Curtis
After the track by track break down of Graduation, it's only fair that I break down 50 Cent's Curtis album. As you know, the pair are going head to head, releasing their new albums on the same day and it seems to be Fiddy with all the trash talk (surprise surprise!!)...but does his album back his talk?
Before I delve into this, lets not get it twisted - I AM NOT A G UNIT HATER! Since getting the album on Friday, I've given it a couple of listens and in all honesty, it's an ok album but not the standard I'd expect with the amount of big talk Fiddy is throwing around - especially compared to the quality of music on Kanye's release and even compared to the standard he set himself with "Get Rich Or Die Trying". I expected after the luke-warm "The Massacre", 50 would be coming back out with all guns blazing. Seems as though some of those guns have jammed... Let's take it track by track:
Intro
A very weird way to start the album. Over a melancholic guitar, 50鈥檚 chosen what sounds like a film clip of two men - one seemingly Welsh, one Scouse talking about some guns. Super Sunil thinks they're supposed to be Irish - if so, they definitely need some accent lessons!
My Gun
Over a typical Eminem beat with plenty of muted guitar and dramatic harpsichord (sounding a bit like 鈥淵ou Don鈥檛 Know鈥 from the Re-Up album) 50 drops some of that standard gangsta ish talking about shooting people and how gangsta he is when his gun goes off which sets the lyrical tone for the album. There鈥檚 actually nothing wrong with this record, just that we鈥檝e heard it before and done better on 鈥楬eat鈥 from 鈥淕et Rich Or Die Trying鈥
Man Down
This sounds like a Dre-a-like on the boards. An infectious piano looping the same 3 chords over and over over some very hard military style drums sets the tone for another gangsta epic which lyrically lacks the usual 50 Cent finesse. Like using a sledgehammer when a slight tap would have done.
I鈥檒l Still Kill ft Akon
4 tracks in and we get treated to an appearance from the man who stole the King of HipHop Hooks crown from Nate Dogg, Akon. When Akon spoke to 1Xtra over the summer, he said that this record was amazing and while it is the best track out of the first 5 on the album, it鈥檚 not what you鈥檇 expect from a 50 & Akon collabo. Now, that鈥檚 not a bad thing - I quite like the fact that 50 and Akon haven鈥檛 gone the top 40 route and cooked up a girl tune and instead created a convict (notice the spelling) anthem but you have heard much better from both artists.
I Get Money
The gangsta club banger that I鈥檝e been loving over the past few months. There鈥檚 over 20 different versions of it on tinterweb but 50鈥檚 swagger matches the beat perfectly (even though the beat is a direct rip off of Cassidy鈥檚 鈥淚鈥檓 A Hustler鈥). By far the best track on the album 鈥 50 sounds confident, cocky and humorous 鈥 exactly what he does best. If the album was all this quality, Kanye would be sweating!
Come And Go
鈥淚t鈥檚 Dr Dre & 50 Cent trick鈥︹ With this one, Dre cooks up a Dre by numbers beat while 50 talks about women that have done him wrong but even Fiddy singing a refrain from SOS Band鈥檚 (or Beats International鈥檚 depending on your age) 鈥淛ust Be Good To Me鈥 can make this anything more than meh. I love Dre, I love 50 (NH) and I sound like a broken record but this was done much better on 鈥楪et Rich or Die Trying鈥 and even on tracks like 鈥極utta Control鈥 on 鈥楾he Massacre鈥.
Ayo Technology ft Justin Timberlake
This is definitely a grower 鈥 when I first heard it, I was straight not into it but it鈥檚 since grown on me after seeing the reaction in the club. I know it鈥檚 because I鈥檝e got such high expectations of what a Timbaland/Fiddy/Timbalake collabo would sound like that nothing short of 鈥淐ry Me A River鈥/鈥漈he Way I Are鈥/鈥滲ounce鈥 would have matched. The beat is one of those electro influenced double time ones Timbo has been knocking out recently that are oh so club friendly with 50 and JT on beg mode (substitute the word technology for pornography and you get a clearer idea of what the song is actually about 鈥 as if 鈥渨hy don鈥檛 you sit down on top of me鈥 isn鈥檛 graphic enough鈥). Timbaland got the best Fiddy/Timbaland collabo on his album with 鈥淐ome & Get Me鈥.
Follow My Lead ft Robin Thicke
A 50 love song akin to 鈥20 Questions鈥 or 鈥淲anna Get To Know You鈥 鈥 quality beat, lyrically slushy but on point (although there are no 鈥樷ove you like a fat kid loves cake鈥 moments here) and Robin Thicke does what an R&B singer should do on these things 鈥 add some sprinkles here and there.
