GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Music

Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

74 Absentee
69 AC/DC
72 Ryan Adams
66 Trace Adkins
61 Akon
67 The Aliens
66 All That Remains
93 Amadou & Mariam
80 Amon Amarth
66 Anastacia
46 Brett Anderson
75 Theresa Andersson
66 Annuals
79 Antony And The Johnsons
76 Apollo Sunshine
58 David Archuleta
76 Aterciopelados
72 Attic Lights
75 Joan Baez
80 Belle & Sebastian
62 Beyonce
80 Blitzen Trapper
69 Bloc Party
83 Bound Stems
73 Brightblack Morning Light
64 The Broken West
64 The Bronx
74 Ane Brun
50 Buckcherry
77 Lindsey Buckingham
92 Buena Vista Social Club
78 Calexico
71 Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
64 Castanets
67 Catfish Haven
66 Chairlift
63 Tracy Chapman
73 The Chemical Brothers
60 Kenny Chesney
60 Tony Christie
82 The Clash
66 Cold War Kids
65 Coldplay
67 David Cook
70 Nikka Costa
51 Cradle Of Filth
60 Crooked Fingers
78 Rodney Crowell
75 Crystal Stilts
73 Rivers Cuomo
70 The Cure
62 Kimya Dawson
72 Dead Confederate
72 The Dears
81 Deerhoof
80 Deerhunter
70 Brett Dennen
78 Department Of Eagles
71 Angela Desveaux
68 Devin The Dude
73 Dido
79 Ani DiFranco
58 DJ Khaled
83 DJ/rupture
66 The Donkeys
61 Dr. Dooom
61 Dragonette
79 Dungen
86 Bob Dylan
83 Eagles Of Death Metal
79 El Guincho
57 Electric Six
76 Brian Eno + David Byrne
64 Everlast
75 The Fireman
62 Ben Folds
69 Free Blood
74 Friendly Fires
84 Fucked Up
71 Fujiya & Miyagi
77 Gang Gang Dance
78 Morgan Geist
74 Giant Sand
81 Girl Talk
69 Girls Aloud
82 Glasvegas
67 Gojira
83 Grails
61 Growing
67 Guns N' Roses
67 Gym Class Heroes
76 Hauschka
65 Her Space Holiday
75 High Places
49 Hinder
71 Jolie Holland
79 David Holmes
81 Horse Feathers
64 Howling Hex
58 Jennifer Hudson
78 Hush Arbors
70 I'm From Barcelona
68 Jack's Mannequin
72 Jake One
73 James
59 Japanese Motors
64 Jem
78 The Jesus And Mary Chain
81 Johann Johannsson
68 Grace Jones
63 Tom Jones
75 Damien Jurado
69 Kaiser Chiefs
64 Keane
76 Toby Keith
72 The Killers
63 Kings Of Leon
77 The Knux
78 Koushik
74 Lady GaGa
72 Ladyhawke
75 Lambchop
73 Ray LaMontagne
74 Land Of Talk
68 John Legend
75 Jenny Lewis
71 Little Joy
60 The Little Ones
57 LL Cool J
83 Los Campesinos!
76 Love Is All
81 Patty Loveless
70 Ludacris
79 Luomo
73 Madlib
72 Taj Mahal
65 Margot & The Nuclear So And So's
76 Max Tundra
63 Megapuss
68 Mercury Rev
78 Metallica
70 Metronomy
57 Ingrid Michaelson
76 Mogwai
77 Juana Molina
67 Monkey
79 Mount Eerie
46 Mudvayne
73 Murs
61 Nelly
51 New Kids On The Block
77 The New Year
79 Ne-Yo
51 Nickelback
57 Nightmares On Wax
60 The Nightwatchman
60 Noah And The Whale
66 Oasis
68 O'Death
70 Of Montreal
79 Okkervil River
77 Old Crow Medicine Show
54 The Organ
65 Joan Osborne
77 Brad Paisley
82 Pale Young Gentlemen
78 Amanda Palmer
65 Parenthetical Girls
76 Parts & Labor
74 Passion Pit
67 Peter Bjorn And John
66 The Peth
51 Kellie Pickler
69 Pink
73 Benoît Pioulard
70 Pivot
54 Plain White T's
40 Daniel Powter
74 The Pretenders
51 Pussycat Dolls
83 Q-Tip
42 Queen + Paul Rodgers
71 Rafter
74 Raglani
57 Razorlight
69 Lou Reed
74 Religious Knives
62 Rex The Dog
65 Rise Against
76 Roots Manuva
74 The Rosebuds
66 Darius Rucker
83 Arthur Russell
82 Raphael Saadiq
60 Sam Champion
85 Scarface
69 School of Seven Bells
75 The Sea And Cake
59 Seal
69 Seasick Steve
65 Secret Machines
81 Pete Seeger
71 Serena-Maneesh
68 The Shaky Hands
72 Blake Shelton
58 Jessica Simpson
89 The Smiths
72 Todd Snider
68 Snow Patrol
66 Britney Spears
62 Spinto Band
68 Squarepusher
65 Starfucker
82 Marnie Stern
62 The Streets
73 The Subways
81 Taylor Swift
74 T.I.
66 Talkdemonic
64 James Taylor
66 Ten Kens
72 Robin Thicke
67 Thievery Corporation
79 Tindersticks
88 Shugo Tokumaru
75 Emiliana Torrini
70 T-Pain
65 Travis
70 Tricky
66 Trivium
88 TV On The Radio
92 Underoath
56 UNKLE
74 Chad VanGaalen
76 Vivian Girls
78 Volcano!
84 Butch Walker
57 Scott Weiland
74 Kanye West
73 White Denim
78 Wild Beasts
78 Wilderness
71 Hank Williams III
72 Lucinda Williams
67 Michelle Williams
70 Brian Wilson
73 Lee Ann Womack
75 Women
63 XX Teens
72 Rachael Yamagata
60 Yo Majesty
72 Young Jeezy
87 Neil Young

