banger “Psycho”, we find 50 in full throttle, adjusting his delivery to match that of Dre’s production. He gets extra grimey – both stylistically and subjectively – on the Rick Rock produced “Stretch”, not to mention the extra filthy “Death To My Enemies”, which shows Dr. Dre’s production isn’t just all polish and shine. “Days Went By” offers a rare glimpse into his childhood, but is one of the album’s only fleeting moments of introspection.

Unfortunately, much of the album goes for grime with less-than-stellar results. The redundant “Hold Me Down” is 50’s take on the much overdone my-girl-is-my-gun metaphor, already covered by countless rappers in his borough alone. Songs like “Get It Hot”, “Crime Wave”, “Strong Enough”, and “I Got Swag” (really?) do little to distinguish themselves from one another, as 50 rattles on and on, making for a truly boring crop of tracks. Finally, the embarrassing “Gangsta’s Delight” proves this guy is officially out of ideas – and yes, in case you were wondering, this is exactly what it sounds like it is.

Not surprisingly, 50 attempts to shove all of his derivative attempts at club/radio play towards the end of the album. However after listening to 45 minutes of this dude talking about how he’s going to kill you, it seems a little ridiculous that this hard-as-nails gangster is tapping into his sensitive side with songs like “Baby By Me”, “Do You Think About Me”, and “Could Have Been You” (feat. R. Kelly).

50 Cent’s status throughout the industry as a bully has made him more feared than loved, when clearly his peers have outdone him in terms of quality. Jay-Z has taken the title for commercial hip-hop album of the year, while Raekwon holds the belt for the underground’s best record of 2009. Perhaps the only accolade 50 will receive is “most aptly titled album of the year”; it sounds as if his career is ready to self-destruct any second now. – D.T. Swinga

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