Kanye West vs. 50 Cent:

The album cover for 50 Cent's third studio release shows the rapper immersed in thought, clutching his forehead, as if contemplating the deeper meaning of life. That image, combined with the album's title, suggests Curtis might provide an intimate glimpse into the man behind the mogul. Nope.\nCurtis offers up the same old bump and grind as his first two albums and calls upon the same muses: guns, money and women.\nTracks like "My Gun Go Off," "Fully Loaded Clip" and "Straight to the Bank" show that there are only so many ways of rapping about getting cash, banging chicks and killing haters. 50 tries to mix things up a little with the euphemism-heavy "Amusement Park," which harkens back to The Massacre's "Candy Shop." 50 tells ladies, "If you wanna ride the roller coaster/ Baby, come on and ride."\n"I Get Money" is as close as Curtis gets to replicating hits from past albums. In the first verse, he hits the nail right on the head: "You can call this my new shit/ But it ain't new though."\n50 flaunts the depth of his Rolodex on the album's seven collaboration tracks, calling in verses and beats from friends both new and old.\nThe most shameless is the Timbaland-produced, Timberlake-chorused "AYO Technology," which sounds like a poor man's "My Love." 50's delivery isn't nearly as smooth as T.I.'s, and he ends up sounding like an anachronism in Tim's futuristic world.\nThe obligatory Akon cameo is relatively painless in the thunderous thug anthem "I'll Still Kill." Crooner Robin Thicke lends his vocals on the cheese-ball ballad "Follow My Lead," on which 50 shows his softer side: "If you act like a bitch, I call you a bitch, then hang up/ But I'll probably call you right back." And Eminem reliably offers fart noises and rhymes about poop on "Peep Show."\nIt's not until the 14th track that Curtis finally heats up. R&B queen Mary J. Blige lends her pipes to the soulful "All of Me," which is by far the album's highlight and one of the few tracks where 50 isn't trying to justify his thug. "Fire" brings together old friend Dr. Dre, who produced Get Rich or Die Tryin', and fellow G-Unit member Young Buck for Curtis's best club track.\n50 Cent has always prided himself more on his business savvy than his artistic adventurousness, earning his iconic status not through innovative music, but a franchise that includes movies, books, video games and even bottled water. \nAs a result, Curtis sounds less like a musical work and more like the next installation in a line of merchandise with the "50" brand name on it.