Imperious Entertainment

“I’m retiring, I quit… ain’t enough money in this game to keep me around”. (Jay-Z - Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life) In the past couple of months, it has been brought to my attention that two of the younger rappers supposedly have intentions of retiring in the future. The people in question are The Game and Lupe Fiasco. It has been noted in a few interviews that they each plan to release a couple of more albums and promptly take the back exit out of the rap game. I could not help but have a look of sarcasm on my face, when I heard of this news.

ALBUM REVIEWS

50 Cent - Curtis:

50 Cent returns to the stores with his greatly anticipated follow up to the multi-platinum album The Massacre. Unfortunately, it fails to meet the expectations that were created by the fans and Mr. Jackson himself. There are not any tracks on this album that separate themselves from the rest. They range from being good to simply terrible. Even The Massacre, contained some creative songs that would make you move your head in enjoyment. None of these songs are touching the quality of “I’m Supposed to Die Tonight”, “A Baltimore Love Thing” “Ski-Mask Way” or “Ryder Music”. For the most part, the lyrics and flow on display are lazy and uninspiring. The production doesn’t fare any better; Eminem is up to his old tricks on “Peep Show” and Dr. Dre surprisingly made one of the worst beats of his career on “Fire”. At least 50 can have the comfort of knowing that he can still make a decent hook. Some of the good tracks include; “Man Down”, “My Gun”, “I’ll Still Kill”, “I Get Money”, “Curtis 187” and “Ayo Technology”. Suffice to say, it is apparent that 50 Cent simply is not hungry anymore. Curtis Jackson is better off backing away from the rap aspect of his career so he can place the majority of his focus on his other lucrative ventures. On that note, I think I’m about to listen to The Massacre, that album is suddenly looking a bit more appealing in my eyes.

2.75/5.00

Kanye West- Graduation:

Kanye West is striving to push the Hip-Hop envelope once again with his third retail release Graduation. In my humble opinion he succeeds in doing so. Although, Graduation and Late Registration share some similarities from a production aspect, each of Kanye West’s albums have a distinct sound in comparison to the other. Some of the notable tracks include “Good Morning”, “I Wonder”, “Flashing Lights”, “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”, “Barry Bonds” and “Everything I Am”. The only problem I have with this album is the Chris Martin featured song, “Homecoming”. I love the song, and I’ve been listening to it fairly often, but part of me wished that he would’ve selected the original track. The unreleased version of this track featured John Legend and a completely different instrumental. It is an undeniable classic. One shouldn’t expect a great display of lyrical prowess on Kanye’s part. His strength lies in the ability to create an album that seamlessly meshes together. Graduation is simply a feel good album that pretty much anyone could vibe to.

4.50/5.00

Comments (9)

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written by hiphop102 , September 07, 2007

I feel you. But, Game and Lupe retiring would not be close to Jay-Z retiring. They are not on the same level.

I agree, 50's album is uninspiring and weak. "Music is supposed to inspire!" Lauryn Hill.

Kanye does have a dope album but I think you overrate it. It's more like 4.00/5.00 and it's not better than his first 2. I was not blown away like I expected to be and it probably won't stand the test of time like his other two with the exception of 3-4 tracks including "I wonder" and "Flashing Lights".

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written by TPickens , September 07, 2007

wow, maybe i need to take another listen b/c i hated kanye's album the first listen through...
i'll try it again though

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written by Mr. Mensa , September 07, 2007

I'm not trying to compare The Game and Lupe Fiasco to Jay-Z in that regard. He's a certified legend. I'm only using them as an example of current rappers flirting with retirement.

As for Graduation, I had a similar reaction to the album as you guys have. After five or six listens, my opinion completely changed. I remember feeling the same way about Late Registration. My expectations were based on what I had heard on The College Dropout, so when I popped that album in... I was slightly disappointed. After about a week adjusting to the fact that the album was completely different from the previous one, those feelings of disappointment were erased. Graduation isn't better than his first two albums, but it can certainly hold it's on. 'Ye's 3 for 3 in my book.

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written by Jackrabbit Jenkins , September 07, 2007

Ye is certainly 3 for 3... however this is album ranks third. When I think of "College Dropout" and joints like "Spaceship", "All Falls Down," and "Two Words" (just scraping the surface), I can't help but feel "Graduation" is lacking. Even "Late Registration" had the awesome "Diamonds", "Touch the Sky", "Ride Slow," and "Heard'em Say." The only tracks on the latest effort that blow me away are "Can't Tell Me Nothing," "Flashing Lights," "Homecoming," and the increasingly additive "Drunk and Hot Girls" (the touch of Mos Def was genius.

Hands down, Ye is one of the best forces in hip hop. Hopefully Fitty retires as promised... and I don't mean a Hova-type retirement!

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written by TRoc860 , September 08, 2007

50 cent should just hang up his rap career. I think he had a spark when he first started and now he is just making average to garbage tracks. However, he is a smart business man so he should just stick to being behind the scene. On another note K-West seems to alway come up with great music. He is not by any means your conventional rapper but he stills rocks the same.

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written by mr.who? , September 08, 2007

yeah yeah whatya make of that? more room for us, or are they just posing for the cheddah? Game has it, Lupe probably still kinda broke. Lupe is more like Common and Game, well, is his own entity. I feel like the Game is kind of a deep cat, but I truly think the level of $$ involved in the industry has got these cats' heads a lil cloudy. Lupe's LP, i got it, like it, but don't really love it, same for doc's advocate. Lots of Dre/Storch'ish production from that JR Ryder dude that made for a very dated sounding lp in my opinion. They are both great artists, Lupe fell off quick tho didn't he?
peace/mr.who?

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written by smokey , September 08, 2007

its funny how u used this as the title mitch we used to be in the football locker room discussing is he really retiring as moo was pumpin VOl 2 out of his yellow sony radio

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written by wearsHiphopCordero , September 10, 2007

I only listened to 50s album twice straight through, and i came to the conclusion that all the songs were similar and had similar themes.... it was like the massacre, but worse....on that note...
I enjoyed Kanye's album as a whole..... listened to it straight through a few times with no struggle to hit next on the playlist... there were only a few things that bothered me about Graduation... I wasnt impressed with lil waynes verse the barry bonds track, being a fan of weezy and his latest Carter 3 mixtape, i was a little disappointed.... and i dunno which comment it was ... but someone said something about mos defs feature on Drunk and Hot Girls was genius.... I thought the track was terrible.... i guess it was aright to get a laugh or two.... but i just think its a waste of mos' lyrical talent when he sings on a track.... Mos! step it up.... raps dyin .... I also agree with Mitch on the point where he talks about the original Homecoming track....... The original track had a better feel to it.... less commercial i guess.... i try to like the cold play version... but my ears cant put the verses to the beat.... other than that I had no complaints about the other tracks.... my notable tracks are: Champion....Everything I am...and Glory.....with 13 tracks.... kanye again proves that quality wins over quantity...(no filler tracks needed)..... I might even say it could be better than LAte Registration... although the three albums can stand alone with there different vibes....

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written by Ametra , September 28, 2007

I hope the artist mentioned above don't take a back seat, because we need them for the cause. Yes you can't compare the two, because they are on two different levels. Music is life and inspires me to write about issues that plague our communities and society as a whole. If you don't have a voice to speak, then no one will know or will speak up for you. My heart beats a rhythm, our hearts beat a rhythm and that's real, natural from the source who created us and the universe. Music will never dye.

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