Sometimes all that you know will inevitably be all that you can ever be. 50 Cent came from the streets of south Jamaica queens. He grew up in an environment where his mother was murdered and at the tender age of 12 he entered a field of work where many perish and only a handful survive.
Several years later and nine bullets holes after 50 first became the mainstream heavyweight that he is today. He unveils his newest offering, “Curtis.”
In a recent interview 50 said that “Curtis” would be unlike any other studio album that he has released, he compared it to the movie “Batman Begins” saying that the albums concept would focus mainly on 50 before “Get rich or die trying.” The fans and haters would have the chance to see what ran through the mind of Curtis Jackson before G-unit, or even “Power of a dollar” for that matter.
With a description as such hardcore 50 fans and casual fans alike will expect to be taken on a trip through the mind of Curtis Jackson, in the hopes they can understand how 50 cent was born.
Production- 9
The production on this album was as good as it gets, there were no Scott Storches’ and the crunk beats were put to the side—there was nothing mainstream about this beat selection. Almost every beat with the exception of maybe one or two is a head nodder. The production definitely sets the tone of the album and gives the listener a better feel of Curtis Jacksons mindset for every song. Tracks like “gun go off”, and “all of me” fit the bill and will snatch any listeners ears for the duration of the track, leaving you hungry for the following banger.
Lyrics- 7
50 has never been the lyrical messiah or even been known to drop too many hard hitting punchlines, however, when he does spit them—they are consistently memorable.
As always this concept stays the same. He has his moments when something he says may make you laugh or press the rewind button (“I heard you got four lips and bleed for seven day’s” -Straight to the bank), but for the most part its predictable 50. If you can zone past the amazing production and listen to the lyrics, he really does say more than bang, bang, shoot, shoot, I get money, and G-unit.
And unlike some of his other albums he keeps the verbal jabs to a minimum. There are a couple of tracks where it seems like what he is saying is repetitive or even pointless but his flow is steady on the beat and saves it from being a complete throwaway.
Songs- 8
50 had the intentions of giving this album a pre-“Get Rich or Die Trying” feel (GRODT) and in a lot of ways he definitely succeeded. Listening to this album you can feel a lot of the hunger, motivation, grimyness, and even at times the swagger that Curtis must of felt before he came full circle.
But unfortunately there are also times where you feel that 50 loses his own concept and just makes a song he knows will sell I.E. “Straight to the bank”. Ignoring the singles, songs like Gun go off, All of me, Man down, Fully loaded clip, and especially Curtis 187 will not only broaden your understanding of Curtis, but also take you on a mental trip to those same streets he lived in.
Listening to 187 you may find yourself with a mental picture of Far Rockaway, Queens hanging out in Redfern projects, or maybe you can see yourself on Farmers BLVD. This album has less braggadocios rhymes and more content. But obviously they aren’t perfect because if it were he would have a ten for this category instead of an 8.
What 50 loses points for on certain tracks is the inevitable. He has to make music that will appeal to the masses, so commercial tracks like the boring “amusement park” or the uneventful collaboration with Robyn Thicke, “Follow my lead”, make the skip factor on this album rise.
Peep show is a love or hate song, you will either hate it like me, or you will love its pointless and repetitive (Eminem produced) beat, as well as its boring and pointless lyrics, you choose.
Content-8
Everyone already knows what 50 is going to rap about, after all of these years of following the same formula not much change is expected from the “Teflon Don.”
The challenge for 50 is to keep his repetitive content fresh and innovative, and in this album he does so. He for the most part sticks to his concept (Minus “I get money” “straight to the bank” “ayo technology” and of course “amusement park”).
Then he has moments where he contradicts himself I.e. “Come and Go” where he talks about how women (or in G-unit language “Bitches/Hoes”) will come and go and they are only useful for one thing (take a quick guess), then a couple of tracks later in “Follow my lead,” he’s trying to win the girl over with the assistance of Robyn Thicke.
“Amusement park” was a total disaster so there is no point in even touching that subject, but other than that he sticks strong to the concept and rides it for all 17 tracks.