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

 



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums

Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
by 50 Cent

50 Cent reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 73 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.4 out of 10
based on 19 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 218 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

If you're even reading this, you most likely already know the life story of Queens' Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent), whose first attempt at rap stardom in the mid 1990s ended in a brutal attack that almost cost him his life. In recent years, however, 50 Cent was lucky enough to hook up with Eminem (who signed him) and producer Dr. Dre, which resulted in a track on the 8 Mile soundtrack and now this, his much-anticipated first full-length release.

LABEL: Interscope / Aftermath
RELEASE DATE: 06 February 2003
DISCS: 1 disc
GENRE(S): Rap

NOTES: Limited edition comes with bonus DVD.


What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
Playlouder
It's all good. Favourites switch with listens, and we can assure you that this record will remain on your deck all year.
Read Full Review
90
Rolling Stone
If this combination of big-name backers, undeniable skills, radio-ready tracks and a marketable thug persona make Get Rich or Die Tryin' a sure-shot smash hit, it also makes it a great record.
Read Full Review
80
All Music Guide
Get Rich isn't quite the masterpiece 50 seems capable of, impressive or not. But until he drops that truly jaw-dropping album -- which you know he will -- this will certainly do.
Read Full Review
80
Splendid
More sonically adventurous than its mainstream look suggests.
Read Full Review
80
Q Magazine
His rap style isn't as distinctive as Ja Rule or DMX, but as the singalong Many Men (Wish Death) shows, with Eminem on his team, there's no stopping him. [May 2003, p.98]
80
Stylus Magazine
The variety and talent this album offers is enough to recommend it to almost any rap fan.
Read Full Review
80
Blender
Even at their most nihilistic, these 16 songs resonate melodically, like Eminem's most haunting material. [#15, p.118]
75
Entertainment Weekly
As reality-based as the words may be, we've heard variations on these themes before, and 50, far from being the world's most nimble rhymer, doesn't always infuse them with new power.
Read Full Review
70
Billboard
Unfortunately, this disc's positives don't add up to a great album: Plenty of boilerplate g-funk thuggery serves as filler.
Read Full Review
70
Dot Music
50 Cent's skills are better suited to the nagging digi-loops of inevitable smash single 'In Da Club', the steel drum roll-out of 'P.I.M.P.' and '21 Questions' - perhaps the track most like something that you might have found Tupac or Biggie at work on in their prime.
Read Full Review
70
Launch.com
Most of these rhymes are too shallow to warrant the hopeful comparisons to Biggie and Tupac. But if you want the best disposable gangsta tunes on the market, 50 Cent offers a definite bargain.
Read Full Review
70
Pitchfork
For all the flaws in 50 Cent's persona, Get Rich or Die Tryin' isn't without its redeeming qualities.
Read Full Review
70
Amazon.com
Sure, Get Rich could never have lived up to the hype, it’s nowhere near Biggie's Ready to Die or Nas's Illmatic, but there's no fast-forward material here, a near miracle in these times.
Read Full Review
67
E! Online
Unless you are the president of the NRA or addicted to Cops-type tales, 50 Cent's debut is strictly small change.
Read Full Review
67
Austin Chronicle
The outcome is as natural as John Gotti singing Sinatra.
Read Full Review
60
Uncut
[An] unapologetic throwback to straight-assed songs about guns, girls and drugs. [May 2003, p.109]
60
New York Magazine
Without question, 50 Cent has one of the most distinctive voices in hip-hop: He raps in a molasses-slow, beyond-laconic drawl, and chants in a singsongy patois reminiscent of dance-hall stars like Sean Paul. But there isn’t enough invention in the rhymes, and, worse, barely any humor.
Read Full Review
50
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Only intermittently justifies the buzz surrounding the rapper's career.
Read Full Review
40
Mojo
It's impressive, but heavy going, with scant trace of 50's acerbic humour. [Apr 2003, p.114]

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this album is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 218 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Nick A. gave it a10:
C'mon man... This record is hot...

Neil L. gave it a10:
It is very rare that I put a disc into my player without skipping a single track.

Dan A. gave it a6:
Every moment 50 spends hitting new ground, he spends two more losing it. Songs like P.I.M.P. ask for praising him with no reason or justification why. It's like he thinks he's the shit just because two big names are behind him. Aside from a handful of tracks the production feels like stuff Em and Dre tosses aside because they couldn't work with it. 50's lyricism is comparable to that of Cam'Ron or Ja Rule, but he ends up appealing because of his thug gimmick.

Mike M. gave it a10:
This is the most solid cd i have heard, Very rarely do i put a cd in and actually listen to every song without having to skip one. One of my top 3 albums of all time. Look out for Detox, September 2007. Same time as 50's new album: Curtis

corey m. gave it a1:
50 cent 1 what kind of names that two it the worst music ever der who the hell want to hear that shit fuck you

Ramzeeze B gave it a10:
One of the best of all time!

Brannon M gave it a9:
He's not pac or big, but who cares. The beats on this album make it a classic, and he is a talented lyricist even if the gangsta themes are repetitive. Underrated artist, fuck haters.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this album in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: MLB | Spore | iPhone 3G | Paris Hilton | Antivirus Software | GPS | Recipes | Shwayze | NFL

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use