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On the lyrical side of things, 50 seems to have his edge back. Whether he's orchestrating a robbery or bucking (pun intended) shots at his foes, it seems apparent that the criticisms got to him. For the hard core fans, the softer songs are skippable, but I can't hold that against him too much.
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With surprisingly little filler, renewed energy, and the unique glimpse Before I Self Destruct offers into the psyche of a public figure as intriguing as Curtis Jackson, 50 Cent has crafted easily his best album since "Get Rich or Die Trying."
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Call it voyeur. Call it artificial. Call it exploitative. Just don’t call it boring. It’s the first 50 Cent album in some time that can boast that.
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Before I Self Destruct is still a fantastic juggernaut of a 50 album if you exit early, and a very good one even if you don't.
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Growling violent threats over hard beats, 50 sounds the hungriest he has in years. Of course, there’s nothing remotely original about the formula he’s returning to, but at least he’s going through the motions with gusto.
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If Destruct qualifies as a pleasant surprise, it’s only because 50 Cent’s last few releases set the bar so low. Still, for the first time since The Massacre, it’s once again intermittently fun to root for the bad guy
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After initially promising a return to form, 50 doesn't have the ability or initiative to hold the listener's interest over the long run.
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He clearly yearns to evoke the mixture of fun and grit that made "Get Rich or Die Tryin’" such a remarkable effort, but he’s misguided in his approach.
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On Fiddy's fourth album, the muscle-bound-warrior routine is the only one he trusts, so he keeps milking it.
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Before I Self Destruct plays as a prudent step back. It's not that 50 has suddenly become terrifying, but the album possesses a sense of latent menace that's been left unexplored since his early mixtapes.
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His rhyme battle with Eminem on 'Psycho' has zero redeeming value, but the two old pros fire away with glee trying to out-psychopath each other. But about halfway through the album, 50 Cent detours from the street to the bedroom.
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Taken as a whole this album has a pleasingly morbid tone, in keeping with the best moments from 50 Cent’s first two albums. But context is this album’s undoing.
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Before I Self Destruct starts with 50 Cent literally growling, and it ends, on 'Could've Been You,' with Kelly crooning about sniffing his own excrement. Both sound equally laughable.
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50 really needed to make an essential record to regain relevancy. Being merely good at this point isn’t enough.
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Before I Self Destruct needs as many bells and whistles as it can muster, because the music isn't going to cut it on its own.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 64 out of 99
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Mixed: 19 out of 99
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Negative: 16 out of 99
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GarzaBloodNov 24, 2009
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Jan 2, 2014
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ValeriySDec 6, 2009I do think that it is the best thing he did except brilliant Massacre, and among the best rap albums of this year.