#36 - Phil

50 Cent

The Massacre

2005

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I’d like to share with you an album I’m truly thankful for – 50 Cent’s The Massacre. When 50 burst onto the music scene in 2003 with his terrific debut Get Rich or Die Tryin’, he became arguably the biggest rapper in the world in a matter of months. His single “In Da Club” completely monopolized the radio stations, as it was one of the greatest debut singles by any rap artist in history. From a commercial standpoint, there was absolutely no way 50 could top Get Rich. But artistically, he had plenty of room to grow. And that’s just what did on his nearly flawless follow-up, The Massacre.

Not since the mid-90s heated East Coast-West Coast rivalry had I heard a rap album that really gave me chills from its intense street themes. On this record, 50 completely dismisses all political correctness and just says whatever he feels like saying. “I’m Supposed to Die Tonight” is an intensely dark recreation of a drive-by shooting; “Get in My Car” is a relentlessly disrespectful song about 50 picking up women; and “Piggy Bank” is four minutes of 50 lyrically taking out every rapper he has beef with while “the money goes into my piggy bank!” Violence, sexism, and cockiness are certainly not novel in the world of hip-hop, but 50 presents them all with such direct confidence that the messages cut deeper into the listener’s body than most. And “Baltimore Love Thing” is poetically the strongest song 50 has ever written; he becomes heroin and speaks directly to the woman who’s addicted to him. It’s brilliant. -P.W.

For the longest time I despised hip hop so much that I did not even want to consider it music. It wasn’t until 2004 that I finally realized the merit in this world of music in The Mouse and the Mask by Danger Doom and Late Registration by Kanye West. Rap has a rich social history and has developed considerably since its conception. I have come to love the art in experimenting with beats, sampling, cleverly crafting lyrics, and flow. It’s very impressive. However, this is where I need to get on my soap box. Hip hop also has incorporated many steadfast themes the last several years that are simply unfortunate. I alluded to it before, but the sexism, glorification of senseless violence in the name of pride or drugs, and the overall bullshit machismo and homophobia are all trends that still deter me from the music. If there isn’t enough creativity and innovation to outweigh this crap, I have a very difficult time swallowing it. 50 Cent embodies everything about hip hop that I detest. I gave this album it’s fair chance but I just can’t stand this. I’ll take an asshole like Kanye West over this mental midget any day. - Ryan

"The Massacre" begins with a female fan reading her new CD package which states "To all my fans, love 50 Cent. Happy Valentine's Day". Once the CD is popped into the tray, you can hear a slow melody playing on a children's music box and then overtop are sounds of multiple guns firing simultaneously and the blood-curdling wail of a terrified woman. As the firing and screaming eventually cease, we're left with only the sounds of emptied shells falling to the sidewalk. Forget this senseless brutality, I'm done with this shit. - Steve