Movin On Up
A Russell Simmons intro
Straight To The Bank
You鈥檝e heard this by now. Very indicative of where Curtis鈥 mindset is throughout this whole album. Very lazy Aftermath/G Unit/Shady records hit song by numbers that doesn鈥檛 quite hit you as hard as you would hope. That said, Tony Yayo鈥檚 ha ha鈥檚 have fast become the new standard way to laugh at people at 1Xtra towers. Or maybe not.
Amusement Park
Candy Shop 2007. Nuff said.
Fully Loaded Clip
Now I like this one 鈥 this is some straight up uncompromising put the kids to bed gangsta ish that musically sounds like something that Mobb Deep would have done in 2000 around the Murda Muzik album. Lyrically, he鈥檚 on Clipse mode and comes with a lot of Fiddy swagger but it鈥檚 got a feel of mixtape about it.
Peep Show ft Eminem
One for the freaky ladies in the club. Funnily enough, I鈥檇 expect it to go down well in strip clubs.
Fire ft Nicole Scherzinger & Young Buck
This should be a single. Straight up uncompromising Fiddy club joint that I expect will be requested by the ladies in the not too distant future. With the right video, this one could be a big hit.
All Of Me ft Mary J Blige
Mary makes this record 鈥 this should have been hers, she鈥檇 have smacked it to pieces. One of the strongest on the album with the mid 70鈥檚 soulful sample and simple drums complimenting a typical cocky 50 flow but lyrically he just sounds lazy which lets the track down.
Curtis 187
鈥淚鈥檓 grimey, I鈥檓 greasy, I make a 187 look easy鈥︹ Sounds like something left over from the GRODT soundtrack or the Re-Up mixtape 鈥 I can imagine hearing it in a film or a game like 鈥淕rand Theft Auto鈥 but that鈥檚 about it. Filler.
Touch The Sky ft Tony Yayo
A G unit anthem 鈥 complete G Unit by numbers which in this case isn鈥檛 a bad thing. Over a well produced beat, Yayo outshines 50 by far. Difference being that Yayo sounds quite hungry and comes with some good one liners in his verse. 50 sounds uninterested.
Overall, I feel disappointed by 鈥淐urtis鈥. Even if this wasn鈥檛 up against Kanye鈥檚 musically, conceptually and lyrically superior 鈥淕raduation鈥 and I didn鈥檛 have such high expectations of a 50 Cent release then I鈥檇 still rate it as I do. You鈥檝e heard all the ideas and beats on the album before on previous G Unit mixtapes and previous albums. A lot of songs feel unfinished 鈥 those that hit lyrically fail musically and those that have fire beats have weak lyrics. Out of his 3 released solo albums this is the weakest for me 鈥 just below 鈥淭he Massacre鈥.
If you鈥檙e a G Unit soldier, buy the album. If you鈥檙e a quality music fan, buy the Kanye album instead and download 鈥淚 Get Money鈥, 鈥淔ire鈥, 鈥淎ll Of Me鈥, 鈥淢ovin On Up鈥 and 鈥淔ollow My Lead鈥 from your favourite legal download site...
Don't let me influence you - vote and tell us what you're going to be buying on Monday.
Comments
Post your commentSure, the I Get Money drums are like Ima Hustler, but then Kanye jacked Dillas 'Stepson of the Clapper'/'Verbal Clap' drums for The Glory.
Call a spade a spade.
Its all about Kenny Chesney. This guy is releasing on the same day as 50 & Kanye and has a massive fan base. Be afraid be very afarid if Chesney and his Country & Western homies pass these 2 Hip-Hop heavyweights in sales.
Project -
I hear ya, but the drums on "The Glory" and the Dilla tracks you mentioned are samples from a record called "Long Red" by Mountain (a classic break sampled by loads of producers) - Dilla aslo used the same drums on a couple of beats he did for De La. Both producers mess around with the drums to create different patterns.
Where as the drums and drum pattern on 'I Get Money' was sampled from 'I'm A Hustler' - Swizz Beatz made the drums and programmed the pattern that is exactly the same as the drums and the pattern on "I Get Money" so there is a bit of a difference between the two.
Damn, I am such a trainspotter!
Your acting like graduation is anything different from the last two kanye albums. Its worse infact.
lmao - opinions are like bumholes. Everyone's got one. Difference is, I post mine on my blog!
ha! that intro is hilarious!
if i went on your review without hearing the album.. i wouldnt buy it.. but i have so i did buy it.. your review not correct to me.. but you can see your more biased to kanye!