The Massacre

Following up one of the biggest debuts in hip-hop history, crack dealer turned charisma dealer 50 Cent makes some bold moves, recycles plenty of old ideas, and sprinkles in some perfect party singles for The Massacre. Crafty man that he is, 50 Cent must have known following up the massive Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was going to be extremely difficult, especially for a rapper rightfully known more for creating headlines than rhymes.

To cushion the blow, 50 Cent released an album by his G-Unit crew and made numerous guest appearances on other artist's tracks. The Massacre is all about the "O": machismo, bravado and Mafioso – in 50 Cent's charming gangsta sort of way, of course.

50 Cent's feud with Ja Rule and Murder Inc. bring an old Hip Hop tradition to an even larger stage. It’s even represented by title of his latest album, The Massacre. Here in a fashion that’s anything but subtle 50 Cent proves he’s a master of combining catchy near pop tunes with a hip hop attitude born straight from his crack selling days on the streets of Queens, New York.

As its title implies, much of The Massacre is dark – at times even shocking. The album starts off with a particularly violent intro, somewhat appropriately. The LP picks up speed with "Piggy Bank", one of the better songs on the album. It is followed by the Eminem-backed "Gatman and Robin", which is also a very good. We find the newest member of G-Unit, Olivia, making an appearance on the exotic "Candy Shop". 50 Cent drops a few hot verses on "Get In My Car". "Ski Mask Way" is hands-down one of the best offerings on the album. "Baltimore Love Thing" plays as a love letter until you realize it's about the relationship an addict has with her drug of choice – heroin. Hi-Tek is on board for "Ryder Music", and 50's single "Disco Inferno" follows it up. Three strong tracks follow. "Just A Lil Bit", "Gunz Come Out", and "My Toy Soldier" (one of the better tracks without a doubt) are far from filler. The sexy club anthem "Build You Up" (featuring Jamie Foxx) is very sweet, but it certainly seems that 50's rhymes don't belong with the piano-ish beat. "I Don't Need Em" is 50 Cent acting tough, which isn't a good thing in this case. Quite possibly, the "Hate It or Love It Remix" may have been the best way to close out the LP. Violence is this album's undercurrent. Tempered with sex, big nights and bigger fights, The Massacre is all things gangsta, painting 50 Cent as the ultimate Ghetto Desperado. The Massacre doesn't look back at Get Rich or Die Tryin’. It really just wants to challenge other rappers' albums and not its predecessor. Taken that way, it's an excellent effort and a nice follow-up.

The cover of The Massacre transforms a photo of the hugely successful rapper into a character out of a cartoon or graphic novel, splatters of black paint around his muscular shoulders and arms. But the attention-grabbing charm of 50's not-so-secret weapon, his voice, is boosting The Massacre at least to the level of his smash debut album. "I’m falling in love with success," he raps at one point, secure in his position on top of the hip-hop world. What Get Rich... lacked, The Massacre provides with mysterious and mostly ambiguous detail. These details in small doses leave the listener alive with more questions than answers, and constantly relistening to learn the mystery.