Why did 50 Fail?

The numbers are in for Hip-Hop's most polarizing figure. After 2 weeks on the Billboard charts (and an extra week of iTunes sales) 50 Cent's new record, Before I Self Destruct, is limping by at a fairly disappointing 260'000 copies in the U.S. As humiliating as this likely is for the self-crowned Soundscan Killer, it's even more scathing that these numbers come during the biggest spending weekend of the year. With massive sales all over the U.S. Curtis Jackson was only able to pull in another 100'000 of his old fanbase. To put these numbers - which would be more than good enough for almost any other rapper - in perspective, let's look at the man's past sales figures. Get Rich Or Die Tryin' arrived amidst a wave of 50-mania, pushing 872'000 copies in it's first week. The requisite group project, Beg For Mercy, sold 377'000 without a massive single. The Massacre is the 4th fastest selling album since Soundscan began it's count, breaking the million mark within 4 days and going on to sell nearly as much as 50's debut. Even Curtis, a rightly maligned turd of a record that sold almost purely on name recognition and a much publicized sales 'battle' (read: publicity stunt gone horribly right) with Kanye West, broke close to 700'000 records in 7 days. It seems unlikely that Before I Self Destruct will ever reach those lofty heights.

Why? What seemed impossible only 2 years ago is now a forgone conclusion. 50, the man who once made so much of sales that he mocked other artists for selling only 350'000 records, isn't likely to reach any of his previous first week sales over Self Destruct's commercial life. And to be honest, there's a certain sense of schadenfreude to be had from the spectacular crash and burn of this decade's defining pop star. In the WWE world of Hip-Hop he was the villain of the week who made his enemies left and right, entertaining us and making us hate him at the same time. In the real world Curtis Jackson was a ruthless businessman who likely cost more than a few jobs through shady industry machinations. Why shouldn't he suffer some bad karma for 'getting people's shit pushed back', as he so eloquently put it?

Take away the once-savvy business mind, the image and the groundbreaking Dr. Dre beats and you're left with an average, mush mouthed street rapper who didn't deserve the level of success that he had. His three studio albums are painfully interchangeable as far as music, lyrics and content. And none of them are really anything special. There's an irreconcilable divide in 50's music that dilutes the effectiveness of both his pop and hardcore songs. On the one hand, he's a super gangster/kingpin/pimp who can only love his gun. On the other, he's a shameless romantic who painfully makes a transition to songs about the women in his life with Nate Dogg and Robin Thicke. These songs aren't thrown together haphazardly. They're the result of cynical calculations intended to bring in as many customers as possible and leaves us to wonder if there's anything 'real' to 50 Cent at all. It's difficult, to say the least, to empathize with an 'artist' who puts more market research than emotion into his music.

In terms of quality (something 50 never discussed when he had sales to boast about), Before I Self Destruct isn't particularly bad. For the most part, the music is interesting and more often than not made with an ear to detail. That's the result of working under Dr. Dre for so many years. Dre's beats demonstrate a reinvigorated mind coming out of almost half a decade of uninspired plod. But the same problems as always exist. At a certain point the album shifts gears almost entirely to radio-ready tunes and just reiterates the problem 50 Cent has had for his entire career. He's learned nothing from his peers and we've learned nothing from his music. Before I Self Destruct is a misnomer. 50 Cent never self-destructed, everyone just stopped caring.