(Rating: 3.5/5) I have to say, this album is one of the most anticipated for me. After 50 vowed to retire if Kanye West outsold him in 2007 when their albums dropped on the same day (which we all remember Kanye did, a target 50 fell short of by about 250,000 sales). I was anxious to see what he would follow that embarrassment up with. Before I Self Destruct seems to stick to 50’s typical formula: tracks packed with murderous threats, a song with Eminem, of course the diss track, and a couple of songs for the ladies. However, there’s something about this one that makes 50 sound hungrier than a pack of wild wolves. Like he’s got something to prove. There’s practically no features, 50 is pretty much dolo on this one. He doesn’t have anywhere near the number of pop crossover songs on Before I Self Destruct as the past two albums. As a matter of fact, the first ten tracks would probably never be played on the radio (with the exception of maybe "So Disrespectful"). His trip back to the streets is sure to please his original die hard fans, but may alienate the new ones he picked up in the Massacre and Curtis days. He was accused of punking Ja Rule out of his style a while back. Relying on poppy cross over songs and singing on the hooks. This time 50 kept it in the streets…for the most part. Before I Self Destruct is an attempt to produce a record that goes harder than anything he’s done since his mix tape days.
The playful “So Disrespectful” sounds like a mirror of The Massacre’s “Piggy Bank” as his best diss record since his first album. He went hard on his ex G-Unit members Game and Young Buck. First, he let’s Game know that “you’ll never be me, I’m in a tax bracket that you’ll never see“ and Young Buck, “I didn’t know he f*uk wit more dope than BG plus a nigga sip more syrup than Pimp C.“ Much of Before I Self Destruct, sounds straight out of the grimy New York underground 50 Cent inhabited before dominating mainstream radio. I don’t know. It’s hard to see a man worth hundreds of millions of dollars, who poses for GQ with his tie blowing in the wind and sells Vitamin Water as a killer. I think his attempt to be so street is actually a little insulting. Especially on tracks like "Death to My Enemies" where he threatens to kill all of his enemies. Even on the sick "Psycho" with Eminem as he brags about killing those he doesn’t like, “A clip or two will cripple you because I aint got sh*t to do.” I have to admit though, his flow is sick on this one. For once, Eminem did not outshine him. 50 definitely held his own here. Some highlights come with "Gangsta’s Delight", a remake of The Sugarhill Gang's Rapper’s Delight", and "Hold Me Down" – a relationship number that’s actually quite sweet in its depiction of thug love. Plus the single “Baby By Me" with Ne-Yo does keep me bobbing my head. For sure, a club banger. Also, "Could’ve Been You" with R. Kelly is sure to drop as a single. This one is telling his old girlfriend how she could’ve been in the position as his current one if she would have cooperated and believed in him.
Then there’s the ones he could have kept like, "I Got Swag". I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Somebody bury the word swag!!! I heard it used on the news to describe President Obama, by sports casters to describe athletes and every rapper alive to describe his personality. It’s done, overused, please nobody ever use it again! We get it, “I got swag now, I got paper. I’m rolling in the dough.” This one sounded like a left over track that shouldn't have made the cut. Another I can live without is "OK, You’re Right". The track is fire, but the lyrics are mediocre. This one is all about how he’s so much better than his haters. How much money he has, the cars he has, how much money he spends on girls, blah blah blah. We've heard it a thousand times before.
I have to be honest this album had to grow on me a little. It was not fire on the first or even second go round. However, after a few listens it is solid. I can't really complain. I'm just not as blown away as I hoped to be.
# of songs on the album:16
# of songs worth a listen: 11
HA! He was looking extra soft on that GQ cover! I have to agree with the overall review. The album overall....a C+.