Conclusion
It is a strong album that in a twisted way gives you a better understanding of Curtis. If you’re all about killing, selling drugs, and degrading women then every song on this album will be your life story. But if you are one of the masses who has never delved into that lifestyle, you may not be able to relate however, you definitely will be able to enjoy.
50 cent doesn’t spit out a classic album this time around, but what he does offer is something that will last in our CD and Ipod rotation for more than just a couple of hours.
Kanye west just may win the battle in album sales, but as far as complete albums go 50 won the war. He’s the Mariano Rivera of hip hop, you always know whats coming but you always seem to go after it. Hate it or love it, this album is a definite banger.
Overall Score- 8
COMMENTS
shit was tight better than The Massacre not as hot as Get Rich or Power By Tha Dollar
and i agree hotter than kanye's new shit college dropout and late reg were alot fuckin better
I AGREE WITH THE COMMENTS ABOVE....THIS ALBUM IS NOT A 8 MORE LIKE A 6.5 OR 7....I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BETTER THAN THE MASSACRE BUT I WAS WRONG.
KANYE'S ALBUM IS VERY GOOD....MAYBE HIS MOST COMPLETE ALBUM TO DATE.
I think this album will be decent, but i still want to see 50 cent fail. I'm probably the biggest non-fanatical fan of 50 cent, but his shit is not the same as it used to be. I mean i listen to The Massacre and these samples and i think to myself "what the fuck is he doing?" Even his mixtape stuff sounds better than the rhymes he's putting out on the albums. Beg For Mercy was even better than The Massacre. I think this album will be a step up from The Massacre, but it's still disappointing that 50 cent is going to shit like this. I mean why doesn't he rap about his ambition and drive or something, he is an ambition person obviously, why doesn't he rap about it? Anyway aside from all that, the bottom line is that 50 cent has(or had) better skills than what he is demonstrating now, which is shit.
Actually i just listened to the whole album.............that shit is too tight, everything i said was bullshit.
Man 50 New Curtis Cd is off the chain..If ya'll don't like it ya'll must be smoking that fire crack.
Visit RawTunes.biz & get if for $4 & receive it the next day!
dis is real gud - loven it!
50 got it! His album is way better than Kanye's! He might not have sold more but he has it as far as the album! My favorite joint is "I Get Money" (of course) "Fire" & "Touch The Sky" w/ Yayo! This album is not the first 2 but it's better than Graduation! 50 and Ye need to step they game up cuz as much hype as they had they both let me down!
SHIT NIGGA I GOT IT 2 DAT SHIT IS BOSS!!! COP IT 9/11
www.RawTunes.biz
50 Cent "Curtis" CD only cost $4 & Best of all it comes in the next day!
now that you got it will you still go and buy it?
definitely! I will cop it...
www.RawTunes.biz
All CDs New For Only $4...Plus Super Fast Shipping!!
50 Cent "Curtis"
Kayne West "Graduation"
Yung Joc "Hustlenomics"
USDA "Cold Summer"
UGK "Underground Kingz"
Lil Wayne "Tha Carter 3 Leak"
B Gizzle "Built To Last Mixtape"
Common "Finding Forever"
Chamillionaire "Ultimate Victory"
TI "TI vs TIP"
DJ Khaled "We The Best"
Good review man, I agree.
CURTISSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Im Copping That Shit
Fuck The Haters
I think Some DJ Shud Do A mash Up Of Curtis versus Graduation. That Wud Be An Intresting Listen
were you guys download the album from?
From Ur mama's Ass Bitch...GO N Cop It
exactly...i wouldnt waste my time...curtis is the stereo typical rapper...get rich and switch that should be the title of his next album....his new shit is bullshit....he got put on and doesnt know how to act...i stopped listening to him....his first album was hot...his mixtapes before that were hot...he lost that hunger that strive....i get money was the best song on the album cause its the truth the nigga is getting money and thats all he can really talk about...he played out his getting shot 9 times sometimes i wish they would shoot his ass one more time so he can put out a whole new album...50 cent has not type of swagger or personality...he is just blah just like his music...he is a business man not a rapper...he built his career on talkin shit about all his competition...people buy his albums like they buy the inquirer they wanna hear people talk shit about the successful people...curtis is just a big ass ugly block head muscle bound nigga that made a good decision with smart water and is rich as shit!!...the end...dont get it twisted i would totally date him but i would never support his music!!!
