Get my interpretation of the vibe article explaining why 50's mixtape gets a 10 out of 10 after the jump!
Has it really been a decade already? Although it seems like it was just yesterday, ten years ago 50 Cent released 50 Cent Is The Future, a mixtape that literally changed the game. Aside from the fact that it was a solid effort from the young Queens, N.Y.-bred rapper, 50 Cent Is The Future was also one of the first mixtapes to feature an MC jacking beats from popular songs of the moment, re-doing them, and putting them out as "freestyles" to the streets. And, in doing so, Fif won and won BIG. His mixtape buzz helped him land a $1 million record deal, a platinum-selling debut project, Get Rich or Die Tryin', and...well, he's 50 Cent. You don't really need us to read you his resume, do you?
In honor of that historic mixtape, 50 just released a new mixtape, appropriately-titled The Big 10. It's part-celebration, part-"I'm still here!" and it proves that, even 10 years after dropping his first really meaningful piece of work on the world, 50 Cent still has the magic touch when it comes to laying down lyrics in the studio. In fact, in spite of the fact that it's not his best work by any stretch of the imagination, we have to admit that we still kinda, sorta love it. Why? Well, to help you see what we see, we put together a list of the five reasons we love The Big 10. Happy anniversary, Fif. Good to see that you're still doing Big things.
In honor of that historic mixtape, 50 just released a new mixtape, appropriately-titled The Big 10. It's part-celebration, part-"I'm still here!" and it proves that, even 10 years after dropping his first really meaningful piece of work on the world, 50 Cent still has the magic touch when it comes to laying down lyrics in the studio. In fact, in spite of the fact that it's not his best work by any stretch of the imagination, we have to admit that we still kinda, sorta love it. Why? Well, to help you see what we see, we put together a list of the five reasons we love The Big 10. Happy anniversary, Fif. Good to see that you're still doing Big things.
—Chris Yuscavage
Reason 1: After all this time, 50 Cent still sounds like the same old G.
You can't fake passion. You can certainly try to fake passion. But it's pretty easy to tell when someone is hungry and when they're simply trying to sound hungry. And make no mistake about it: 50 Cent is hungry on The Big 10. As he says from the start, folks have been counting him out and trying to pinpoint exactly when he "fell off" for years now. In his opinion—and, frankly, in ours—he never has. He's switched his style up and tried to evolve with the times. But, if nothing else, 50's going to give you every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears that he's got when he puts together an album, a mixtape, a song, or, hell, even just a single bar. That hunger shines through on The Big 10 and it will force you to commend 50 for tapping into that hungry side of himself that still exists despite all of his fame and wealth.
Reason 2: 50 doesn't spend too much time celebrating his longevity.
Judging by the title of the mixtape—The Big 10—you'd think that 50 would spend half the mixtape bigging himself up and looking back on 50 Cent Is The Future. But he refuses to live in the past for much of the mixtape. He mentions it in the intro, but he doesn't dwell on it on every single song and skit. Instead, he talks about it briefly and then goes about trying to prove that he's still got what it takes to hang with rap's young bucks—no pun intended.
Reason 3: It's clear that 50 still isn't willing to censor himself or tone down his language for anyone.
With song titles like "Niggas Be Scheming," "Shooting Guns," and "Put Your Hands Up," you pretty much know what you're going to get from The Big 10before you even press play. Fif does a lot of tough-talking on the tape and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to talking about guns, murders, drugs, and just about every other illegal activity you can think of. Most hip-hop superstars move away from that kind of talk or sound like they're trying too hard when theydo talk about it. But 50 still sounds right at home growling between verses and rapping about things that most rappers only see on Law & Order. He's a CEO now, a businessman, and a guy that does most of his work in the boardroom as opposed to the streets now. And we're pretty sure he's not doing any of the things that he raps about. But that doesn't mean he's so far removed from them that he can't talk about them anymore.
Reason 4: Even on a project celebrating his career, 50 tries to give some shine to other artists.
