[Review] Eminem - Relapse: Refill

Artist: Eminem
Album: Relapse: Refill
Release Date: 21st December 2009
Guests: Dr Dre, 50 Cent, Drake, Kanye West & Lil' Wayne.
Producers: Dr Dre, Eminem, & Boi-1da

No matter where MTV rank him in a list of the greatest rappers at current, or where Hip Hip fans place him on the blogs, Eminem is the best rapper alive today in 2009. This is a statement that I can back up with facts, statistic and reason that will also be backed up by millions more that will back the next rapper. Fact.

So when Eminem released his fifth studio album following the 2005 greatest hits collection, it seemed that the world had gone 'Slim shady' crazy again. He may be one of the most controversial musicians of the modern era, but it soon became obvious that when Relapse dropped in the summer, how much this man had actually been missed - the only other artists that could hideaway for four or five years with so much demand for a return, are probably dead and in the music hall of fame. Its a fact, that the backwards 'E' logo, carries with it more than just a white man who grew up in the slums of Detroit, trying to make it big in a game that traditionally didn't play by his rules. From being a Hip Hop misfit, to felling over 80 million records world wide, it is clear to see why Eminem has touched so many hearts.

As I write this, and listening to the second edition of Relapse, I have just finished reading a story about how Scottish singer, Susan Boyle has outsold the first edition of Relapse, which meant she is now the best selling artist of 2009. I am happy for her, but not only that, but I am happy that Eminem is a markstone for who you need to outsell to be number 1. Not even Bono's U2, or another post retirement Jay-Z effort could come close to Eminem's album sales. So maybe MTV should go away, anylise the people who work for them, have then checked out by mental health experts, and then come back and revise another top 10 list of the greatest rappers of the current time, because their last effort was an insult not only to Eminem, but to Hip Hop, and the music industry as a whole. Rant ended.

So what did I make of the first installment of Relapse? I did not think it was a classic, and certainly not top of the list of past Eminem albums. If I were to rank previous material from Mr Mathers, my all time favourite would be none other than his 2002 album 'The Eminem Show', purely on the lyrical depth that he went into, followed closely by his 8 Mile soundtrack album, then 2000's 'The Marshall Mathers LP', 'Relapse', 'The Slim Shady LP' and finally 'Encore' from 2004. That does not go to say that that I found Encore disappointing, just that it didn;t contain as much excellence as the rest.

The album goes deep into Eminem's troubled private life, mainly his drug problems. The album mixes fiction with personal health issues, and a little bit of exaggeration. Not only is Eminem helping resolve his own problems by extracting it from himself via the use of music, he is also helping others around the world to, from album to album, dealing with depression, drug problems, family problems to issues of fame, Eminem offers an insight into not only how he swerved to avoid them, but added a touch of light hearted comedy to the remedy. Sure when he talked about killing Kim, he was only venting his anger and frustration of a troubled marriage through the power of creativity in his music, but as a society, we knew Eminem was never a mennace with a chain saw - only a fool would believe that.

Relapse itself pokes fun at the media's perception of himself, hence the use of interludes on the album which create little sketches around his rehabilitation program. Songs such as 'Medicine Ball', and 'Must Be The Ganja' all look back at drugs, and are explicit warning messages to others. The album itself told a story, that you would only understand if you listened to the tracks in the order on the disc. From being in rehab, to getting cured, from being high, to being depressed, which songs such as 'Old Time's Sake' and 'Beautiful' portray perfectly.

The album may only have produced three distinguished singles, 'Crack A Bottle' with Dr Dre and 50 Cent, which was the first of two 'cartoon' songs by the famous Aftermath trio, 'We Made It' which was a traditional Eminem single, like the days of 'The Real Slim Shady' and 'My Name Is', and finally 'Beautiful', which acted as the aftermath of when a high fades. All in all, the album was cleverly constructed with time and precision. My only disappointment was that I thought Dr Dre had too much production on the album, and I thought his work was quite a long way from his best. I was have felt easier if Eminem had produced more, but with only one track not produced by Dre, I got the feeling that maybe he was not giving Em his best work - a hint that he is keeping some of the good old Dr Dre beats for another up and coming major album... I am actually hinting at Detox!

