I understood the West Coast sound of the early 90's.. Snoop and Dre were layin down some Pfunk and some great gangsta rap lyrics and hooks.. they were party albums u could dance to, guys and ladies liked it..

50 Cent..what is this crap? Every song is a 2 measure loop with a nursery rhyme and a monotone off key singer/rapper.. There's gunshots on half the tracks..It seems so calculated, he isn't street anymore when he's living in the burbs, but the kids are definitely buying it..Most of those same kids could write this shit in 20 minutes with the garage band software that came with their Macs..

Please explain..is music really dead?
[Edited 3/3/05 16:10pm]

Fifty Cent is now the first artist in the soundscan era (1991-present) to have three songs in the top 5. Of course they're all the same song, really, but that's besides the point. I guess sells to idiots is the only way to explain it.

give him five years, he'll be on the future's equivalent of 'the surreal life' - if he's lucky.

or maybe at best, he'll start making movies and become a second rate action film star. i can see him in a movie with steven segal.

Anxiety said:

I doubt it. R. Kelly is still with us so why not Fitty? Not even child porno could get R. Kelly's cacophony of crap off the radio. In fact he's stronger than ever.
[Edited 3/3/05 16:15pm]

as much as i dislike r.kelly, i can understand why he's successful. he does have some semblance of musical talent. he can write songs, he can sing them, he has a good voice for what he does, and he has an eye for the style of his work, which he can apply to other artists. i don't happen to dig his style, and the whole child molester thing skeeves me out, but i can't deny the core of what he does as an artist, which i think takes talent.

meanwhile, 50cent? what i saw on SNL a couple of weeks ago was the exact opposite of talent.

R.Kelly is dope.....anyway....50 is all marketing.....music is dead!

If this was 1990 "why is mc hammer so popular"?

thesexofit said:

way to go off topic....but hammer was nice..let's just say Hammer is more O.G than 50.... the funky headhunter

Anxiety said:

Whatever you say....

Girl you're in the kitchen
Cookin' me a meal
Something makes me wanna
Come in there and get a feel
Walk around in your t-shirt
Nothing else on
Struttin' pass, switchin' that ass
While I'm on the phone (ooh)
Cuttin' up tomatoes
Fruits and vegetables and potatoes
Girl you look so sexy while you doing the damn thang
That I want...

Sex in the kitchen
Over by the stove (I want)
Put you on the counter
By the buttered rolls
Hands on the table
On your tippy toes (girl)
We'll be makin love
Like the restaraunt was closed

How would you like it baby?
(Would you like that?)
Tell me right now pretty baby
(Yo babe I'ma call you back)

Girl you're in the kitchen
Chillin' in your robe
I'm sayin' to myself
She'd better go put on some clothes
Ticklin' and teasin'
Doin' that little dance
Girl you gon' make me lay you down
And give it to you one mo again
Cuttin' up tomatoes
Fruits and vegetables and potatoes
Girl you look so sexy while your doing the damn thang
That I want...

Sex in the kitchen (whoo)
Over by the stove (I want)
Put you on the counter
By the buttered rolls (right by the buttered rolls)
Hands on the table
On your tippy toes (on your tippy toes) (girl)
We'll be makin love
Like the restaraunt was closed (restaurant was closed yeah)
Sex In The kitchen (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Over by the stove (I want)
Put you on the counter
By the buttered rolls
Hands on the table (hands on the table)
On your tippy toes (oh) (girl)
We'll be makin love
Like the restaraunt was closed

This is what I'm ready to do...
Girl I'm ready to toss your salad
While, while, while makin' love (makin' love girl)
I'll be feastin'...

Girl you're in the kitchen
Sweatin' up a storm
The oven's on 500
So you know the kitchen's warm
Girl you know just how
To get into a brothers mind
'Cause here we are still in this kitchen
Doin' it for the third time
Cuttin' up tomatoes (whoo)
Fruits and vegetables and potatoes
Girl you look so sexy doing the damn thing
That I want...

Sex in the kitchen (ohh...)
Over by the stove
Put you on the counter
By the buttered rolls (right by the buttered rolls baby)
Hands on the table
On your tippy toes (oh we'll)
We'll be makin love
Like the restaraunt was closed (restaurant was closed)
Sex in the kitchen
Over by the stove (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Put you on the counter
By the buttered rolls (you and me baby)
Hands on the table (baby, baby)
On your tippy toes
We'll be makin love (we'll be makin' love)
Like the restaraunt was closed (like the restaurant was closed)
Sex in the kitchen (whoa)
Over by the stove (ohh, the stove)
Put you on the counter (counter)
By the buttered rolls (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Hands on the table (ooh yeah, yeah)
On your tippy toes
We'll be makin love
Like the restaraunt was closed (makin' love like the restaurant was closed)
Sex in the kitchen (oh baby)
Over by the stove
Put you on the counter (on the counter)
By the buttered rolls (listen)
Hands on the table (we'll be doin' it, doin' it babe)
On your tippy toes (we'll be doin' it, doin' it babe)
We'll be makin love
Like the restaraunt was closed (in the kitchen, the kitchen babe)
Sex in the kitchen
Over by the stove (in the kitchen, the kitchen babe)
Put you on the counter
By the buttered rolls
Hands on the table
On your tippy toes
We'll be makin love
Like the restaraunt was closed...

i know I know. But people proberly (i was too young) thought that about hammer. As for the iced one.....

