50 Cent - Before I Self-Destruct

For 50 Cent's return in 2009, he forgoes many of the radio-friendly elements which have made his previous albums financial success. Here, in a relatively underground album for such a well-recognized rap artist, he abandons the pop market to deliver content to his niche of fans.

Despite a few catchy hooks, he steers away from having powerfully moving choruses to focus mainly on his verses. In this album, 50's voices becomes gruff abrasive aggressive. His rap style is versatile, and changing from song to song. His rhymes are somewhat simplistic at times, but they rarely disappoint.

Bar a few of the tracks near the end, the album is less focused on love and sex, but darker themes. The darker heavier production, with some credits in from Dr. Dre, make this departure from convention hiphop more convincing. These include his beefs with Rick Ross, Young Buck, the Game, and women that he had been sexually involved with, with an overall theme of his wealth resulting in the people he knew changing because of envy.

For hooks, R. Kelly, Ne-yo and Lloyd Banks are featured, but for verses, Eminem is the only featured rapper. In the song Psycho, 50 Cent's newly adopted personality (the one which is "standing at the stove cooking crack all day") goes back and forth, bar to bar, with Slim Shady.

With his persona, overall, he seems to delve into new territory, but he only has one foot out the door, still playing it safe, keeping in touch with some familiar elements in this album that he never let go. With a dark album of this sort, he could have been more deep and personal, bearing his soul, instead of simply using his fame as a pulpit to diss other rappers. Or at least, he could have expanded on his shock-value persona.

Overall, this not for clubbangers. This is for people who are looking for true hardcore fans of rap, who will appreciate its strengths and embrace its weaknesses.

7.5/10