To his credit, 50 has always let artists on his label shine. On 50 Cent Is The Future, both Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo got their opportunity to get their names out there into the rap world. Hell, judging by the cover of the mixtape, you'd actually think it was a Banks mixtape. And he does the same thing on The Big 10. G-Unit artists Kidd Kidd and Paris get looks and Fif also calls on original production from Jahlil Beats, !llmind, and Jake One to fill out the mixtape. That's admirable. We realize it's good for 50 to do that for business. But he didn't haveto throw those folks onto his celebratory mixtape. And yet, he did.
Reason 5: 50 Cent is rich, famous...and still making mixtapes!
Never forget: 50 Cent Is The Future is the reason that a lot of your favorite mixtapes exist. Young Jeezy's Trap or Die? Lil Wayne's Dedication 2? Clipse'sWe Got It For Cheap Vol. 2? Hell, Drake's So Far Gone? You could make the argument that none of those mixtapes would exist without 50 Cent. 50 could sit back and be happy with that and never record another mixtape again. But he's still out here dropping tapes and trying to show the world that he isn't comfortable with resting on his laurels. For that, we salute the G-Unit general. 50 Cent might not be the future anymore. But that doesn't mean he's the past, either.
You can't fake passion. You can certainly try to fake passion. But it's pretty easy to tell when someone is hungry and when they're simply trying to sound hungry. And make no mistake about it: 50 Cent is hungry on The Big 10. As he says from the start, folks have been counting him out and trying to pinpoint exactly when he "fell off" for years now. In his opinion—and, frankly, in ours—he never has. He's switched his style up and tried to evolve with the times. But, if nothing else, 50's going to give you every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears that he's got when he puts together an album, a mixtape, a song, or, hell, even just a single bar. That hunger shines through on The Big 10 and it will force you to commend 50 for tapping into that hungry side of himself that still exists despite all of his fame and wealth.
Judging by the title of the mixtape—The Big 10—you'd think that 50 would spend half the mixtape bigging himself up and looking back on 50 Cent Is The Future. But he refuses to live in the past for much of the mixtape. He mentions it in the intro, but he doesn't dwell on it on every single song and skit. Instead, he talks about it briefly and then goes about trying to prove that he's still got what it takes to hang with rap's young bucks—no pun intended.
With song titles like "Niggas Be Scheming," "Shooting Guns," and "Put Your Hands Up," you pretty much know what you're going to get from The Big 10before you even press play. Fif does a lot of tough-talking on the tape and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to talking about guns, murders, drugs, and just about every other illegal activity you can think of. Most hip-hop superstars move away from that kind of talk or sound like they're trying too hard when theydo talk about it. But 50 still sounds right at home growling between verses and rapping about things that most rappers only see on Law & Order. He's a CEO now, a businessman, and a guy that does most of his work in the boardroom as opposed to the streets now. And we're pretty sure he's not doing any of the things that he raps about. But that doesn't mean he's so far removed from them that he can't talk about them anymore.
To his credit, 50 has always let artists on his label shine. On 50 Cent Is The Future, both Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo got their opportunity to get their names out there into the rap world. Hell, judging by the cover of the mixtape, you'd actually think it was a Banks mixtape. And he does the same thing on The Big 10. G-Unit artists Kidd Kidd and Paris get looks and Fif also calls on original production from Jahlil Beats, !llmind, and Jake One to fill out the mixtape. That's admirable. We realize it's good for 50 to do that for business. But he didn't haveto throw those folks onto his celebratory mixtape. And yet, he did.
Never forget: 50 Cent Is The Future is the reason that a lot of your favorite mixtapes exist. Young Jeezy's Trap or Die? Lil Wayne's Dedication 2? Clipse'sWe Got It For Cheap Vol. 2? Hell, Drake's So Far Gone? You could make the argument that none of those mixtapes would exist without 50 Cent. 50 could sit back and be happy with that and never record another mixtape again. But he's still out here dropping tapes and trying to show the world that he isn't comfortable with resting on his laurels. For that, we salute the G-Unit general. 50 Cent might not be the future anymore. But that doesn't mean he's the past, either.
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