So overall, I was satisfied in the summer of 2009 when this album dropped, it sold well and fans seemed to enjoy it, so what do I make of the re-packaged version? Is it just a late rally for more sales before Christmas? Or was Eminem so desperate for his fans to hear all of his work that otherwise, may have just been scrapped? Well I will hide no fact that Aftermath records are in serious trouble. They owe parent company,Interscope millions, and it is becoming an issue, especially in the current climate. That is why some of the less selling artists on the label have gone - why spend thousands putting beats together for a B list rapper to rap over, then another million or so on promotion and shooting videos, when the only reason that artist gets 'some' sales is because he has been mentored by Eminem? So for that reason Obie Trice left the label. Stat Quo left the label. Bobby Creekwater left the label, and I have a feeling Ca$his wont be getting royalty cheques from Mr Iovine for too much longer either. As much as I like these artists as a Hip Hop fan and writer, they are not the way forward for a label like Shady Aftermath. That is why in 2009, Dr Dre knew that only the big hitters could come out. Eminem had to put something out there, whether it meant eating less takeaways and getting back into shape and getting back into the game, whethe rit meant 50 Cent had to his the streets with another CD, and of course, whether it meant the biggest myth on the planet since the creation, 'Detox' would come out, then it had to be done. Believe me, Detox will be out soon, it is happening and it has to - Aftermath depends on it.

So Eminem had 'good' sales from Relapse, but they wern't his highest, and maybe the label could have wished for more. Afterall, I remember Eminem saying he would record 30 songs before selecting the best for a CD, the rest hidden away in Jimmy's lost files, never to be heard by the public - so for Eminem to be doing this, you know times must be deperate, and 50 Cent's album sales wont be turning those frowns upside down.

Refill kicks off witha song that only came about by accident. 50 Cent revealed that Eminem had recorded a verse Drake's song, only to next year that Kanye West and Lil' Wayne were also on the finished version of the song. The song is a battle of the lyricists as Drake and Eminem seem to go head to head, the latter victorious in my opinion, with Lil' Wayne and Kanye off form. 'Hell Breaks Loose' is next, and as I suspected, Dr Dre was the producer of this, and the rest of the songs after this on the CD. Theese songs are basically a carry on from what has already been heard on the album, so that is the sort of thing that you should expect.

'Elevator' is by far my favourite of the new tracks on the CD. The song talks about his vision of his career before he met Dre in the mid-late 90's. It talks about how he never expected to sell records, as well as a reminise of the late Proof. Not only does the song then talk about how he can now afford an elevator in his mansion from the success of his record sales, but it also is a metaphor for the direction that his career has taken.

The best beat on the album goes to 'Taking My Ball', which gamers may find familiar from the recent DJ Hero game that was released a few weeks back for Playstation 3 and XBox 360. I get the impression that the chorus may be talking about the fact that although he has become so well respected in the industry, that he has been feared, and nobody will 'take his ball', meaning go against him. Maybe Susan Boyle will play with him (and I meant that as a personal joke).

'Music Box' dark and mysterious song which is hard to understand the meaning of. It talks about being drunk, high and this is reflected in the sureal lyrics. Finally, another Dr Dre beat, which you can tell because he has almost used the same beat that he gave Mary J Blige on 'Family Affair' in a song called 'Drop The Bomb On Em'. The song talks about not his MC career in total, in a battle rap format against a fictiocious character and situation. Hip Hop fans might jump to the conclusion that the fact a current rappers name was mentioned that he is taking shots. I doubt it, but make your own mind up. Em raps: "Boy I told ya boy, Im a soldier boy, Im DeShaun/holding in this b****, Im the proof boy, you're a fraud." Whatever this is about, Im sure this is not an attack on Soulja Boy!

To some this album up, I am unsure whether fans should by this repackaged CD if you already have the first edition of the album. Since Rihanna, Chris Brown, 50 Cent and Lady Gaga have all brought out delux editions of their albums with either new tracks or bonus DVDs or whatever, it will not make this a best seller of 2009. In fact, Em stated that this was to keep fans in the frame of things while Relapse 2 is in the pipeline. But overall, I am a Relapse fan, but if you are such a fan that you would buy the album again for seven extra tracks... then its up to you. Lets see what Santa brings eh?!

9/10

[Review] Chris Brown - Graffiti

Artist: Chris Brown
Album: Graffiti
Guests: Lil' Wayne, Swizz Beatz, Plies, DJ Khaled, Tank, Eva Simons, Trey Songz, Game, Lupe Fiasco, Ester Dean, Sean Paul & Rock City.
Producers: Swizz Beatz, Big Makk, Keith Thomas & Big Lo, The Messengers, Polow Da Don, The Runners, Ryan Leslie, Tha Bizness, Free School, Brian Kennedy, Jevon Hill, Charlie Bereal, James Fauntleroy, Oak & Scott Storch.

