50 Cent - Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ (Album Review)
What up one & all. Sky Bento here on the check in. BIG BENTO ENERGY is in full effect.
That time of year is upon us again. I know Summer is the more popular pick, but Spring is my favorite season. It’s like the smell of a good comeback is in the air. You might have been down all Winter but as soon as them clouds disperse, them birds start chirping, them blowers start blooming, them windows rest at a lower height and everything just feels alright. Spring fills us with memories of Summers past and hopes that the sun shines just as bright for us in the future.
Personally, my favorite soundtrack to this time of year are the kind of East Coast hip-hop/R&B radio smashes that used to dominate 106 & Park. It’s the exact kind of music you want to get a woman’s number to. Summer preparations are vital. You know the vibes. I’m talking Fabolous, P. Diddy (yes, with the P) & Ja Rule. But in true comeback-season-style there’s one album in particular I have to throw on from front to back as Summer edges closer. This is the story of one of the greatest comeback stories hip-hop has ever seen but I’ll spare you the supervillain origin story we’ve all heard a million times (do your Googles). This is 50. This is “Get Rich Or Die Tryin’”.
1. Intro - I love the fact that this man literally made the sound of a quarter dropping and a gun being loaded the intro to his debut studio album. And because I love the fact he had that genius idea, I hate the fact that I can hear that it’s only one quarter. I know there’s the chance it could be one of them 50 cent coins (which would make more sense given his name). But fam. He’s rich. I have a hard time believing he even has change but if he does it’s definitely regular quarters. Whatever. Classic intro regardless.
2. What Up Gangsta - That first kick drum with the strings. It hits like literal gunshots, and then the first words you hear is the name of 50’s crew. You can’t not feel that. His slight slur makes his confidence feel a lot more rugged. I don’t think we praise his villainish delivery enough. It feels like his only smiles are when he’s laughing at his enemies. This is a man that was blackballed, returning to the game with an unmatched hunger. This is a man who lives by this album title.
3. Patiently Waiting (feat. Eminem) - In my humble opinion, this album is Eminem’s greatest contribution to the game. That’s not to discredit any of his feats or accomplishments. We all at least acknowledge that there is an argument for Slim Shady as a GOAT contender no matter what side of that argument you stand on. On the contrary, Eminem’s contributions to this album just feel so much heavier than they normally do. Not just as an MC, but as a producer as well. Em’s plucked strings (which normally have a more cartoonish feel in his own work) provide the perfect backdrop for rap’s new supervillain to tear to shreds. Then Eminem comes in himself and demolishes what’s left with one of his greatest features ever.
“Take some BIG & some Pac & you mix it up in a pot. Sprinkle a little Big L on top. What the f*ck do you got?”
Magic.
4. Many Men (Wish Death) - Feeling. If you’ve read my DMX review, you’ll notice how much that matters to me in the music I listen to. So obviously, I think this is the greatest song 50 Cent has ever made. Honestly, I think it’s better than most other songs in general. It feels like New York at its coldest. The beautiful yet sad piano (courtesy of New Bedford’s own Tavares) loops hopelessly in such a way that feels like you expect it to finally give in and fully bloom into a gorgeous composition. Then the loop evolves into the string crescendo just to fall back apart into the same loop. Masterful. But let’s get into the actual lyrics. It’s 2021 and I still find myself reminding myself and others that “sunny days wouldn’t be special if it wasn’t for rain” and that “joy wouldn’t feel so good if it wasn’t for pain”. Curtis Jackson is a poet. “I thought we was cool, why you want me to die - homie?” Why would he ever believe in friendship? His only friendship is with God, and his faith in another day. He hasn’t died yet, so he can still try to get rich. After all, he must be here for a real reason.
“‘Cause he got hit like I got hit but he ain’t f*ckin’ breathin’”
Art.
