Music Review

03 December 2008 04:55 BST

50 Cent: Curtis

Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Records, out Sept 10th

In a nutshell...

Threatening, sexist, gangsta, self-promotional, silly.

What's it all about?

After two multi-platinum albums and a Hollywood movie loosely based on his life, 50 Cent (or Fiddy to his friends) returns to gangsta rap, the hip-hop genre pioneered by such greats as Ice-T and NWA.

Unrelenting and always controversial, gangsta rap has often been at the forefront of arguments that music can be a dangerous influence. When at its best, the genre offers insight into a world where young black men do all they can to escape the struggle and poverty of ghetto life, but is viewed by its harshest critics as glamourising crime and objectifying women.

Fiddy's particular brand of gangsta rap boasts of riches, switches and… erm, ladies, and is allegedly spawned from a troubled life on the wrong side of the tracks. Slick beats and a lazy vocal style are the order of the day on this 17-track drive-by.

Who's it by?

50 Cent was first brought to the attention of the masses in 2003 having been handed the hip-hop baton by NWA's Dr Dre - via his own protege and rap megastar Eminem - and both rappers/producers make their own contributions here..

Further collaborations with Timbaland, Mary J Blige, and Akon among others add to what will inevitably be one of the year's biggest hip-hop releases. Whether or not Curtis will be enough live up to 50 Cent's previous two multi-platinum albums - 2003's Get Rich or Die Tryin' and 2005's The Massacre - remains to be seen.

As an example…

"I like you a lot, I don't wanna hurt you - but I call a square a square and a circle a circle. So if you act like a b**** , I'll call you a b**** and hang up. Probably call you right back." - Follow My Lead.

Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys

With his last two albums going ten and seven times platinum respectively, 50 Cent is no stranger to shifting albums - and Curtis will no doubt continue this trend. A previous 11 Grammy nominations with no win means that the possibility of third time lucky is bafflingly real.

What the others say

"Those familiar with 50's blueprint won't find much changed, at least in terms of lyrical latitude, but the overall sonic vibe of the album is much leaner and noticeably moodier." – IGN

"Curtis is too gangsta for its own good. It proves 50 Cent has ridden his one-trick, pimped-out and gun-toting pony into the ground." – Stuff.co.nz

So is it any good?

Curtis offers the kind of sub-quality Dr Dre style beats and empty threats of murder and violence that we have come to expect. Halfway through, however, we are offered some respite when current single Ayo Technology and the r'n'b flavoured Follow My Lead find Fiddy in a disturbingly amorous mood.

The former features the bankable tones of Justin Timberlake and is enough to bother the charts and sell a million or so ringtones. The latter then offers the rather uncomfortable and unconvincing promise of romance and tenderness from a man who six songs later offers to "pay to play… if it's worth it".

Overall, the frankly talentless 50 Cent clumsily stumbles through 17 over-produced tracks in his all too familiar drawl. The only thing truly murdered on this album is a genre of hip-hop rapidly running out of heroes able to defend it against accusations of misogyny and the glorification of gun crime.

2/10

Noel Mellor