50 Cent: Before I Self Destruct (Album Review)

Ok, yesterday I posted up my first interview session ever on this site and to me it seemed like a great success for the future.  Tonight I want to post up my first album review which I feel could also be another step up for this blog.  Currently in my cd player I have Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 playing but as the itunes release date has arrived for this album, and all the press this man has created for himself, 50 Cent's Before I Self Destruct will be the first album I will officially review.  I know I've stated before that I'm not blogging just on 50 Cent, and as much as it might feel that way, he is the easiest artist for me to blog about so I shall start off easy and then take on the challenges.

Track 1 - The Invasion

This track right here starts the album off the right way, aggressive.  50 goes hard with a flow that rides the beat well, and a hook that has everyone ready to fight.  Production wise Ty Fiffe gives 50 Cent the element he needs to start the album off the right way.

Track 2 - Then Days Went By

More of a mixtape track I could here Lloyd Banks put this on one of his PLK mixtapes, but instead we find this on Mr. Jackson's album.  Once again 50's lyrics are on point, but this track slows down the album some from the fire it had in the intro.  For me a few hardcore songs would've been perfect to start off this self destruction, but I guess 50 didn't think so.

Track 3 - Death To My Enemies

If this would've been track 2 then the album would've flowed perfectly for the first few tracks.  A violent beat and violent track which has the perfect formula of Dr. Dre and 50 Cent doing what they do best, gangsta music.  Of course Curtis isn't shy to make references himself as he decides to take a shot at Lil Wayne's "The Carter" album but it isn't a direct diss, it's more of a "my album is violent, vicious, and not nice."

Track 4 - So Disresepectful

Right here this track is probably the gem of the album for me because it reminds me so much of piggybank.  No this is not the same type of diss track but more of a response to everything that has happened over the past few years.  From his fallout with his baby momma to his fallout with his former G-Unit members, Curtis let's them know that he will not be very nice if you cross him.

Track 5 - Psycho

Another track that fits in perfectly with the flow of the album is the Eminem featured "Psycho".  On here we get our boy rapping quick, fast, and different compared to what he has been doing lately, and Eminem doing his usual justice on a track.  Not much bad to say here except they better make a video for this or I'll be mad, oh yeah Eminem does the old school flow again which is very refreshing.

Track 6 - Hold Me Down

Once again the one knock that has been following 50 Cent for the past few years catches up to him on this song.  The singing hook, the slow beat, the boring same old raps is the formula used here and its a dud on an album which was starting to get me wondering what was coming next.  This beat sounds out of place in this album where murder, killing, and straight up world war 3 was about to take place.

Track 7 - Crimewave

With the filler track coming before this we finally get another street anthem which in my opinion is very similar to Lloyd Banks "Warrior".  The bounce, the grimy sounds, and the overall feel of this song makes me want to go and do something bad.  I know this is the same old murder talk and gangster talk, but the hook is catchy, and there is no loss of aggressiveness here. 

Track 8 - Stretch

I frequent Thisis50.com often so when I had a chance to see the video for this song it was very intriguing.  The hook is very catchy on this song and the beat is very twisted.  In my opinion this is the perfect drug dealer track. 

Track 9 - Strong Enough

More of a chill track and another song which sounds like it should be on a mixtape.  That would be the simplest way to put this, and I would like to say that the song is very New York.  The sample is nice, and once again Curtis let's us know that he isn't here for the nation, he is here for the hood on this album.

Track 10 - Get It Hot

On an album where I had felt 3 songs didn't belong this track right here should have not ever been released.  It has Lloyd Banks on the hook and the beat sounds way out of place along with many other negatives.  The beat sounds too simple and just plain.  I understand that this album needed a hardcore yet commercial single but this is just a weak attempt and a big dud.

Track 11 - Gangsta's Delight

After killing my ears with the last track we get another song that is back to the dark, gritty, and grimy direction this album previously had.  On this track we get more of a throw back sounding beat which is also very modern.  Along with a nice beat the verses are on point and the emotion we hear on this track has me very convinced that when 50 has a chance to be mean, he will be mean.

Track 12 - I Got Swag

One thing that is for sure is that 50 knows how to write hooks, and this song is a great example.  The verses are good and creative are again, while the production is fresh yet it sounds like something that shouldn't be on an album.  Something that I liked about this song is 50 is talking about paper yet he is getting at you, not straight up talking about it which he does like to do a lot.

Track 13 - Baby By Me

At one point I didn't feel that there was going to be a successful hit single for this album yet here we are with this hit.  Usually the song for the girls comes later but it was obvious 50 needed this sooner rather than later.  The beat has elements we have heard before from Polow Da Don, and it also has a guy singing hooks in Ne-Yo that has good commercial appeal right now.  A lot of the lyrics in this song are things we have heard before from our boy, so there isn't really anything special.  I guess the only positive thing I felt from this is that it gave the album the commercial appeal it had been missing.  Up to this point there was no song that would've been a hit nationwide so I guess this was somewhat necessary.

Track 14 - Do You Think About Me

I really enjoyed this beat because it sounds so fresh in this time of outer space hip-hop.  The lyrics are on point and I do feel that this could be a hit for Curtis.  The refreshing feeling this beat gives, and the fact that 50 doesn't have to sing the hook seem like the positives that could carry this to a chart climber.

Track 15 - Ok, You're Right

If you remember that this song came out in the summer than you have been paying attention to hip-hop, if not then you understand that this had no commercial appeal.  The lyrics are boring but the beat is fire.  What was lacking in an aggressive crossover hit this had, but it just didn't catch on.

Track 16 - Could've Been You

As we listen to the last track on the album its a chill track to smoke to.  I really did enjoy this some, but the one thing I've wanted is a rapper to start of hard and end hard which 50 proves might not be something he wants to do.  Of course you have to make music for everything, but another track that is slow just bores me when usually you just need 2 tracks for that.

Overall

I would say that the aggressive content is there, but there are tracks that just seem like they jump in when they don't need to be.  Curtis tries really hard to move away from the commercial album he dropped last time, but the problem is there aren't too many gems in this that could be commercially successful.  If I had to scale this album it would be a 7/10 because nothing catches my ears too much.  I tried to like some songs but I just wasn't having it.  The highlights are Psycho, So Disrespectful, Crimewave, & Death To My Enemies.  Songs that make this album worthless are songs like Hold Me Down, I Got Swag, & Get It Hot.  Overall we see that 50 tries to make an attempt to get the streets back on his side, lets see what they think...