Wasn’t is just yesterday that when a new 50 Cent album came out, everybody was talking about it? Wasn’t is just yesterday that 50 Cent would have 3 top ten singles on the charts that hyped his album so much that everybody was ready to hear the complete new album? With so many delays and no big hit singles on the radio catching steam, 50 Cent’s new album Before I Self Destruct has seemed to be on the back-burner for people who in the past have been loyal fans. Who out there even knew that this Tuesday, 50 Cent’s Before I Self Destruct album finally was released? Projections came in today from hitsdailydouble.com that projects that 50 Cent’s latest project will only sell about 150,000 to 160,000 copies in his first week in stores. This is a concerning number as 50 Cent has been known in the past to sell a million copies in its first week in stores. In 2002, his debut album Get Rich or Die Trying sold 872,000 copies in its first week, which spawned hits like In Da Club, Wanksta, P.I.M.P, 21 Questions, and Many Men. It went on to sell over 10 million records and in many eyes became a classic album in hip hop. When nobody thought he could get any bigger, his second album The Massacre was released in 2004 and sold an incredible 1.15 million copies in its first week. Even his third album Curtis which is now known for its Soundscan battle with Kanye West, which he ended up losing, even sold a solid 695,000 copies in its first week in stores. So what has happened to 50 Cent? Yes it seems like 50 Cent is still always in the news, but it’s not for his music anymore….
But why is this? Can 50 Cent still make a hit song? As of November 19th, 50 Cent’s new single Baby By Me, is currently 33rd on Itunes music charts. It hasnt even come close to his catalog of hits from before, and its unheard of, for him not to have a top 10 single going into the week of his new album. At one point in 2005, it didnt seem like 50 Cent could miss when making a hit record. He became the first artist to have three singles in the top 5 on the Billboard charts in one week. Yes I believe 50 Cent can still make quality music but it seems like every time I hear about him in the news these days it’s all about what I like to call “publicity feuds”. He picks fights with the likes of Jay Z, Rick Ross, Young Buck, and The Game to name a few to what it seems like is just a ploy to keep himself relevant. In Mtv’s Hottest MC’s list of 2009, they put him at #9 and the only reason he is even there, is because of his “publicity and web presence”. For an artist that at one point seemed unstoppable, it truly doesnt even seem like it’s about the music anymore. 50 Cent will always stay in the news with his sometimes entertaining ploys but will I ever get an album like Get Rich or Die Trying again? Probably Not
To look at his new album Before I Self Destruct, 50 Cent goes back to his roots and gives his fans the aggressive content that they are used to. With only 3 featured artists on his new album, it seems like 50 Cent is focused to show that this album is more centered around him. Stand out tracks are So Disrepectful, Psycho, Crime Wave, and Gangsta’s Delight where we see glimpses of old 50 Cent. Fans who love his club records will love Baby By Me and Do You Think About Me but none in my mind come close to his old classics. Overall I see this album as 3rd overall in his discography, behind Get Rich or Die Trying and The Massacre, and in front of Curtis. It is overall a great album and people should definitely listen to it but it is sad to get to the end of the album and realize that we will probably never see the work of Get Rich or Die Trying again.
So is 50 Cent really losing his edge, or have we just put him on such a high pedestal that he just cant reach any higher. In 2008 he still had a net earning of $440 million, noted all of that was not made off of music. 50 Cent has definitely lost some of his stature with his 4th album but he has definitely not become completely irreverent in the music industry. People all around the world still respect him for his music and would love to see him tour behind this new album but he is not as big as he once was. Maybe 50 Cent has peaked and the days of having so many hit singles all at once are of the past. Jay Z’s 11 number one albums has to be noted as it just comes to show how hard it is to stay on top for so long. 50 Cent’s 4 albums have been good but you start to wonder how many more albums we will see from him. 11 albums seems unreachable to so many artists these days including 50 Cent. It will be interesting to see what the future has in store for 50 Cent but it seems like the days of In Da Club are far behind him.
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