![]() Although a greatest-hits compilation is, by definition, packed with hits, a great album, thanks to sequencing, tells a story. ![]() Compare the experience of listening to a great album as opposed to a greatest-hits compilation. ![]() Even in this age of streaming, albums aren’t going away any time soon. Perfecting your song order when you sequence an album can mean the difference between a great artistic statement and a nice mixtape. Sugar-coated as it was with catchy beats and melodies, 50 Cent’s music allowed audiences to observe, as Pitchfork described it: “the pull between community and wealth, morality and survival” that Gangsta rap focused on, away from the real danger the lyrics were discussing.Guest post by Scott McCormick of the Disc Makers Blog To those listening in English nightclubs, songs like In Da Club, P.I.M.P, and 21 Questions offered a glimpse into a culture that was thousands of miles away, both literally and metaphorically. With Get Rich or Die Tryin’, 50 Cent brought back some much needed credibility to the world of commercial hip-hop. But at the time of its release it was, as a BBC review explained: “The antithesis to the pop looped chart friendly sound of mainstream hip-hop.” It would be hard to argue the case that Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ offers social commentary in the same way as a NWA’s Straight Outta Compton, or Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. Watts, observed: “One of the most meaningful accomplishments of gangsta artistry has been to open a window on the daily, gritty grind of inner city living.” In his 2009 research on the importance of authenticity in Gangsta rap, professor of rhetorical studies, Erik K. The album itself was styled to look as though the plastic cover had been shot, and the CD booklet contained a photograph of Jackson pointing a gun at the camera. The release of Get Rich or Die Tryin’ brought back “ hip-hop in its rawest form”. The return of the ‘Gangsta’Īlthough “Gangsta rap” had been around for decades, by the time Jackson arrived on the scene in 2003 many big name rappers such as Nelly were making softer, pop-inspired hip-hop.ĥ0 Cent at the UK premiere of the film inspired by his album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ in 2006. Inadvertently his distinctive flow, a mumbling southern monotone caused by the aforementioned shooting (which left bullet fragments in his tongue) may even have spawned “mumble rap”, much as Jackson scoffs at the sub-genre. Jackson had lived the life he rapped about. Underprivileged youth with a tragic backstory? Check. Nine of them, to be precise, from a shooting in 2000. Jackson wasn’t just posturing about the “gangsta” lifestyle – he had the scars to prove it. Part of his success may be attributed to the backing of Eminem and Dre, but it was Jackson as an individual that provided the main draw.ĥ0 Cent, listeners soon discovered, was an artist who possessed the authenticity so important to hip-hop. In Da Club reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and by the time its parent album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, was released, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson had achieved his aim of putting “ the rap game in a chokehold”. This was back in the days when I’d be “in da clubs” myself and during the following months, two things were inevitable:ĥ0 Cent’s song would be played at least twice every night.Įach time, it would be accompanied by screams and stampedes to the dance floor. ![]()
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