Curtis
by 50 Cent

Album details

US: 11 September 2007 on Aftermath
UK: 10 September 2007 on Polydor

Rapper Curtis Jackson’s first album in two years includes appearances by Eminem, Robin Thicke, Justin Timberlake, and Mary J. Blige and production from Timbaland and Dr. Dre.

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The critical consensus

Although 50 Cent may have a shot at outselling Kanye West (whose "Graduation" is released on the same day), as far as reviews go, Curtis doesn’t have much of a chance at victory. Like many critics, the Associated Press doesn’t hear any progress on Mr. Jackson’s third disc: "Fiddy’s outsized cockiness sounds like a comfortable artist repeating himself, afraid to tinker with his winning formulas." Billboard, too, sees the album as a retread (while also calling it "muddled"), while Prefix agress that the formula is getting old and that "the bully’s old boasts and jabs sound increasingly one-note and tiresome." For the Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot, the cliched Curtis is actually a step backward, as "the music is even emptier and more nihilistic than before."

Not every critic fails to hear signs of growth. Stylus, for example, helpfully points out that "his arrogance … has grown by leaps and bounds." That publication adds that listening to Curtis "feels like wallowing in someone else’s stale bathwater." The Onion notes that "50 Cent continues to experiment with his delivery," but it does little to save the album from "the law of diminishing returns." The Washington Post–finding the disc well-executed but uninspired–notes that "the charm is gone. Hearing a broke rapper brag about cash is quaint. Having a multimillionaire bully you with his financials is just mean." And Dotmusic concludes, "It is a record of calculated efficiency, and is, unsurprisingly, utterly joyless and almost robotically dehumanised."

Lest you think every critic is a hater, PopMatters concludes that Curtis is "a solidly above-average rap record, featuring a generous handful of very likeable songs and only two unqualified duds." The New York Times actually seems to like Curtis even though it comes across as "modest" and "is neither as contagious as ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’’ … nor as devious as ‘The Massacre’." All Music Guide is nonplussed but still slightly approves of the disc, concluding, "Curtis is entertaining but only impressive in that 50 can run in place and still be on top." IGN is among the few who believe that "Curtis may just be the strongest 50 Cent offering to date." And Sputnik, though acknowledging that the record is "inconsistent," feels that "50’s put out a better product than Kanye."

50’s new album is a blatant rehash– a bottom-line sequel that insults the same audience it mindlessly panders to.

- Ryan Dombal, Pitchfork

Review roundup

Tracklisting and media

1. Intro
2. My Gun Go Off
3. Man Down
4. I’ll Still Kill
5. I Get Money
   
   
6. Come & Go
7. Ayo Technology
   
   
8. Follow My Lead
9. Movin’ On Up
10. Straight To The Bank
    
    
11. Amusement Park
12. Fully Loaded Clip
13. Peep Show
14. Fire
15. All Of Me
16. Curtis 187
17. Touch The Sky

Also on the web

• Official Artist Site
• 50 Cent @ MySpace