So within two weeks of his ex girlfriend launching in my opinion, was a CD of moaning, Chriw Brown is back at it. The man who had smash hits with songs such as 'Run It', 'Superhuman', and 'Forever' would normally have released this album with the intention of it being one of the biggest albums of the year, but sadly for Chris, this will not be the case this Christmas.

Chris Brown has sold out arenas all over the world, and rightly so, as he is one of the biggest names in RnB. In fact, at his 18th birthday party, which was filmed by MTV, the late Michael Jackson phoned Chris to wish him a happy birthday. In fact, Chris was expected to be the next Michael Jackson in terms of success and style. There was no limit to where this young man's career would go, and how massive he would become.

However, the incident in a L.A. suburb that left his ex girlfriend, Rihanna looking like she had stepped in as DMX's replacement has in fact ruined his career. Which is a shame because this album is quite good.

Two Chicago newspapers rated this album less than '2/5' in seperate reviews, and without backing this up, it would appear that it was the fact that the pop music journalist that wrote these articles may not have kept a neutral opinion. I am not in anyway defending Chris's actions from February 2009, but all Im saying is, Gucci Mane is about to release a largly anticipated album, and he shot and killed an intruder in 2005 before being aquitted, Snoop Dogg was 'involved' in an incident where a man was beaten to death in the early 90's and became one of the biggest names in Hip Hop fan's iPods and T.I. once got caught buying machine guns from an undercover police officer and still sells records. Get over it.

So Princess Dihanna released her album two weeks ago with excellent reception (except by me it seems - see Rihanna - Rated R review) and Chris Brown released this album which is just himself getting on with his own thing, and people give it low ratings, despite the fact I think it may actually be better than 'Exclusive' was?

The album gets straight into the action with 'I Can Transform Ya' featuring Lil' Wayne and Swizz Beatz, which was actually Chris Brown's lowest charting first single from any of his albums gone by. The song itself is not that bad, in fact quite catchy, the first great hit produced by Swizzy for the best part of a year in my opinion.

The Polow Da Don produced 'So Cold' is clearly an apology to Rihanna, as to is 'Famous Girl' in which a few secrets come out, like Brown's regret at ghost writting 'Disturbia' for Rihanna, and also his opinions when the rumours of when Drake and Rihanna were apparently dating. Another positive comes from the song 'Wait' which features Game and Trey Songz, although I would prefer it if the dirty version of this song was also released, as Game's verse is ruined by cuts.

An unusual collaboration with Plies and DJ Khaled is another big hot on the album, and I have to say this, but Plies kills it, although I was disappointed that the beat did not feature more of the intro, which gave 5 seconds of impression that it was going to be a explosive Hip Hop club banger... which it is not. Also on the album is a sample of Eric Prydz' hit 'Call On Me', although I feel more could have been done with this to turn it into a single.

So overall, I was happy to hear more of Mr Breezy, in fact like I mentioned earlier, I like this album more than 'Exclusive', although I do miss the times when I was sat at home in 2005 watching MTV with 'Run It' being played almost every hour. I really hope the world takes Chris back into their hearts, as I know we have all mocked him over the incident, myself included, but it is all about the music.

So in the battle of the albums between the ex boyfriend and the ex girlfriend... its the ex boyfriend that wins.... easily.

8/10

[Review] Rihanna - Rated R

Artist: Rihanna
Album: Rated R
Release Date:November 20th 2009
Guests: Young Jeezy, Slash, will.i.am & Justin Timberlake.
Producers: Chase & Status, Stargate, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, Ne-Yo, Chuck Harmony, Brian Kennedy, R. Swire, will.i.am & The Y's.

Earlier this year, Rihanna and her fairytale boyfriend, Chris Brown hit the headlines for all of the wrong reasons. Like Bobby and Whitney, the popular RnB couple's relationship came crashing down, it seemed like misic was the last thing on anybody involved's mind.

Yet its now December 2009, and the ex couple have just released their latest albums within the space of 14 days - coincedence? It would appear not, as the couple have only recently spoken out about the situation that they were in as part of their promotional tour of chat show sofas.

Rated R marks the commercial return of the 'Pon De Replay' star - but dont be fooled into thinking this album will be full of pop music, in fact, it is far from this. The album shows the first of the dark side of Rihanna, in what can only be described as an album full of negativity. The lead single 'Russian Roulette' was full of subliminal ex boyfriend disses towards Mr Breezy, and although this song became a well liked track on radio stations, it is hard to find what else Rihanna will be able to use from this album onto mainstream music video channels.

