Probably the most hyped debut album by a
rap
artist in about a decade, most likely since
Snoop
's
Doggystyle
(1993) or perhaps
Nas
'
Illmatic
(1994),
50 Cent
Get Rich or Die Tryin'
certainly arrived amid massive expectations. In fact, the expectations were so massive that they overshadowed the music itself --
50
becoming more of a phenomenon than simply a rapper -- so massive that you had to be skeptical, particularly given the marketing-savvy nature of the
world. Even so,
Get Rich
is indeed an impressive debut, not quite on the level of such landmark debuts as the aforementioned ones by
or
-- or those by
Biggie
,
Wu-Tang
, or
DMX
either -- but impressive nonetheless, definitely ushering in
as one of the truly eminent rappers of his era. The thing, though, is that
isn't exactly a rookie, and it's debatable as to whether or not
can be considered a true debut (see the unreleased
Power of the Dollar
[1999] and the
Guess Who's Back?
compilation [2002]). That debate aside, however,
plays like a blueprint
debut should: there's a tense, suspenseful intro (
"What Up Gangsta"
), an ethos-establishing tag-team spar with
Eminem
(
"Patiently Waiting"
), a street-cred appeal (
"Many Men [Wish Death]"
), a tailor-made mass-market good-time single (
"In da Club"
), a multifaceted tread through somber ghetto drama (from
"High All the Time"
to
"Gotta Make It to Heaven"
), and finally three bonus tracks that reprise
's previously released hits (
"Wanksta,"
"U Not Like Me,"
"Life's on the Line"
) -- in that precise order. In sum,
is an incredibly calculated album, albeit an amazing one. After all, when co-executive producer
raps, "Take some
Big
and some
Pac
/And you mix them up in a pot/Sprinkle a little
Big L
on top/What the f*ck do you got?" you know the answer. Give
Em
(who produces two tracks) and
Dr. Dre
(who does four) credit for laying out the red carpet here, and also give
credit for reveling brilliantly in his much-documented mystique -- from his gun fetish to his witty swagger,
has the makings of a street legend, and it's no secret. And though he very well could be the rightful successor to the
-
Jigga
triptych,
isn't quite the masterpiece
seems capable of, impressive or not. But until he drops that truly jaw-dropping album -- or falls victim to his own hubris -- this will certainly do. ~ Jason Birchmeier