power of the dollar

Straight up I would like to review an album that most people never heard about. Although everyone should know who released it. 50 Cent's "Power Of the Dollar" (2000) was his debut album and explosive entrance into the Hip Hop scene. Although it was never officially released onto the commercial market, this album is one of my favourites for it's amazing lyrical content.

Now your probably thinking how did he become so successful when his first album basically failed? Well, like all the greats in the history of Hip Hop, somebody wanted him dead. If your familiar with the portrayal/movie of his life "Get Rich or Die Tryin", you would know he lives a tough life and pisses off the wrong dealers. He is then shot 9 times, with one of the bullets leaving him with a speech impediment. He then makes a full recovery and ends up on top. (Who said cliché?) 

The first thing I noticed when I heard this album is how different he sounds compared to his more recent albums. A much clearer 50. The song "Ghetto Qu'ran" was supposedly the motive behind his shooting. The lyrics of this song name and judge high class figures of the NYC elite, and he obviously wasn't giving shout outs. 

Anyway, after he was shot his record label at the time dropped him expectantly and 50 was forced to bootleg his own album and spread it unofficially. Some of the notable songs on this album that are worth a listen include; "Ghetto Qu'ran", "Thug Love (feat. Destiny's Child)", "Ya Life's on the Line" and "I'm A Hustler".

Give this album a listen and try to concentrate on 50's lyrics, they're something special.