How has this album affected hip-hop? WHY do you like this tape? What are the best tracks? Do you think it deserves the praise it gets? Is it the first time you've listened to it? What's your first impression? Have you listened to the artist before? Explain why you like it or why you don't.ĭON'T FEEL BAD ABOUT BEING LATE !!!! Discussion throughout the week is encouraged. It's fine for you to drop by just to say you love the album, but let's try and step it up a bit!!! This is your chance to practice being a critic. Avoid vague statements of praise or criticism. This is an open thread for you to share your thoughts on the album. But until he drops that truly jaw-dropping album - or falls victim to his own hubris - this will certainly do. And though he very well could be the rightful successor to the Biggie-Jigga-Nas triptych, Get Rich isn't quite the masterpiece 50 seems capable of, impressive or not. Dre (who does four) credit for laying out the red carpet here, and also give 50 credit for reveling brilliantly in his much-documented mystique - from his gun fetish to his witty swagger, 50 has the makings of a street legend, and it's no secret. Give Em (who produces two tracks) and Dr. After all, when co-executive producer Eminem raps, "Take some Big and some Pac/And you mix them up in a pot/Sprinkle a little Big L on top/What the f*ck do you got?" you know the answer. In sum, Get Rich is an incredibly calculated album, albeit an amazing one. That debate aside, however, Get Rich plays like a blueprint rap debut should: there's a tense, suspenseful intro ("What Up Gangsta"), an ethos-establishing tag-team spar with Eminem ("Patiently Waiting"), a street-cred appeal ("Many Men "), a tailor-made mass-market good-time single ("In da Club"), a multifaceted tread through somber ghetto drama (from "High All the Time" to "Gotta Make It to Heaven"), and finally three bonus tracks that reprise 50's previously released hits ("Wanksta," "U Not Like Me," "Life's on the Line") - in that precise order. The thing, though, is that 50 isn't exactly a rookie, and it's debatable as to whether or not Get Rich can be considered a true debut (see the unreleased Power of the Dollar and the Guess Who's Back? compilation ). Even so, Get Rich is indeed an impressive debut, not quite on the level of such landmark debuts as the aforementioned ones by Snoop or Nas - or those by Biggie, Wu-Tang, or DMX either - but impressive nonetheless, definitely ushering in 50 as one of the truly eminent rappers of his era. In fact, the expectations were so massive that they overshadowed the music itself - 50 becoming more of a phenomenon than simply a rapper - so massive that you had to be skeptical, particularly given the marketing-savvy nature of the rap world.
Probably the most hyped debut album by a rap artist in about a decade, most likely since Snoop's Doggystyle (1993) or perhaps Nas' Illmatic (1994), 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' certainly arrived amid massive expectations. Beginning with our classic list, we'll be moving chronologically to modern times.Īlbum: 50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin' (Aftermath)īackground/Description(courtesy ofAllmusic) Welcome to the Essential Album of the Week discussion thread!Įvery Wednesday we will discuss an album from our Essential Albums list.