ha ha ha the game got a 9/10 he got 8....but on the serious note 1st 6 songs are great after the rest is garbage and on the other hand kanye is delivering a classic
two totally different albums.. from 2 different artists, they both will sell, and we all know 50 was NEVER that nice on the mic so when people diss his lyrics just listen to all his shyt, its good but nothing lyrically incredible..he does make very good songs tho, i give it a 9...I can't give kanye a ratting because mos def,common,talib,rhymfest all help pen his lyrics..so as an MC myself I cant give him any credit for his rhymes.. the tracks are kind of kool tho....
drop by and peep my freestyle i did off of a track from graduation..
www.myspace.com/tonezworld
I chopped it up so i can loop..if any of you cats want the inst..holla!!
tight track on ya myspace.
man i dont like 50 but i did like this rite here.. its a banger him and kanye
get that bullshit outa here about other niggas penning Kanye's lyrics, he was spitting freestyles and write'n shit before he even got in with Common or any of them niggas..
i know he freestyles, i did'nt say they write "ALL" his shyt but he gets a lot of help from them..be e-z lil fella iz all good btw thanks for the love on my shyt homies
i like ur flow son. keep doin ya thing boy.
Havent herd that shit yet but the snippets were fire ....i expected 9/10 or higher, ill see wen i hear all the songs
nah fuck that it falls off atfer the 1st cuple songs...wuz only feelin 2,3, n fully loaded clip...got that shit at albumbase.com DAVID_BARRELS
CURTIS THE FAG ! I CANT WAIT TILL HE RETIRES
Not a real 50 fan anymore but ill give it a listen there should be a couple hits on it.
I already got it. Its not bad tho. The beats are crazy but its like a better version of 'The Massacre'. The only bad thing is that we already heard a lot of the songs on it before it actually leaked so when u get the album, u may be skipping tracks that u r already tired of. I'll still cop it when it drops tho but me personally, I prefer Kanye's own cos its more original and when u listen to it, u'll feel like "Damn, this homie really put in work to this album"...
Like bigtonebx said, they are two totally different albums. The styles are completely different so they cannot really be compared!
CURTISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS /Graduation
September 11
curtis!!! 9/11 fif the general is back
G-UNIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bk in here
1
curtis sep 11
i think it should be a 9
"Kanye west just may win the battle in album sales, but as far as complete albums go 50 won the war. He’s the Mariano Rivera of hip hop, you always know whats coming but you always seem to go after it. Hate it or love it, this album is a definite banger."
thank u for speaking the truth
i think he's saying that 50 has a better album?
sounds like an irrational opinion to me
i dont have the album.
were can i download it?
im copin both but fif will sell more than kanye
if all those tracks didnt leak it would prolly be a 9 but a 8 is the right call.
WTF R YALL LISTENING TO, THIS ALBUM IS SUCH TRASH
I GET MONEY SAVED THE ALBUM
6 OUT OF 10
it sounds like there are about 5-6 good songs on there. the last song sounded aight.
fuck the haters....i'm gettin both. ggggggggggggggg-gunit
Its about time we support real hip hop and lets accept the truth and lets look at these two albums carefully..................
CURTIS....50 Cent is the man no doubt but that was a long time ago since what he served us before in his delivery style has been taken by almost every artists today in the industry which is the same everyday tale.............................HUSTLE....GUNS...BITCHES....DRUGS...WHIPS....ICE(CHAINS AND SHIT),,,,,AND NUTHIN ELSE.....................
GRADUATION...Here Kanye West offers somethin different from what we hear everyday from these artists who all copied jay-z,nas,50 or some other artists in flow style,lyrical content and delivery which is the same 50 tries to bring to us thats why amusement park and straight to the bank which sounded like candy shop and get in my car or some shit from massacre..anyways kanye offers some new rythm to the game..if you in doubt just listen to songs like big brother.....good life...drunk and hot girls...
