Phases & Stages

50 Cent

The Massacre (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope)

With all ears on his follow-up to 2003 debut Get Rich or Die Tryin', 50 Cent leans heavily on sophomoric clichés that will surely be the death of us all. "I got an itchy itchy trigger finger, nigga it's killing me not to spray this shit." Representing the devolution of civilized man, 50 Cent pitifully uses the excuse of a deranged society to stoop even lower into a perpetual chest-thumping nightmare of unbridled greed, misogyny, and black-on-black crime. Granted the man isn't lying when he proclaims, "God Gave Me Style," but why must 50 entrust the entirety of his lyrical talent to guttural idiocy? While the musical allure of "Candy Shop" is undeniable as its swirls around a virtual "Magic Stick" of innuendo, do we really need such sleaze inundating our children as it's played 100 times a day by media smut peddlers? "Build You Up" featuring Jamie Foxx is a step in the right direction, but its celebratory love tones are ultimately muted by the tyrannical posturing of "Get in My Car." As documented woman abuser Dr. Dre provides ample ammunition for 50 to blow up everyone in sight on "Gunz Come Out," Eminem offers further morbid production by way of "I'm Supposed to Die Tonight."