If there is one thing hip-hop loves more than expensive cars, loose women, and the occasional drive-by, it's a highly publicized battle involving its biggest stars. This time around fans will be delighted to know that this one won't be settled in the street, but in the record stores, as Kanye West and 50 Cent battle over your hard-earned cash with the simultaneous release of their new albums, Graduation and Curtis, respectively, on September 11th. As the receipts are tallied, we give you our take on who came out on top.
kanye West, graduation
Lyrics: Kanye has never been a frequently listed name on anyone's list of best emcees (even though he has no problem including himself on his personal top five), and unfortunately his lack of presence on the mic keeps the album from reaching classic status. Not even lyrical juggernaut Lil' Wayne can save tracks like "Barry Bonds" that are mere feet away from a grand slam. His main topics - namely, himself and why he is your favorite rapper's favorite rapper - run dry by the middle of the record. "Big Brother," a tribute to his benefactor Jay-Z, is probably the only noteworthy concept articulated on record. All to say: something has to change by the next album for his rhymes to keep up with his breathtaking beats.
Production: Sampling everything from Daft Punk to Steely Dan, Kanye has clearly shown he is working on a whole different level than his competitors. Late Registration found West moving away from entire songs being determined by one sample; the tracks found on Graduation show off West's continuing evolution into a darker, heavier sound helped by his own original instrumentation. Highlights include "Flashing Lights," which seems to give a stylistic head nod to his future-hop contemporaries The Neptunes, and the latest single "Good Life," featuring the robotic falsetto of Akon's prot‚g‚ T-Pain sliding up and down against club-ready synth stabs and a bloated bass line. These songs give enough reason to validate West's claim of being the best producer in the game.
Concept: Graduation signals the end of Kanye's trilogy of albums dealing with his semiautobiographical leave and return to academica. The record is full of references to being at "the top of his class" with respect to other hip-hop artists, and finds West reflecting on his sudden rise to fame and the fate-driven nature he believes got him to his superstar position. Both with his lyrics and production style, West has matured from a na've freshman addicted to money and girls to an introspective alum contemplating the decisions that made the man we see today.
Best Metaphor for Picking Up Women
"You could be my black Kate Moss tonight" - on "Stronger"
Most Outlandish Use of Braggadocio
"My head so big you can't sit behind me" - on "Barry Bonds"
50 Cent, Curtis
Lyrics: On an album like this, it's one-liners or nothing. 50 hasn't lost his touch (or his bravado), and he pulls off some gems. "Man Down" tackles cop-killing, snitchin' and avoiding prison in less than three minutes - and brings enough dirt to get himself censored, even on the uncut version. On "Follow My Lead," he's torn between brutal honesty and - er - sensitivity: "If you act like a bitch, I call you a bitch / Then I hang up, then probably call you right back and shit." But most of the cuts here come down to the usual huffing and puffing. One nugget of wisdom: "It's never enough dough / Shit, I need mo'." So it's refreshing when Eminem drops in on "Peep Show" with some freaky sex talk that might make you blush if it weren't so hilarious.
Production: Curtis has its moments. "I Get Money" shines brightest; a sinister, fuzzed-out beat punctuated by a scratchy chorus. The sure-fire single "Ayo Technology" has Timbaland written all over it, from the sticky-sweet tremolo keyboard to his heavily processed cameo … la "Sexy/Back." Justin Timberlake joins in for a catchy pop chorus with a message for the kids: "using technology" isn't better than the Real Thing. 50 usually gets room to play over minimal, staccato piano riffs - but would a little creative sampling be too much to ask? Of the big name guest appearances, Akon probably takes home the prize for reaching his most seductive falsetto on the line "When I hit the block / I still will kill."
Concept: The album title (Curtis being Curtis Jackson) suggests some kind of introspection, some glimpse at the man behind the image. Instead, it's the same old Fitty. Besides the bizarre number of references to the "Teflon Don," nothing ties Curtis together beyond the usual gangsta shtick. Probably the best we get is a little self-deprecation when it comes to being "made" by Dre and Eminem. If this really is his swan song, he doesn't seem too concerned about his legacy. Give him props for consistency, if nothing else.
Best Metaphor for Picking Up Women
"We can camcord the shit / Make a boom-boom flick" - on "Peep Show"
Most Outlandish Use of Braggadocio:
"Everyone knows my niggaz murder for me" - on "Man Down"
Final verdict
When all is said and done this is no contest at all. Experimentation may not be everything, but Kanye's innovation is the secret to his success. For 50 Cent, his apparent consistency amounts to a lack of originality, rehashing the same gun-toting character that doesn't seem to attack with the same edge of previous albums. Despite minimal lyrical skill, Kanye continues to challenge his listeners by pushing the boundaries of hip-hop in an industry starved for fresh ideas.