Hammer at the time was a unique entity. The commercial landscape of music was different back then. Gangsta Rap hadn't emerged yet. It was okay for Black people to dance and smile (see Young MC) and wear big ass pants, that was commercial. Hammers look and style completely crossed over. Very few denied his talent or ability. If Hammer was on arsenio it was a big deal.

50 reflects the worst in modern Black music. The problem is his image is clownish and over the top. He's like the spinal tap of hip-hop.
[Edited 3/3/05 16:37pm]

VoicesCarry said:

I knew you were gonna post that

VoicesCarry said:

okay, good point, but at least r.kelly acts like he knows what to do when they put him on a stage and point TV cameras at him.

Anxiety said:

Screw 14 year olds?

VoicesCarry said:

you know what i mean.

i was wondering this exact same thing today. the only answer that i was able to come up with was

Anxiety said:

oh god yes..perfect example = DMX

missfee said:

he's a big dumb intimidating looking guy with a rock hard body. he'll be in some big dumb action movie and that could stretch out his fifteen minutes a bit. of course, there are rumors that fiddy's turned into a fatty.

DMSR said:

This is the only part of your statement I take issue w/. Unless he lived in the burbs for most of his life & NEVER lived in the ghetto (I honestly don't know if he did or didn't) I don't get this. If he moved post fame, who the fuck is gonna stay in "the hood" once they get some $??

I'm not saying rapping about a shady past is cool but gat dayum I understand the decision to do so

Anxiety said:

unfortunately he probly aint got 5yrs..from what i hear Game is gon get him

The part of queens he lived in isn’t' that bad, trust me, it's hardly a war zone.
[Edited 3/4/05 1:17am]

man,I cannot stand 50 Cent! I just got my new issue of Vibe,and he's on the cover.I got so pissed as I was reading the interview.He has the nerve to diss actor Samuel Jackson! He spends the rest of the interview bragging,talking shit,and disssing other rappers.He's never satisfied unless he is at war with somebody.What a complete moron!

His popularity is due to a few important factors.

1)His past is interesting. Ever since 2PAC was shot 5 times (not the later killing) and survived, it appears to be a mark of credibility to have been sprayed with a gun. This guy was shot 9 times and lived. His background for the most part appears genuine. This means that even if he is rapping on commercial party songs and love tracks for the ladies, he still has crediblity.

2) He was signed for millions. He is produced by Dr Dre, Eminem and other notables. He knows his way around a hook. He is aware of what the popular audiences want and he gives it to them. He reserves his 'harder' material for mix-tapes sold directly to the street.

3) He does street songs with a 'mean' persona. However, he is not afraid to show a more sensitive side that many rappers (such as The Game) avoid. Check '21 Questions' which is essentially a love song. That means both men and women like him. He also has the habit of releasing good party songs that make people dance.

4) HYPE. He has 'beefs' with various rappers. He is highly opinionated. There is drama all around him. This makes for headlines, headlines make for sales.
Add the above 4 points together and you have 11 million sales.


Ultimately, I think he is more intelligent than many of you give him credit for. This is Capitalism. There is demand and he supplies it.It is that calculated.

This is commercial rap. Nothing deep is required. 50 Cent is not the best, but he is certainly not the worst.

Peace

Mr7

Mr7 said:

am no fan of Fiddy, but this has answered it all perfectly, most hip hop heads know the difference between proper rap music, everything today in the charts all sound like Will Smith music back in 98.

Mr7 said:

Uhhhmmmm, wasn't "21 Questions" a Jay Z song??? Maybe I'm wrong, I dunno

LolaM said:

Nope.

Mr7 said:

-----
He is a walking sterotype. Another rapper playing the "Coon Role and that is about as deep as it gets with this guy. As soon as he gets killed or sent to prison the music industry will find another coon to play the ganster role.

"As soon as he gets killed or sent to prison..."


normally,I wouldn't smile at a statement like that,but this is 50 Cent we're talking about.

DavidEye said:

I know what you mean Davideye. Whether he was 6 feet under or in jail, I wouldn't miss the thug either.

kisscamille said:

50 Cent is nothing but a pompous,arrogant,thugged-out idiot.He's not even a good rapper....his delivery is flat,slow and boring.His ego is out of control.After reading his new interview/cover story in Vibe magazine,I hate him even more.