Arizona Daily Wildcat
Thursday February 20, 2003
50 Cent
Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
This is not a review of the new 50 Cent. This is a review of the masterminded product of Eminem and Dr. Dre. Both of these guys know how to project an image and sell it, and that's exactly what they've done with Frankenstein, err, 50.
It's said that 50 has been shot nine times in one instance and still survived. Why is that important? It's not clear, but it shows that this guy is a survivor. In fact, there are more than a few verses by a wide array of MCs about putting some dots in this guy's head. This is classic Shady marketing: Take something unlikable in the industry and stuff it in everyone's face. It's not that 50 is unlikable; but to industry cats, this guy is rapped about like a moving target. It's possible that half the reason he's selling big is because people want to get a taste of him while he's still around.
That being said, this is a classic hip-hop album. There are songs here that will stay in your mental stereo after one spin. The next time you hear the record, you'll be able to sing along. Listening to 50 spit his rhymes and then referring to his media-hyped life story for authenticity makes his lyrics that much more believable. For instance, when he sings "Many men wish death upon me," you get the feeling he's not being egotistical.
Dre, Em and others' production on this album made sure every beat was indisputable, ensuring that 50 would walk away with the best hip-hop album so far this year.
-Kevin Smith
Further Seems Forever
How to start a fire
Try not to think of this as the second album by Further Seems Forever. What you need to do is close your eyes when you are buying this CD, because then you won't expect the band to sound like FSF ÷ and in turn, you won't be let down.
Let's face it: Chris Carraba got too emo for all of us and went off to his Confessional, which left the rest of FSF looking for a home, or at least a new singer. They ended up getting the later, and at the same time changed the whole concept of what the band was.
No longer just raw emotion and power chord progressions, the group is now "exploring" the different sounds of rock. This ends up being a good thing, because the album is worth giving a listen to. But at the same time, the group lacks the intensity of the first album and just sticks with mediocre lyrics and an endless barrage of cry-alongs.
Just when you think the band is going to break into a full on frontal assault, they pull back and curl up into the fetal position. So if you are looking for a half-thought-out album ÷ and by the looks of what people have been buying lately, you might just be ÷ then How to start a fire is the answer. Let's just hope these guys don't end up burning themselves in the process.
Adam Pugh
