9 bullets plus 19 tracks equals 50 Cent

Being the hot new rapper of the moment means having Eminem and Dr. Dre as your mentors, two singles in the top 5 and wearing a bulletproof vest every day. Having the most hyped album in hip hop and having beef with almost everyone gives 50 Cent a good reason to put his vest on before his underwear. Such is life in the spotlight and the crosshairs.\nWho's surprised? Heavyweight rap star Eminem has been in 50 Cent's corner for over a year now, drawing the kind of attention to the rapper's debut that hip hop hasn't seen since Eminem's four years ago. The curious thing is that 50 Cent's style is frequently slow and barely decipherable versus Eminem's often clear, quick and witty lyrics. They are true brothers in the controversy department. Not only did 50 Cent spend his younger years dealing drugs, the 26-year-old rapper miraculously cheated death after taking nine bullets three years ago.\n50 Cent, a New York native, was born Curtis Jackson. He first sparked an underground stir in 1999 with the EP Power of the Dollar and was signed to Columbia Records for a short time. But after his shooting the label released him, and 50 started selling his music on the streets. A CD made its way to Eminem, who declared on an L.A. radio station that 50 Cent was his favorite rapper. This led to his return last year. He was featured on the "8 Mile" soundtrack with the single "Wanksta," a new slang term for loser, which was aimed at rapper Ja Rule.\nWhile his rapport is similar to current US political relations with a select few countries, his allies are certainly at an advantage when it comes to the recording studio. Having Eminem and Dr. Dre as executive producers on his new album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', unquestionably helps 50 Cent's popularity. Carried by excellent beats from Dre and Eminem, 50's lyrics and original style will get him a top album for early 2003, unless his status as Most Hated Man in Hip Hop gets him first.\nWith all the hype swirling around 50 Cent, he appears almost as the second coming of Slim Shady himself, but 50 Cent is not the black Eminem. 50's virtue is his unapologetic thuggery and syrupy rhyming style. While some of his songs' lyrics are meant to elicit laughs, the message is clear: 50's had to suffer the consequences of the streets and he's not impressed with "studio gangstas."\nThis mindset leads him into material that can be very redundant. His cockiness has helped this album earn top debut recognition, but it doesn't hold classic ablum status. Songs like the current No. 1 rap single "In Da Club," a bouncy invitation to dance, and "P.I.M.P." with its catchy chorus are bound to be hits with the public. At the other end of spectrum, there's "Back Down," and if you thought 50 Cent had thoroughly ridiculed Ja Rule in his video for "Wanksta," wait till you hear this. \nWith such a low tolerance for others, it might be hard for 50 to find peers worthy of sharing a track. While most rappers nowadays have a "feature" rapper on almost every song, 50 only brings in Nate Dogg to back him on "21 Questions" and the rest of the album features his posse the "G-Unit" and Eminem.\nThe majority of this album focuses on selling crack and how much better 50 is than everyone else for having survived nine bullets. 50 Cent wants the public to know his history, and the album's quality gives him the right to brag.