Track List:
01 - Intro - Produced by Eminem
02 - In my Hood - Produced by C Styles and Bang Out
03 - This is 50 - Produced by Black Jeruz and Sha Money XL
04 - I'm Supposed to die Tonight - Produced by Eminem
05 - Piggy Bank - Produced by Needlz
06 - Gatman and Robbin feat. Eminem - Produced by Eminem
07 - Candy Shop feat. Olivia - Produced by Scott Storch
08 - Outta Control - Produced by Dr. Dre and Mike Elizondo
09 - Get in my Car - Produced by Hi-Tek
10 - Ski Mask Way - Produced by Disco D
11 - A Baltimore Love Thing - Produced by Cue Beats
12 - Ryder Music - Produced by Hi-Tek
13 - Disco Inferno - Produced by C Styles and Bang Out
14 - Just a lil Bit - Produced by Scott Storch
15 - Gunz Come Out - Produced by Dr. Dre and Mike Elizondo
16 - My Toy Soldier feat. Tony Yayo - Produced by Eminem
17 - Position of Power - Produced by Jonathan Jr Rotem
18 - Build you up feat. Jamie Foxx - Produced by Scott Storch
19 - God Gave me Style - Produced by Needlz
20 - So Amazing feat. Olivia- Produced by Jonathan Jr Rotem
21 - I Don't Need em' - Produced by Buckwild
22 - Hate it or Love it (remix) feat. G-Unit - Produced by Cool and Dre
With the release of "The Massacre" 50 Cent faced one of the most difficult tasks there is for a big name in the rap game, trying to live up to the success of a chart topping debut album which sold around 8 million copies in the US and over 11 million worldwide. On top of this he also has to deal with the growing number of haters that seem to have come out of the woodwork since he made it big. So how does 50 deal with this? He disses every rapper under the sun, that’s how. The question is, has beefing with Game, D-Block, Ja Rule and Fat Joe been a publicity stunt to push a sub par album that needed some added heat because it couldn't compete with his last offering or is it all just a coincidence.
The album starts off pretty weak with the tracks "In My Hood" and "This Is 50", which are just are basically just 7 minutes of 50 saying how gangsta he is, but offers little in the way of lyrical content or replay-ability. It isn't until the third track "I'm Supposed to Die Tonight" that the album actually starts to meet your expectations. This catchy Eminem produced track has 50 letting some of his talent show as he tells us what it’s like in the kill or be killed world of rapping and the streets.
One of the reasons this album was so highly anticipated, well apart from it being a follow-up to one of the best selling rap albums of all time, is the track "Piggy Bank", in which 50 Cent was meant to air out all his enemies in one swift move. The build-up prior to this release made out that this track would be some "Hit Em' Up" career ending type of track, but when you actually listen to it there is nothing more than a disappointment. Don't get me wrong it has some good lines like this one targeting Fat Joe:
"Got 100 guns, a 100 clips, why I don’t hear no shots?
That fat nigga thought 'Lean Back' was 'In Da Club'
My Shit sold 11 mill, his shit was a dud"
And this one targeting Jadakiss:
"Yeah homey in New York, Niggaz like your vocals
But that’s only New York dog, your ass is local"
But on the whole it is a mediocre diss track at best; what with the hook sounding like it was written by a 5 year old:
“Clickity-clank, clickity-clank
The money goes into my piggy, bank”
It clearly can't compete with classics like "Ether", "Takeover" or "No Vaseline".
The album continues on with its average but nothing special feeling with "Gatman and Robbin'" "Candy Shop", which sounds so similar to "Magic Stick" it is untrue and "Out of Control". It isn't until the street single "Disco Inferno" that the album seems to get any momentum and energy. It's just a shame it is followed up with "Just a Lil' Bit", which seems to showcase the main flaw with "The Massacre". It seems 50 is uncertain who he is trying to target with this album. The tracks seem to switch from catering for fans that got into 50 when they heard "In Da Club" and the fans who loved 50 when he was underground and raw. A good example of this is how tracks like "Toy Soldier" and "Gunz Come Out" are surrounded by tracks like "Build You Up" and "So Amazing".
The last track, "Hate it or Love It (Remix)", is probably the best song on the album. When I first heard the original on The Game's album it felt like it was one of 50's tracks and didn’t really feel like it fitted on the album. In fact, during the Game and 50 break up, 50 actually claimed he wrote the track (as well as others from Game's album). Everyone on the track has a strong verse, which just goes to show G-Unit can produce quality material, they just don't tend to do it best when it's not on their own album.
Overall I think this album is too mixed up to be a classic, 50 needs to decide who he is making tracks for, the ladies, the pop charts, or the fans who have stuck with him since forever. Lyrically, there isn't anything ground breaking on the album, but 50 seems to have rekindled his winning formula for catchy tracks, which may be partly down to the solid production, although it would have been nice to see more Dre produced tracks. 50 haters are going to hate, the fans are going to love it, and the casual hip-hop listener is bound to find something they like on it, but it can't compete with "Get Rich or Die Tryin'".
Hot Tracks: "Hate it or Love it (Remix)", "Disco Inferno", "My Toy Soldier", "Gatman and Robbin'"
Artist: 50 Cent