50 Cent’s brand of poetry

Nobody probably thought 50 Cent will grow up to be rich, successful and most of all one of the most respected rap artists of all time. He never knew his father. His mother was on dope. He was hustling on the street as a child and later even dealt crack. Then, just when he thought fortune was finally smiling at him when he turned rapper, his record label got cold feet and dropped him from its roster. Tough luck.

But just as things reached rock bottom, an angel by the name of Eminem showed up. Mr. Slim Shady signed 50 Cent to the Shady/Aftermath label he co-owns with Dr. Dre and it was under this deal that the phenomenal Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was released. After that, the prospect of life on the street for 50 Cent totally disappeared. Thanks to powerful singles like 21 Questions and In Da Club, the New York-bred gangsta rapper was not going to "die tryin’" anymore. He did not only turn rich overnight, he was suddenly an important presence in pop music.

That happened three years ago. This year, 50 Cent released his sophomore effort, The Massacre and easily proved his initial success with Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was no fluke. His second album is an even bigger seller. As of this writing, The Massacre has already been declared four times Platinum in North America. That means over four million copies sold. It has been in the top 10 of the hit charts for the past 11 weeks with two of them in the number one slot.

A scant three months after its release, the 22-track marathon album has already given 50 Cent three hit singles. These are Just a Little Bit, Candy Shop, which features Olivia and Disco Inferno. An added career bonus is the success of The Game’s Hate It or Love It, where 50 Cent is a featured performer. It seldom happens that you find an artist with two or three singles in the top 10 for several weeks and I really wondered what 50 Cent was doing right with his new album. So from a nobody producers didn’t want to touch five years ago, 50 Cent is now a big hitmaker.

Another proof of his success is the fact that The Massacre is a star-studded production. Aside from the fast-rising Olivia, 50 Cent collaborates with other big names in the album. There is Dr. Dre in Outta Control and Talkin’ ‘Bout Me. The latter is an interesting piece where 50 Cent raps as five different characters about himself. The controversial Piggy Bank, which has been banned from radio airplay, boasts of Nas and Fat Joe. Eminem joins him in Gatman and Robbin. Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx is featured in Build You Up. while actress Vivica Fox is in Get My Car and there is rapper Tony Yayo in My Toy Soldier.

The themes he has chosen for the cuts in his album hark back to his former life on the streets. It will probably take a few more years before he labels these as over and switches to other subjects. His language can be awkward at times and still lacks the flair we usually admire in Eminem’s. But there is no mistaking his command of the music part of the medium particularly in the use of rhythm and his knack for coming up with commercial hooks. He is also keen on using musical instruments in surprising ways like the sax in In My Hood.

I have always believed rap is the poetry of the street and rappers have something important to say. Truth to tell though, The Massacre is a case of listeners cringing at the contents but unable to resist the invitation offered by the music. Repetitive and at times inane, 50 Cent’s poetry still has to reach the level set by Run D.M.C. or the Beastie Boys or his boss, Eminem but the music is great. The tracks In My Hood, This is 50 and the Eminem-produced I’m Supposed to Die Tonight are good examples of this.

So pay no mind to the cussin’ and the dissin’ and just enjoy the beat and with a full 22 cuts, The Massacre has a lot of that to offer.