50 Cent's The Massacre: A Review

Jay-Z had retired. Nas had released a largely overlooked double album. A few rappers - T.I., Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Young Jeezy were starting to establish themselves as national superstars, but at the time nothing was as big in hip-hop as G-Unit. 50 Cent's diamond sales of his debut Get Rich or Die Tryin (read review) had been bolstered by the double platinum sales of the group album Beg for Mercy (read review), and the platinum sales of solo artists Lolyd Banks and Young Buck. A new West Coast rookie named The Game had come into the fold and had strengthened the group's street and national appeal with a flurry of aggressive mixtapes. And just weeks before the release of The Game's debut The Documentary (read review) and 50 Cent's sophomore record, the two had a highly publicized feud, leading to The Game's ouster from G-Unit, which would eventually weaken the group.

All this to say, The Massacre is a record written from a position of strength. The records, mostly hits, are scattershot: aggressive street fare immediately followed by shameless crossover attempts, and vice versa. It feels more like a mixtape than a proper album, which is understandable since the mixtape is the format 50 has the most experience in, and Dr. Dre seems to have played less of a role here than on 50's debut or The Game's debut.

But honestly, it doesn't really matter. 50 knows how to make hit records and beyond that he knows he needs to continually bolster his credibility with street records on mixtapes to propel his popular momentum (hence the excellent 2050: Before the Massacre mixtape and a raft of other pre-2005 G-Unit street material). And there are simply too many hit records here, of all types: from the shameless crossover Candy Shop to the In Da Club-aping Disco Inferno to street anthems like In My Hood and I Don't Need Em.

Of course, 50 learned early on the marketing power of beefing with other rappers, and insults five of the most relevant New York rappers at the time on the rickety Piggy Bank: Nas, Jadakiss, Shyne, Lil Kim, and Fat Joe. The song is a series of warning shots, not full-fledged diss records like his debut's Ja Rule-mauling Back Down, but it is a clear line in the sand, and given its targets, it is an attention grabber.

There is little rhyme or reason to the track sequencing, butmore than three quarters of the tracks are appealing. Get In My Car should have been released as a single, Just a Little Bit, which was released as a single, is absurdly catchy, as is the duet with Eminem and 50. Baltimore Love Thing is an atypical concept record, and is compelling simple because it is atypical. Position of Power and Ryder Music recall the self-empowerment overtones of Jay-Z's early work. The opener In My Hood reaffirms 50 Cent as an authority on inner-city life and the original album closer Hate It or Love It (remix), featuring some of rap's most promising talent at the time - The Game, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck and Tony Yayo, affirms 50 Cent's dominance over the rap game. The Massacre is just that: a slew of pop-hits that few rappers then or since could match. It's still a great listen, if you enjoy melodious hooks, catchy lyrics, irresistible beats, and unadulterated gangster rap.

View my other Associated Content music reviews here.