Lacking the usual G-Unit complete package polish, the soundtrack to 50 Cent's big Hollywood debut is far from perfect, but this sometimes thrilling collection of protégés and slick swagger from the big hustler himself is still worth considering. Since the film is a semi-biopic, it's surprising how non-personal and G-Unit pimping the soundtrack comes off, like Volume 14.5 of 50's G-Unit Radio mixtape series -- just without the interludes that could have helped this disjointed album flow better. Like the mixtapes, the G-Unit roster all get their showcases. Yayo's lackluster "Fake Love" finds the crew's infamous member dryly reading thug lyrics right off the page, while Olivia, Young Buck, and Lloyd Banks fare better with tracks that are hooky but ultimately filler. They fall victim to 50's tendency to throw his executive producer enthusiasm behind the new recruits, who are actually veterans of the game this time out. Mobb Deep have been eased into the G-Unit world with remixes and on mixtapes, but their tracks here are the best yet to come out of the relationship. The rickety beat behind "You a Shooter" suggests 50 is willing to take risks with these Queensbridge legends, while "Have a Party" is the tightest club track yet from the duo, with a perfect Nate Dogg appearance to boot. M.O.P. also get proper handling as 50 provides the hook, then steps aside to let the high-energy crew fly off the handle. As far as the tracks from 50 Cent himself, "Window Shopper" will sit nicely next to "In da Club" and "Candy Shop" on the next greatest-hits compilation, while "Hustlers Ambition" and "What If" are clever numbers that recall the looser moments of his debut, although the latter's AZ diss is a head scratcher and probably a big favor for the under-talked-about rapper. The curveball track that really makes the set interesting is the cold-to-the-bone "I Don't Know Officer" with 50, Banks, Prodigy, Mobb Deep, and surprisingly, Mase all delivering a stark hood tale of no snitching. That the album doesn't even seem aware it's attached to a film is fine, and the "one or two tracks too long" problem is almost a given by now, but this all-over-the-place soundtrack contains enough heat to make it worthwhile for the man's huge fan base.© David Jeffries /TiVo

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Probably the most hyped debut album by a rap artist in about a decade, most likely since Snoop's Doggystyle (1993) or perhaps Nas' Illmatic (1994), 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' certainly arrived amid massive expectations. In fact, the expectations were so massive that they overshadowed the music itself -- 50 becoming more of a phenomenon than simply a rapper -- so massive that you had to be skeptical, particularly given the marketing-savvy nature of the rap world. Even so, Get Rich is indeed an impressive debut, not quite on the level of such landmark debuts as the aforementioned ones by Snoop or Nas -- or those by Biggie, Wu-Tang, or DMX either -- but impressive nonetheless, definitely ushering in 50 as one of the truly eminent rappers of his era. The thing, though, is that 50 isn't exactly a rookie, and it's debatable as to whether or not Get Rich can be considered a true debut (see the unreleased Power of the Dollar [1999] and the Guess Who's Back? compilation [2002]). That debate aside, however, Get Rich plays like a blueprint rap debut should: there's a tense, suspenseful intro ("What Up Gangsta"), an ethos-establishing tag-team spar with Eminem ("Patiently Waiting"), a street-cred appeal ("Many Men [Wish Death]"), a tailor-made mass-market good-time single ("In da Club"), a multifaceted tread through somber ghetto drama (from "High All the Time" to "Gotta Make It to Heaven"), and finally three bonus tracks that reprise 50's previously released hits ("Wanksta," "U Not Like Me," "Life's on the Line") -- in that precise order. In sum, Get Rich is an incredibly calculated album, albeit an amazing one. After all, when co-executive producer Eminem raps, "Take some Big and some Pac/And you mix them up in a pot/Sprinkle a little Big L on top/What the f*ck do you got?" you know the answer. Give Em (who produces two tracks) and Dr. Dre (who does four) credit for laying out the red carpet here, and also give 50 credit for reveling brilliantly in his much-documented mystique -- from his gun fetish to his witty swagger, 50 has the makings of a street legend, and it's no secret. And though he very well could be the rightful successor to the Biggie-Jigga-Nas triptych, Get Rich isn't quite the masterpiece 50 seems capable of, impressive or not. But until he drops that truly jaw-dropping album -- or falls victim to his own hubris -- this will certainly do. © Jason Birchmeier /TiVo