In fact, Chris Brown seems to be the subject of this album sublimanally and it begins to become annoying after a couple of songs. It can be understand that Rihanna became emotional after the fight, but the depressing sound that haunts speakers. The only positive track I was enjoying from the CD was 'Hard', track 3 which features Young Jeezy. The song is very 'Polow da Don' like, but is in fact a one of The Dream's masterpieces. Since this is the next single, it is likely that it may receive mediocre attention. It must also be noted that the song contains a subliminal diss towards Young Jeezy's long time rival, Gucci Mane: "See my Louis chucks, Louis flag, Louis frames, Louis Belt, what that make me Louis Mane?"

Apart from this however, the album is not something I would keep in my CD changer, and in fact, I feel like going back and finding 'Good Girl Gone Bad' - I really miss that Rihanna.

2/10

[Review] Snoop Dogg - Malice N Wonderland

Artist: Snoop Dogg

Album: Malice N Wonderland
Release Date: 8th December 2009
Guests: Lil' Jon, Jazmine Sullivan, The-Dream, Soulja Boy, Kokane, R. Kelly, Brandy & Pharrell.

Producers: Scoop DeVille, Terrace Martin, Lil' Jon, Teddy Riley, PMG, The-Dream, B-Don, Super Ced, Danja, Timbaland, Jason Martin, Battlecat, Nottz, Tricky Stewart & The Neptunes.

Snoop is a rapper who has been around the block a few times, in fact, it almost seems that Snoop Dogg has been around since the start of time. A household name that even your granny will have heard of, even if she does not know any of his songs. To be precise, this is album number 10 for the man who once was part of Suge Knight's Death Row Records, a man who can sit and reminise about the days of N.W.A., and maybe even tell you stories about times he used to chill with the late 2Pac.

So 16 years after the first album dropped in 1993, is Snoop still the rapper that he was? A money hungry gangster from Long Beach California may have dropped the 'Doggy' from his name many years ago, but he will always be listed as a legend, alongside the Jay-Zs, Nas's and the Biggie and Pacs, Snoop has become more than just a rap star, he has endorsed many products, acted in Hollywood and reeked chaos in London's Heathrow airport.

So album number 10 follows 'Ego Trippin', which received positive reviews with the internet bloggers, although I was left unconvinced. I could not connect with the style that he rapped, and I was wondering whether this album would follow track. However, despite a pointless intro, the album does leap into action straight away. 'I Wanna Rock' may have leaked a couple of months back, but it has a high adrenaline beat and is one of the album's best songs despite a dry hook. There is also '1800' with the crunk hitmaker Lil' Jon that I can imagine being pumped out of the speakers of bouncing Impalas.

I then began to realise that the problem with 'Ego Trippin' was that Snoop was trying to get back to his old-skool west coast roots rather than continue his mainstream attack on European and international listeners.

'Upside Down' is by far my favourite beat on the album, produced by Jason and Terrace Martin, it would be a song I would also go in with at any party that was starting to go flat and needed a little mouth to mouth. I was also suprised by the 'Pronto' track featuring Soulja Boy. I was expecting some 'snap' beat with Soulja Boy repeating something over and over, but instead is instantly catchy, and I would be suprised if this was not the next single. Although Snoop used autotune on his last album for the lead single, 'Sexual Eruption', it is a brave move from such a giant in the industry to use this again, on the same track with an artist that has created many internet debates whether or not he is Hip Hop material, but it actually works, and no matter what Mr Carter expresses on 'D.O.A.', autotune can still work if used properly.

On the other hand, I was a little disappointed with 'Gansta Luv' with The-Dream. The-Dream usually hits you with fire that you can listen to over and over, and although this track was one of the first I listened to, I knew atraight away this may have been one of his cheaper beats. The disappointment did not improve with his second featured track on the album 'Luv Drunk'. In fact, I began to drift away from the positive feeling of the album by the second half. The first nine tracks are the best, and then it begins to fade. Not even Pharrell or R. elly could revive it.

So overall, I was quite pleased with this album. It is certainly one of the best albums Snoop has released in recent times. To compare it to the early Snoop Doggy Dog days would be like comparing Lil' Kim now to the photos before the opperation, or comparing R. Kelly to the days before the trial. Maybe these are a little extreme, but old skool West coast fans will not feel this. This album is a little bit more 'mushy' in terms of the love songs on it, but is still worth a try for the other MTV fans. It must be noted that when you see this on shelves in your local store, despite the strange album artwork which does not seem to have any reflection on the content, it is not actually a mixtape as it would appear.