5. In Da Club - GO. GO. GO. GO. GO. GO. When you live the life 50 lives, there’s a natural need to unwind. Unless you’re actually 50, in which case it just feels like you go to the club to rub just how untouchable you are into the faces of your opps. This song is so fire specifically because it feels just as menacing as the other records despite still feeling like a party record. You shouldn’t expect anything less from Dr. Dre himself, but still. “You can find me in the club” feels like he’s taunting his attempted killers and flaunting his success and the fruits of his labor. And yet this song became such a pop hit that Beyoncé got her Lil Wayne on and did her own remix. Actually, this was before that was Lil Wayne’s thing. And who’s was it then? 50 Cent. That’s crazy. I did not even intend to make that connection. But what can I say about “In Da Club” that you don’t already know?
6. High All The Time - Honestly, this song hasn’t hit the same since I learned 50 Cent doesn’t smoke. But I’m still grateful he made this for us who do indulge. “I’m high all the time, I smoke that good sh*t”. That hook will never get old. “I can go at Nas & Jigga both on my own”. Believable at the time, honestly. We’d never seen a star like 50 Cent before. It’s almost funny how little of the song is actually about being high though. I should’ve known something was up.
7. Heat - Yo. These are some of the best beats Dr. Dre has ever made. The rhythm is literally a gun cock and a blast on loop. Let’s give 50 Cent his flowers for his part in expanding what New York could sound like. 50 just fits these post G-funk beats so well. He sounds like the most charismatic serial killer of all time. 2003 50 Cent was special man. “Homie, I ain’t playin’”.
8. If I Can’t - Dr. Dre again. I know I’m focusing on the production of this album a lot, but that just goes to show how important it is to the overall experience. There’s so many feelings in every note of these piano chords. The drums really have a walk to them. But 50’s not walking or stomping or even floating on this joint. He’s standing perfectly still. This is the immovable object and the unstoppable force all in one man. This guy says “I’m waiting on n*ggas to act like they don’t know how to act”. This feels like the mogul he is now, but he’s always been this person. For a long time there was a popular saying in hip-hop that nobody wanted smoke with the white boy (Eminem). It makes so much sense that this was the guy he basically passed that torch to. Despite the numerous enemies that 50 made for himself upon coming into the game, you can hardly say he’s taken a L. That’s the sign of a real supervillain.
9. Blood Hound (feat. Young Buck) - Once again, 50 reaches beyond the sound of New York Hip-Hop. 50 was really embracing the South and bossing himself up at the same time by signing Young Buck so early into his own career. I’m convinced that in an alternate universe, there is a version of this track that features The Hot Boys, maybe even Missy Elliott. The repetitive spot-on flow really reminds me of her. But through and through, this is a 50 Cent record. Definitely not one of the ones everybody shows love to on Twitter, but as a fan of this era of Southern rap music, this has a special place in my heart.
10. Back Down - I like Ja Rule so I won’t spend any of my time tearing down one Black man to lift another up. He definitely gets a bad rep largely because of how incredible 50’s smear campaign was. But it’s impossible to fully review this album without mentioning him, so there’s his mention. Go back to his singles, there’s really some classics in his catalogue.
But WOW. This was ruthless. This felt like “Hit Em Up” when I was a kid. It’s definitely not as scorching as I remember it being, but that’s probably just because we’ve had 50 Cent around for so long and he hasn’t changed a bit. I’m just used to it now I guess. This is still peak 50 though, so the rapping is immaculately delivered. He’s such a good supervillain that he feels like a superhero. “They not gon’ like you!” “I know.” Then the skit. This is one of the most memorable diss records I’ve ever heard.
11. P.I.M.P. - Them steel drums are infectious but that hook is chronic. “I don’t know what you heard about me” is an earworm for the ages. Regardless of what he’s saying he always sounds like he’s in control of every situation he describes throughout this entire album. That’s what makes him a believable P.I.M.P. There will never be another 50 Cent.
12. Like My Style (feat. Tony Yayo) - “50, you need some help?” “Chill Yayo, I got this” SHEEEEESH. The shuffling drums, the blinging synths, the single bass lick, the menacing strings all really show the versatility 50 Cent’s pain-filled voice. Wild how the same situation that almost took his life gave him one of his most defining features. The early 2000’s brag raps are exactly what you’d expect if you’ve heard any of 50 Cent’s club-oriented records, but they’re still so timeless.