..JUST LOOKIN AT BOTH ARTISTS AND FOR AN ARTISTS THAT'S ALREADY RICH SAYIN I GETS MONEY AND ANOTHER IN MY MINDFRAME SAYIN WAIT TILL I GET MY MONEY RIGHT...I WOULD DEFINITELY BUY THAT AND DOWNLOAD THE OTHER...So Suck On You SUCKASS...I KNOW WHATZ REAL AND FAKE....CURTIS-7.5...GRADUATION-8.5
....And Tell The White Boy GROVER To Kill Himself 10 Times....U'll never see my nuts HOMO......
well your daddy's always on your nutsack so you'll never see your nuts either.
Ay on tha real. I ain't hatin but i gotta copy of Curtis and it ain't as good as i thought it would be. I'm not a fan of 50, but he fell short of ma expectations. Don't believe me, listen to the album yaself when it come out. But remember who told u.
I don't know...buyin Graduation...downloadin Curtis still, I don't even like this as much as I liked Massacre. Movin' On Up is a serious banger though.
i might buy it i dont know yet i gotta hear more of it
HOT ALBUM
ready pre-ordered it
this LP is trash nothing but trash except only about 4 song on it. its a crying shame. he really needs dre.
Says the guy with the Dipset avatar..
he is a Lil Wayne fan thats why he talk shit
i give it 0 out of 10 50 sucks
THE MARIANO RIVERA OF HIP HOP
COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF
DIS NIGGA'S GONNA SELL ANOTHER 10 FUCKIN MILLION
HATE IT OR LOVE IT
AND THE SKIP FACTOR DOESN'T EXIST
GO COP DAT CURTIS 9/11
I WONDER HOW CAMRON FEELS ABOUT COMING UP WIT THE NAME OF THE ALBUM
NIGGAS JUST CAN'T WIN WIT 50
LOL LOL LOL
hell yea thanks cam for the album title curtttiissss lol where is cam anywayz been m.i.a. ever since he said curtisssssss
on some real shit um tired of niggas saying 50 rap about the same thing but when he trys to to change it up youll hate on em oh and kanye,s album is not that orignal its his third album do the math
bull shit, and as for ya'll that keep makin comment on this trash havn't u guys got jobs or somthing
Im offended......... This shit is awful.. The album was wack.. No where near Ye's on any level..
real talk! super duper CO SIGN!
Fucking faggots complaining about originality don't know what the fuck they're talking about. Boasting about how Ye' is "original" and Fif' isn't. I guess you haven't listened to enough songs in your life to realize that there's no such thing as "original" these days. Go listen to Mos Def, Common, Nas, MF-Doom, and Jay, then listen to Ye'; I fuckin' dare you you to say his style is original/different.
Dudes are ignet these days, I can dig Ye's tracks and Fif's tracks, regardless of bullshit lyrical content. But because of their musical potential.
I might just cop Fif's album so some of you dudes can shut the fuck up. I had more fun reading G-Unit vs. G-Unot/Dipset comments anyway.
co-sign
yeah u said genius... "dudes is ignet these days"
well good thing we have you to enlighten us all
yo
8?
wtf?
Yo, i millionaire with a song "I Get Money" and "Straight To The Bank"
Fully Loaded Clip is another "My Toy Soldier"
Amusement Park is "Candy Shop" with a better beat
Follow My Lead is "Build You Up"
This shyt is The Massacre Vol.2!
THIS IS WHY HIP HOP IS LAME!
The production made this cd good and thats it!
ALL THE SHYT HE BEEN THROUGH LATELY AND WHATS GOING ON IN THE WORLD...he aint talkin about SHYT NEW AT ALL!
This cd is wack!
Give me a co sign...please! lol
my bad i mean A millionaire with a song...lol
so pissed at this review i wasnt paying attention REAL TALK!
awesome review, i agree with all of it...
and yeah, neither are ORIGINAL like what someone said a few comments up...ya'll just think Ye is original as fuck cuz you been hearin "i'm a kil you, with a gat, and a bat etc..." for so lone you hear consious rap and think it's Ye being original...it's the same as Talib, Common, Mos Def etc....ya'll just haven't been listenin to consious rap enough to realize it...