8/10

[Review] Timbaland Presents: Shock Value II

Artist: Timbaland

Album: Timbaland Presents: Shock Value II

Release Date: 4th December 2009

Guests: Justin Timberlake, JoJo, Brandy, Drake, Chad Kroeger (from Nickelback), Miley Cyrus, Nelly Furtado, SoShy, Katy Perry, Sebastian, Esthero, The Fray, Jet, Daughtry, OneRepublic, Keri Hilson, D.O.E. & Attitude.

Producers: Timbaland,& Danja.

I have always had the belief that music producers never get the credit that they deserve. For example, everytime 'In Da Club' by 50 Cent gets played, people recognise it as 50 Cent's song, without realising that that trademark fire beat, actually came from Mr Andre Young's computer, AKA Dr Dre. The same can also be said for Chris Brown's 'Forever' which came from super producer Polow Da Don, and T.I. and Rihanna's 'Live Your Life', which in fact was created by a man called 'Just Blaze'. Hip Hop fans may know this, but those who dance to these songs in the club will only give credit to those whos vocals are laid down, and get replayed over and over in your head, and often get pasted into social networking sites when lyrics to popular current songs get branded around.

But would you know who produced the club smasher 'Get Ur Freak On' by Missy Elliot, without using Wikipedia? And what about 'Sexy Back' by Justin Timberlake in 2006? The answer is Timbaland.

It is only recently that producers such as Timbaland have started making a name for themselves. After all, they made the actual beats under these songs, yet get little credit apart from a mention in the album notes. Fans of JLS and Jason DeRulo may hear that their songs are getting a huge amount of radio play, but the trademark "J-J-J-J-J-R" at the start is actually the producer inserting tags onto the beat, trying to get a little bit more recognition, despite this being critisised by people in the industry. J.R. Rotem has produced for many top artists without establishing himself as a celebrity.

Timbaland has broken through this however. The Sexy Back hitmaker broke the rules for music producers by becoming famous. It was in 2007 when he released 'Shock Value', and went with some of the biggest names in the business to bump popularit. Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado and Nicole from The Pussycat Dolls were on there, and the singles kept coming. Now, two and a half years later, Timbo is back at it again, with a sequel.

However, in the run up to this new album, Timbaland has received less than positive reviews for the production he has given other artists, myself included (see my Jay-Z - Blueprint 3 album review). The three tracks he produced for Jay-Z were dull and tuneless, the beat he had made for Jamie Foxx was forgetable, and the four beats he supplied The Pussycat Dolls second album were leagues below the standard of his production pre-2008. We were beginning to wonder if Timbaland had given his all, or maybe, he was keeping something back for himself, that he did not want anybody else to have...

The album is once again a collection of who's who in the music industry, and once again, a mix of genres, styles and direction. Aside from the DJ Felli Fel intro, which I felt was pointless and out of sync with the rest of the album, it does kick off properly on the right foot. Track 2, features Justin Timberlake, and is called 'Carry Out'. I will be honoust, it is not a 'Sexy Back' beat that will hit you in the face like a 'text message sparked grammy award night fight in a rented Lamborghini', and it sure won't be on the radio getting played nonestop, but I do think it will be a hit. Track 3 is called 'Lose Control', and features the lady that recently came 3rd in a poll for being the most beautiful and barely legal in the US, JoJo. Although she has been quiet of late, she explodes onto this track, which is a tricky little beat, and in my eyes, Timbo's best on the entire album.

Track 4 with Brandy is rather dull, but then the Drake feature becomes a eye opener again. This is the artist I have given the titles of 'MC of 2009', 'Newcomer of 2009', 'Protege of the future', and he certainly lives up to these on this song. Drake's verse once again goes deep and shows of his unique multi syllabic rhyming abilities.

A lot of this album seems to fade into the average pile. The track with Miley Cyrus is, in my opinion, a waste of a potential smash hit, but instead sounds very manufactured and dry, and the track with Chad from Nickelback has not even got a play next to it on my iTunes because it only registers when it has been played all of the way through, which is something I find hard to do.

I was suprised that 'Morning After Dark' has become a big hit, as it is a dwarf compared to other hits that Timbaland has made, maybe this is due to his large fanbase he has carried over from 2007 into 2009. In fact, I am starting to get the impression that Timbaland works hard on each beat, but only the hook section, leaving a rather dull section under the verses, and this falls into that catogory. The Katy Perry song 'If We Ever Meet Again' is not catchy, but certainly is near the top of the album list, and also marks the first use on the CD of Autotune. Maybe Katy's name may carry this song onto the radio.

