The Massacre

iTunes Review

In the months leading up to the release of The Massacre 50 Cent had become the most powerful and popular pop star in the world, and his sophomore album inevitably lacks some of the grit and hunger that elevated his debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. It was as if success polarized 50’s split personalities. For the second album, the pop songs are glossier, the murder songs are creepier, and the whole album feels less weighty but more expensive — precisely the ingredients that gear an album towards a mass audience rather than hip-hop diehards. There is less Dr. Dre on The Massacre, although a crew of understudies is on hand to replicate his formidable recipe. In place of “In Da Club” we get three sleazy, throbbing club hits, and while “Just a Lil Bit,” “Disco Inferno,” and “Candy Shop” aren’t deep by any measure, they are undeniably infectious. Better still are “Ryder Music,” “Get In My Car,” and especially “Ski Mask Way,” spooky and brooding tracks from indie producers Hi-Tek and Disco D. Such songs prove that 50 Cent stills harbors a hatred that can raise your neck hairs.