Curtis
50 CENT
Shady/Aftermath/Interscope
Graduation
KANYE WEST
Roc-A-Fella
The images line the shelves of stores nationwide. One artist glares at the camera while the other opts for anime by renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. Itâs hardcore thug tales and club bangers versus âmessagesâ and fashion boasts. With both discs released on Tuesday of last week, the mainstream media couldnât help but hype the event as a monumental showdown, one that would dictate the future of hip-hop and perhaps the ailing music industry in general. Weâll see.
50 Cent has milked his crack-dealer past to no end; so has his label and just about every music writer in the country. Heâs not cuddly yet like Snoop Dogg, but itâs getting harder to take his thug routine seriously. For instance, the threatening âFully Loaded Clipâ attempts to reassert Fiddyâs street cred, but he sounds silly making smooching noises in between rapping: âWhen Jay and Beyonce were kissing, I was cooking 1,000 grams in the kitchen.â