I was also impressed with 'Underflow', a track with the Irish band, The Fray. The song is like a slowed down heartbreak song, and again, this is on the 'potential single list'. OneRepublic make another appearance on this album, with a song called 'Marching On', but it does not live up to 'Apologize'. In fact that seems to be the theme of the album - "The sequels are never as good as the original." They said it about Jaws, Free Willy, Jurassic Park and all of 50 Cent's albums since 2005, and I get the impression with this, that Timbaland is still a talented producer and artist, but the last album was so good, that we are expecting too much.

Three big names missing from this album that were promised, are Jay-Z, T-Pain and Chris Brown. Jay-Z was suppose to feature in a song called 'Rumours' with Keri Hilson, and in fact, his verse was one of the best of his career, but did not make the final cut, and the same with T-Pain, although after you hear that song, you will understand why it missed the selection process. Chris Brown was left off a song called 'Maniac' because it was feared people would relate him to the song title after the terrible event earlier this year, when he released the first image of himself in that shocking album cover.

Overall, I feel that this album will sell, but in today's conditions and with a lack of a definate smash hit, it may struggle to match the last album sales, but still a good effort.

6/10

[Review] 50 Cent - Before I Self Destruct

Artist: 50 Cent
Album: Before I Self Destruct
Release Date: 17th November 2009
Guests: Eminem, Ne-Yo, R. Kelly & Jovan Davis
Producers: Dr Dre, Scott Storch, Polow Da Don, DJ Premier, Ty Fyyfe, Timbaland, Nottz, Team Demo, Tha Bizzness, Mark Batson, Rich Harrison, Sha Money XL, Nascent & QB Da Problem, & R. Kelly

Since 50 Cents explosion to the top of Hip Hop in early 2003, his name will remain synonymous with modern day rap music. But with the fame comes hate, and that is exactly what has happened with 50, despite making it to the top, he was been hated on by many a person - rap fan or no rap fan.

In 2002, 50 had to put his gangster life behind him and look towards his superstardom future. He had to put behind him the drugs, the guns and the violence, in order to mingle with acresses, models and other celebity figures at red carpet events around the world. Despite relying on his street cred image, 50 knew that to make it bigger than all of the other rappers who had made it out of the street, he would need to open himself up to a brand new audence and different cultures. He would need to become accepted by more than just the kids on the block.

But perhaps the right mixture of both was over balenced. 50 soon had his street cred under scrutiny, his gangster image the target for sabotage. While Get Rich Or Die Tryin' was a hard going album, featuring a new voice desperate for success and hungry for money, it was soon followed by a softer follow up two years later, The Massacre, with songs such as The Candy Shop and Just A Lil' Bit, targeted towards a more mainstream audience. 50's style seemed to change - gone was the aggresive and determined bulletproof fien who's past stories had other rappers wishing they could have been a part of his G-Unit gang, and in was the voice of a layed back millionaire with different ambitions.

Fans soon anticipated the next album, Curtis, which promised to go back to the old '50 Cent', but when the 2007 release dropped, fans were left a little bit disappointed - "this wasn't the same 50 that crushed every other New York MC, and changed Hip Hop."

So when 50 said in 2008, that Before I Self Destruct would be his last album on Interscope Records, fans were unsure whether they would ever hear the same 50 that they had heard all of those years ago. Then the track 'Get Up' began circulating the internet and radio stations, a style very similar to the 'In Da Club' days. The song received average responses despite getting good exposure. Were the general public fed up of hearing 50 Cent? Instead, Flo Rida was #1 in the UK and US, and he was getting love from the music critics. Maybe the days of 'gangster' rap getting to the top of the charts were finished and we should all learn dance moves instead?

To dishearten 50 Cent fans a little bit more, the song Get It In leaked, and received little exposure. It had a below average Dr Dre beat and simple hook with nothing exciting about it. It might come a suprise to some, that neither of these songs made the final cut for the album, the first suprising me a lot.

Then came OK You're Right, a powerfull Dr Dre beat, although it could perhaps have more variation on the hook, rather than just a continuous loop. The song was the first actual song from the new album that we got to check out - but obviously this would only be a street single. Soon, the next single, Baby By Me succeeded a couple of mixtapes that were attepted convincers that 50 was still at large under the street lights.

