50's sophomore album seems like a natural extension of his debut. And because of that, the album falls a bit flat. The tough talk is all the same and so the artistry didn't seem to show much growth from before. However, that doesn't mean it isn't entertaining. My favorite lyric is in "Piggy Bank" wherein 50 dissects Fat Joe's success with Terror Squad's "Lean Back," "That fat n***a thought 'Lean Back' was 'In Da Club'/ My shit sold 11 Mill, his was a dud." That line is crazy because "Lean Back" was a huge hit. And yet, it didn't translate to record sales the way 50's smash single, "In Da Club" did. Then there's "Ryder Music" where Fif claims to have slept with a lot of famous actresses, "Last year I woke up with good luck, damn it feels good/On the low, I done fucked like half of Hollywood." I really like to beat for "Ski Mask Way" (R.I.P. Disco D) too and Dre's heavy drums on "Outta Control" still bang today. This album isn't nearly as impressive as his earlier work, just evidence of who was unquestionably one of hip hop's biggest stars at the time. Hate it or love it.
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