By Odeisel
Desperate times call for desperate measures. In a landscape dominated by emo rappers and singing and mechanical augmentation, what is a megastar who got his light from hardcore rap to do? If you’re an athlete and you lose your title, you get back in the gym, you go back to basics and you train harder. If you’re 50 Cent, you get off your ass and go back in the studio. You go back to the beginning.
Five years ago 50 was the leader of the hard rap pack, now he finds himself a salmon, swimming against the tide of a Hip-Hop not so friendly to mannish aggression. Label turmoil and crew losses haven’t helped any. With all his money, no one would have blinked if 50 would have walked away in the face of these odds, but the ultimate survivor not only went back to the studio, but gave the album away free! (Artists and labels, take note…what if he had it for sale and even just 10% of the people who downloaded it free bought it…I digress)
The first thing you notice on War Angel is that the gloves are off. This is a return to the hard core you know and love. The album is light on melody and long on malice, which now stands as a breath of fresh air in a mainstream saturated by saccharine.
The first salvo, “I Line N****s” brings that familiar G-unit sound with the hard drums, the gun shots and the sparse strings. 50′ trademarked tough talk is urban sprawl spread over the track leaving no one untouched, with lines like “goons don’t use autotune, just Yeezy” You already know where his head is.
The hard driving “Talking in Codes” brings a bounce to the album and instantly raises the energy and features a 50 cent possessed of a faster flow than usual. After a few years of 50 being omnipresent, songs like this make you realize how much you actually miss this kind of music. While it’s certainly not kid friendly, it knocks in the whip in the tradition of “Ryder Music,” albeit much faster. 50’s melodic flow style is well served here without leaning on the sing-songiness that usually accompanies it.
The first surprise of the album is the track “Redrum” which features an AAAB rhymes scheme that I haven’t really heard from 50 before. It’s nice to see a semi old dog throw out some new tricks, and the flow and cadence change on this makes you pay closer attention to 50 as an artist.
Almost the entire album is driven by aggression. “C.R.E.A.M 2009″continues in that vein with more of that same feel. Notable exceptions to this are the weak “I’ll Do Anything” which brings the syrup and brings the album down a notch. What is peculiar about songs like this, is that women prefer the hardcore from 50 over the weak stuff. Hopefully he takes note of this. Even more annoyingly wack is the contrived “London Girl” complete with that annoyingly British chick in the background. Think “Conglomerate” mixed with Drake on steroids. No, 50. Emphatically hell no.
Thankfully, the appropriately titled “Better Come on your A Game” an ode to the gunclap brings the album back to the center. Simple chorus, tuff beat and hard rhymes. This album is at its best when 50 keeps it simple. The tough talk is very entertaining if you take it for what it is.
The Robin Thicke-backed, Curtis Mayfield inspired “Cocaine” continues the tradition of drug as a woman song that both 50 and Jay-z have kept alive in the spirit of James Brown’s classic “King Heroin.” To me, this song is awkward filler, but I can see people digging it.
The audio highlight of the album is “I Gotta Win” which features a resolute 50 Cent unwilling to fail, rhyming over a slickly produced track. It’s rare to hear 50 sound this inspiring and generally positive, but this is a really good song.
The War Angel isn’t as much a comeback as it is a return to the gym. A back to basics approach which illustrates that 50 has not really suffered from a loss of skill level but perhaps a lack of direction and motivation. Not quite GRODT in hunger, but definitely refreshed from his last effort. If this was for sale, I don’t think consumers would have been disappointed. Half a thumb higher because it was a free effort, but a solid legitimate effort nonetheless. Cop that..er I mean download it below.
Out Of 5 if It was Retail. 4/5 for free.
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hope its as good as you say, Im kinda skeptical, when you think about it he has done like 34 ja rule sounding sing songs,now hes going back to the streets. even though i know he did the singing thing to say, look i took your stile ended your career and made money of your style, hope its a good albumn