Baby By Me originally featured a hook from an unkown RnB singer by the name of Jovan Davis, and later a version with a different hook by Ne-Yo soon surfaced. Rumour has it that Jovan had only recorded the demo for Polow Da Don to send to 50 as an example for Ne-Yo to sing, but when Ne-Yo insisted that he wrote his own hook rather than use something ghost written for him, thats when we ended up with two versions. In the end, 50 kept the Ne-Yo version for the album, and the Jovan Davis version for the extras, a decision I feel can pnly have been based on Ne-Yo's popularity, as Jovan had a neater hook. The song actually samples a line from another 50 Cent song from Curtis: I Get Money.

When 50 drops the album in November, fans will hear another 50 Cent from the previous three albums. His vocal style has changed significantly, more for the aggresive side. In fact, if you listen to the first track, midway through the second verse, 50 almost loses his voice. In fact, it sounds like his voice is very much more rougher, mirrored in his lyrics. The last time 50 tried to be this aggresive, Interscope actually had to censor the album version of the song (see 'Man Down' on Curtis).

Track 2, 'Then Days Went By' has actually become my favourite song on the CD. Produced by Rich Harrison, the hitmaker behind Beyonce's 'Crazy In Love', and Amerie's '1 Thing', the song has a relaxed feel about it with a catchy set of strings on the hook build up. The song reminises the old days of 50's upbringing in the street.

That is followed by track 3, 'Death To My Enemies' which is a grimy Dr Dre produced, gritty, hard going gangster song. In fact, when I looked at the production credits, I was suprised that it was a Dr Dre beat, as it was by far one of his classics. Maybe that was the purpose - to create something thst only some could relate to. Then 50 goes into assault mode with a track correctly titled as 'So Disrespectful' - a violent reminder to any enemies that he will stand on anybody that threatens the throne he claims. Rumours were rife after the 'Flight 187' mixtape track that 50 was dissing Jay-Z, only to be denied in interviews later. It turns out that 50 was offended by Jay-Z's lack of response to the mention, and his 'above everybody' else attitude that he is 'too big' to diss 50 back - resulting in 50 going back at Jay again. 50 raps: "Jays a big man, but too big to respond / Im a big dick, the one everybody jump on."

And don't worry, some of G-Unit's former artists have not escaped the assault. The Game is attacked by being accused of being disloyal, leading Dr Dre to stop working with him. He also mocks the Hot 97 incident when 50 Cent was on air, dismissing The Game from the Unit, only for The Game to arrive outside and shots being fired: "Come'on Game, you can never be my equal, your homies shoot at doors, my n***** shoot people, im the type rapper you never gon' be, im in the tax bracket your never gon' see."

And another former G-Unit employee, Young Buck also comes under fire, again with his loyalty to the group being questioned, as well as his apparent drug abuse and spending of royalty money.

There is an obvious lack of guest features in comparison to other 50 Cent albums. There are no other G-Unit members featured on the new CD, a first time that this has ever happened. The only three guests are Eminem, who you would expect, as he forsees much of 50's output, Ne-Yo, and a track at the end of the album with R. Kelly, titled 'Could've Been You'. The leftover version of 'Baby By Me' is available with iTunes purchase.

The album seems to start off hot, with a lot of street tracks, but then begins to fade, around halfway through. It then picks up nearer the end with a sample of Sugarhill Gang's 'Rapper's Delight', titled 'Gangster's Delight', changing the words of the chorus. The track with Eminem on it sounds like it may have been a leftover from his Relapse album, released earlier this year. The song has Eminem rapping on two verses, although the last one is broken down with a few of 50's bars. The song is far from something 50 would rap about, suggesting it had been an original track for Em, produced by Dr Dre. Another track which is a new direction for 50, is a Sha Money XL track called 'Stretch'. 50 raps with a new vocal style, as if he is just messing around in the studio, whilst high on drugs.

Its hard to say whether or not 50 Cent fans will accept this as being one of his best albums. During my listen, I struggled to locate where the next major single would come from, meaning that it will have to rely on 'Baby By Me' to create shockwaves to publicise the album. I still do not think that this will come near to Get Rich Or Die Tryin', but there is no shame in that, because that is an all time classic album. Maybe 50's fans are expecting too much compared to what he has already done. The album certainly gets rated higher in my books than Curtis was, but Im not sure if it is on a level with The Massacre. There are certainly very few commercial tracks on this one, so do not expect many songs for the ladies.