Download not available
Probably the most hyped debut album by a rap artist in about a decade, most likely since Snoop's Doggystyle (1993) or perhaps Nas' Illmatic (1994), 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' certainly arrived amid massive expectations. In fact, the expectations were so massive that they overshadowed the music itself -- 50 becoming more of a phenomenon than simply a rapper -- so massive that you had to be skeptical, particularly given the marketing-savvy nature of the rap world. Even so, Get Rich is indeed an impressive debut, not quite on the level of such landmark debuts as the aforementioned ones by Snoop or Nas -- or those by Biggie, Wu-Tang, or DMX either -- but impressive nonetheless, definitely ushering in 50 as one of the truly eminent rappers of his era. The thing, though, is that 50 isn't exactly a rookie, and it's debatable as to whether or not Get Rich can be considered a true debut (see the unreleased Power of the Dollar [1999] and the Guess Who's Back? compilation [2002]). That debate aside, however, Get Rich plays like a blueprint rap debut should: there's a tense, suspenseful intro ("What Up Gangsta"), an ethos-establishing tag-team spar with Eminem ("Patiently Waiting"), a street-cred appeal ("Many Men [Wish Death]"), a tailor-made mass-market good-time single ("In da Club"), a multifaceted tread through somber ghetto drama (from "High All the Time" to "Gotta Make It to Heaven"), and finally three bonus tracks that reprise 50's previously released hits ("Wanksta," "U Not Like Me," "Life's on the Line") -- in that precise order. In sum, Get Rich is an incredibly calculated album, albeit an amazing one. After all, when co-executive producer Eminem raps, "Take some Big and some Pac/And you mix them up in a pot/Sprinkle a little Big L on top/What the f*ck do you got?" you know the answer. Give Em (who produces two tracks) and Dr. Dre (who does four) credit for laying out the red carpet here, and also give 50 credit for reveling brilliantly in his much-documented mystique -- from his gun fetish to his witty swagger, 50 has the makings of a street legend, and it's no secret. And though he very well could be the rightful successor to the Biggie-Jigga-Nas triptych, Get Rich isn't quite the masterpiece 50 seems capable of, impressive or not. But until he drops that truly jaw-dropping album -- or falls victim to his own hubris -- this will certainly do.© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo

Download not available
Probably the most hyped debut album by a rap artist in about a decade, most likely since Snoop's Doggystyle (1993) or perhaps Nas' Illmatic (1994), 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' certainly arrived amid massive expectations. In fact, the expectations were so massive that they overshadowed the music itself -- 50 becoming more of a phenomenon than simply a rapper -- so massive that you had to be skeptical, particularly given the marketing-savvy nature of the rap world. Even so, Get Rich is indeed an impressive debut, not quite on the level of such landmark debuts as the aforementioned ones by Snoop or Nas -- or those by Biggie, Wu-Tang, or DMX either -- but impressive nonetheless, definitely ushering in 50 as one of the truly eminent rappers of his era. The thing, though, is that 50 isn't exactly a rookie, and it's debatable as to whether or not Get Rich can be considered a true debut (see the unreleased Power of the Dollar [1999] and the Guess Who's Back? compilation [2002]). That debate aside, however, Get Rich plays like a blueprint rap debut should: there's a tense, suspenseful intro ("What Up Gangsta"), an ethos-establishing tag-team spar with Eminem ("Patiently Waiting"), a street-cred appeal ("Many Men [Wish Death]"), a tailor-made mass-market good-time single ("In da Club"), a multifaceted tread through somber ghetto drama (from "High All the Time" to "Gotta Make It to Heaven"), and finally three bonus tracks that reprise 50's previously released hits ("Wanksta," "U Not Like Me," "Life's on the Line") -- in that precise order. In sum, Get Rich is an incredibly calculated album, albeit an amazing one. After all, when co-executive producer Eminem raps, "Take some Big and some Pac/And you mix them up in a pot/Sprinkle a little Big L on top/What the f*ck do you got?" you know the answer. Give Em (who produces two tracks) and Dr. Dre (who does four) credit for laying out the red carpet here, and also give 50 credit for reveling brilliantly in his much-documented mystique -- from his gun fetish to his witty swagger, 50 has the makings of a street legend, and it's no secret. And though he very well could be the rightful successor to the Biggie-Jigga-Nas triptych, Get Rich isn't quite the masterpiece 50 seems capable of, impressive or not. But until he drops that truly jaw-dropping album -- or falls victim to his own hubris -- this will certainly do.© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo

Lacking the usual G-Unit complete package polish, the soundtrack to 50 Cent's big Hollywood debut is far from perfect, but this sometimes thrilling collection of protégés and slick swagger from the big hustler himself is still worth considering. Since the film is a semi-biopic, it's surprising how non-personal and G-Unit pimping the soundtrack comes off, like Volume 14.5 of 50's G-Unit Radio mixtape series -- just without the interludes that could have helped this disjointed album flow better. Like the mixtapes, the G-Unit roster all get their showcases. Yayo's lackluster "Fake Love" finds the crew's infamous member dryly reading thug lyrics right off the page, while Olivia, Young Buck, and Lloyd Banks fare better with tracks that are hooky but ultimately filler. They fall victim to 50's tendency to throw his executive producer enthusiasm behind the new recruits, who are actually veterans of the game this time out. Mobb Deep have been eased into the G-Unit world with remixes and on mixtapes, but their tracks here are the best yet to come out of the relationship. The rickety beat behind "You a Shooter" suggests 50 is willing to take risks with these Queensbridge legends, while "Have a Party" is the tightest club track yet from the duo, with a perfect Nate Dogg appearance to boot. M.O.P. also get proper handling as 50 provides the hook, then steps aside to let the high-energy crew fly off the handle. As far as the tracks from 50 Cent himself, "Window Shopper" will sit nicely next to "In da Club" and "Candy Shop" on the next greatest-hits compilation, while "Hustlers Ambition" and "What If" are clever numbers that recall the looser moments of his debut, although the latter's AZ diss is a head scratcher and probably a big favor for the under-talked-about rapper. The curveball track that really makes the set interesting is the cold-to-the-bone "I Don't Know Officer" with 50, Banks, Prodigy, Mobb Deep, and surprisingly, Mase all delivering a stark hood tale of no snitching. That the album doesn't even seem aware it's attached to a film is fine, and the "one or two tracks too long" problem is almost a given by now, but this all-over-the-place soundtrack contains enough heat to make it worthwhile for the man's huge fan base.© David Jeffries /TiVo