50 brings as much originality to gangsta rap as Ye does with consious rap...bottom line.
but yeah, nice review
o yeah and damn these two can't be compared! two different styles altogether....
if you like ya gangsta music, 50 makes some of the best gangsta joints...
if you like consious rap, Ye brings it to you like no other..
no...they say Kanye West is original because he has full control of how his album sounds. He basically makes that entire cd by his fucking self..calling in a few people here and there...but that entire project is his...all made by him...his sounds...his lyrics..his samples..his messages...So when he comes with something refreshing, people find it original, which it absolutely is. Its clearly obvious that people who listen to and appreciate many many forms of music..will like Kanye's album..and those who are too unfortunate and stupid to try something new..and only listen to rap..will like 50's cd better. But i wish some of you could see what your favorite rapper listens to. If you think any rapper other than 50 is listening to 50....youre crazy..but i bet most of them listen to many different kinds of music..and surely will listen to Kanye's CD.
100% agree witcha....bigups 2 kanye doin his thing without copying style,beats or lyrics..............
FOR ALL YOU DUMB FUCKS WHO WILL NEVER KNOW...YOU CAN ONLY CALL IT YOUR OWN WHEN YOU DEVELOPED IT ALL...HIS SHIT DOESN'T EVEN SOUND LIKE HIS PREVIOUS... UNLIKE FIVE-0...
ONE MORE THING....TELL GROVER TO SUCK HIS MAMA....AND YALL CHECK OUT JENA 6
canabis, are you dumb? kanye is one of the most recognized and admitted samplers in the entire GAME.
"Stronger": perfect example.
It's funny that you say that man. I mean it makes so much sense now: unless an artist produces his whole album by himself, it's not original!
Yeah, so Nas isn't original, Jay isn't original, HELL, ALMOST THE WHOLE RAP GAME AIN'T ORIGINAL! You act like in order to be original you gotta have "super lyrical content, your own production, and your own messege." Shit look at Dre, most of his lyrics are probably ghostwritten, and he needs a lot of support to produce his crazy beats; what was his message? That he brought you the group that said "FUCK DA POLICE?!"?
Also, most people don't even realize or think about the fact that Ye' "produced" his whole album. They buy and listen to damn songs because they sound good. Shit, a lot of people don't even care what the fuck Ye' is saying in "Stronger," but what they do know is: "That shit go hard!" You dudes are starting to sound like extreme lyrical-philes.
Understand that every rapper stands on one another rapper's shoulders. And Ye' and Fif. They standing on completely different shoulders.
dont be stupid....youre dealing in absoultes now....i was saying why people are saying Kanye is original..it is original to produce and make all your own shit...that doesnt mean that if you do not do that your unoriginal...but in 50's case he is just plain unoriginal....WHEN WERE BREAKIN IT DOWN..WHEN WERE BREAKIN IT DOWN!...that song is fucking terrible and thats not even supposed to be a single...yet it sounds just like one( and the other 7 songs he has put out)...his album is pure garbage...you can actually sit and listen to kanyes album straight through and his music and lyrics give you chills...Graduation is an amzing cd
both these albums are good mainstream pop albums. in order for an album to be considered a classic i think every single track on the cd should be dope. i guess fiddy's music u can dance to in a club and kanye's u can listen to when your looking for music with some meaning. way too much hype surrounding this shit though. i'd much rather listen to a rapper who's not so mainstream and still hungry (more gutter) - but then again thats how 50 was back in the day with power of the dollar and grodt and now that he's al big time the quality of his music has gone down.
you could say that...but ive been thinking about it...and in my opinion "Stronger" is a better club song than any of 50's club songs..."I get money"..is so bad..."Rich? Im already that. Tan? Im already black"......hahahahahahahahaha i think he got hurricane chris's 6 year old ghostwriter for that lyrical assasination
my bad i got that verse backwards....its so terrible that i cannot even remember it properly
Shit i need to bootleg this,any dudes wanna up a link that dont get deleted after a while.........