So overall, 50's style on the tracks has impressed me. Where other rappers may create a presence in Hip Hop, 50 is more like a poltergeist - he is a ruthless millionaire that will do whatever it takes, stand on whoever it needs, just to get to the top, and he has certainly done this. This is certainly one of my highlights so far in 2009. If only it had just one of two more commercial tracks on it, then it would be perfect.

9/10

[Review] Jim Jones Presents: DJ Webstar - The Rooftop

Artist: DJ Webstar
Album: The Rooftop
Label: Scrilla Hil
Release Date: 6th October 2009
Guests: Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, Styles P, Sin, Ricky Blaze, Young B, Young Deion, Brucie B, DJ Mix, Brittany Taylor, Ron G, Rex & Bradhurst.
Production: DJ Webstar, Remo Green, Da Drizzle.

When it comes to Harlem rappers, most of us will associate them with being at street status, gangster lyrics and lack of mainstream success. This is one of the reasons which DJ Webstar has been shunned by so many Hip Hop listeners - the fact he has released "corny" records in the past, and has set himself a different goal of making music than most of the people around him.

"Chicken Noodle Soup" will probably have stayed with Webstar till the grave, and to be honoust, it was a bit of a novalty record. However, having recently hooked up with Jim Jones, it may be that Webstar is now heading in a new direction.

Afterall, the former Dipset cappo has dropped one of the hottest albums so far in '09, and in terms of consistancy, is competing with Fabolous, Eminem and Jay-Z for album of the year (well until 50 Cent drops his new album next month). Jones has taken Hip Hop by storm in the last three or four years, and has established himself near the top of the Hip Hop ladder, despte being the "quiet one" in the Dipset group.

While Dipset have come to an end with Cam'ron leaving, Jones and Juelz Santana have formed new groups, worked with new artists in the game, and built their own power among the Diplomat ashes, and it seems to be working. NOE has become a recognised voice on The Jim Jones albums and Byrdgang mixtapes, and getting a reputation of being the "lyrical Jay-Z" with his similar vocals to the Brooklyn MC. Then there was the late Stack Bundles who was sadly shot dead a couple of years ago, and Chink Santana.

Now working with Webstar, this is something new for Jones. The album is a new sound - swapping the adrenaline fuelled hits such as 'We Fly High', 'Jackin Swagga From Us', 'Pin The Tail' and much more, to the slower, more basic dance songs. In fact when I first heard songs from the album, I was sure that Ron Browz had something to do with the project, as it had a similar sort of bounce in all of the records. In fact, if you want to know what the sound of this album is like, think of the 'Pop Champaign' tempo and flow. In fact think again - think Ron Browz meets Swizz Beatz.

The first single released was 'Dancing On Me' which featured Jones himself, as well as Juelz Santana. The song is very simple indeed, with lack of strings in the tune, a constant drum loop and a rather repetitive hook from Webstar. In fact, the key to this song was Santana's verse, which as usual, is full of his normal slick lady talk.

I will be real, a lot of the album bored me. There is not a lot of varient within the actual beats, but do not despair, some of the artists Webstar has featured, have decent lyrics which save the day.

'OMG' was a song which stood out, due to its catchy hook, but lacked in other departments. For a club song, it does not have the 'thump' that it should have. I soon began to realise that this was happening in all of the other songs, there is not a reason for a DJ to say: "Hang on, I need to get that Webstar song on next, right after I play 'In Da Club', or some DMX, Flo Rida or Dizzee Rascal." In fact, I dont think he will be getting many requests for much of this either. 'Dancing On Me' might have been played in the last few weeks, but it wont be a classic, and certainly will not be getting plaed in six months.

And if Webstar is not the giant in Hip Hop that he wishes, he then has a song called 'Follow Me On Twitter' which actually sounds like a beg for more followers. The beat was actually OK, but perhaps if he had written a more appropriate song, then it could have been turned into the next single.

Its not all bad news though, I generally liked some of the song content. As a radio DJ myself, there are one or two records that could be played. In fact, most of the album sticks to positive lyrical content, its almost like an album of singles, although more like an album of 'Top 200' chart singles. If your a fan of that layed back, chilled in the club music, then you're probably better off just waiting for the new Ron Browz album whenever he decides to drop it.

So to round it off, I dont want anybody to get the impression that this is a disaster, it is not. But with input from one of the most prominant figures in rap, I was expecting more. Perhaps there could have been more well known collaborations, some of the new artists did 'standard verses' that do not stand out, though I was actually impressed with the features Ricky Blaze had. He that heis knocking on the Hip Hop door for a future entrance. I really wanted to give this album a higher score, but I was just left feeling let down in the end, and a bit disappointed.

4/10