13. Poor Lil Rich - 50 embodies the struggle. He went from nothing to almost something to nothing again to one of the biggest stars hip-hop has ever seen. That’s what makes his pain so tangible, and that tangible pain is what makes him the exact type of underdog that everybody wants to see win. The way he says “n*gga” in the hook even sounds like he’s just chopping it up with his homies on the block, not recording one of the most hotly anticipated debut albums of all time. He’s so down to Earth, but high and mighty at the same time. Theoretically he’s a mortal man, but after surviving nine shots it really makes you second guess it. This air of invincibility bleeds through every bar of every track on this album.
14. 21 Questions (feat. Nate Dogg) - What even is an early 2000’s rap album with a song for “Da Club” and a song for the women? 50 knocked them both out the park on this one album, thanks in no small part to the late great Nate Dogg. The way he sings the word girl alone could’ve made this a hit. But 50’s charisma may have honestly peaked on this record, at least in terms of talking to the ladies. “I love you like a fat kid love cake” will live forever. This is another post G-funk beat that just feels like it walks, but that guitar loop gives it an air of both innocent romance and sexy lust at the same time. We’ve all heard this song hundreds of times and I doubt any of us are tired of it yet. Now that’s how you do a single for the ladies.
15. Don’t Push Me (feat. Lloyd Banks, Eminem & Tony Yayo) - Remember when I said this album was Eminem’s greatest contribution to the game? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Exhibit B. I think this record here is honestly the best to come out of Marshall’s “EmPac” phase, mostly because of how closely it captures that raw energy of 2Pac’s Death Row days. Everybody on this record reminds me of Pac in some way. Let’s go down the list.
50 literally starts the record with a rare humanizing moment as he asks for love and support before switching back into his current position of rap’s reigning supervillain. Tony Yayo needs his flowers too. He played the perfect hypeman for 50 Cent in these early days. But we all know that 50’s real right hand on wax was Lloyd Banks. Banks was always seen as the best technical rapper in G-Unit (which might be why this is his lone feature) and all the internal rhymes and smothering flow really give it a bit of 2Pac to me. The most blatantly inspired by Pac on the whole record has to be Eminem though. To this day “oh no not me, not Marshall, you want to see Marshall? I’ll show you Marshall” is one of my favorite Eminem moments for some reason. It’s rare he gets so simple lyrically in such an effective way. This posse cut is special.
16. Gotta Make It To Heaven - “I gotta make it to Heaven for going through hell” is a line for the ages. “In the hood they identify n*ggas by they cars, so I switch up whips to stay off the radar”. Sure 50. Whatever you say. One thing’s for damn sure, the man knows how to flex. But shouldn’t he? All 50 has been through, his success is so deserved. He knows this too, hence him thanking God on the third verse. Similar to DMX, the miracle of 50’s success cannot be understated. I’m glad we live in the timeline where 50 survived.
17. Wanksta - I’m hesitant to include bonus tracks in these reviews, but this doesn’t feel complete without Wanksta. “You say you a gangsta, but you never pop nothing”… That melody will never not be stuck in my head. 50 really brought a whole new style of singing to New York rappers honestly. While we now have icons like Max B, the cocky, slurred style of singing was so different than anything else coming out of New York at the time. It’s a lot more West Coast than the sound of Big Apple. Regardless, the New York swagger never leaves his delivery. “Damn homie, in high school you was the man homie” another 5 star quotable. I don’t even care how off-key his Jay-Z reference was, it all adds to the charm.
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson cannot be destroyed. He is pure determination and willpower incarnate. Not only did he thrive in industry that blackballed him, he completely took it over and expanded into other industries. Fashion, sneakers, film, video games, Vitamin Water, television, you name it. He got rich and almost died trying. The only thing that died that fateful night was his fear. With no fear holding him back, he entered the game from a wholly unique position. Dr. Dre and Eminem took a gamble on 50 Cent, but no more of a gamble than the industry had taken on them each. I love the Chronic. I love the Marshall Mathers LP. I’m not saying this record is any better than those classics, but this certainly feels like the culmination of that lineage. Isn’t that what hip-hop is all about? Taking what came before you and making something out of nothing? Believing in yourself unabashedly despite your own circumstances? 50 Cent was a supervillain to the music industry at large. But if you were young and Black in 2003, he was a superhero.