Rap giants square off |
| Posted by Administrator on Sep 20 2007 at 4:28 PM |
Jim Langan
Antelope News Staff
Photo by Jim Langan
Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier. Red Sox versus Yankees. Biggie versus Tupac. Now, Kanye West versus 50 Cent. These two are the best in their respective fields and rivals to boot.
On Sept. 11, 2007, both hip-hop heavyweights dropped albums. Along with it came a whirlwind of media coverage. The two appeared face-to-face on the cover of Rolling Stone, and in countless other media sources.
Much of the hysteria behind their showdown came from 50 Cent calling out Kanye in the weeks leading up to the release date. He was quoted saying he would retire if Kanye’s album beat him in the first week of sales. West pushed up his record-release date two weeks to coincide with 50 Cent’s. Needless to say, the stage was set.
According to the Billboard Top 100 website, Kanye West's album "Graduation" sold approximately 437,000 copies, while 50 Cent's album "Curtis" was approximated at only 310,000 units.
Kearney, however, is an exception to the national trend. Matt Skiles, a UNK senior and manager at Hastings Books, Music and Video, told the Antelope that as of Wednesday, September 12, "Graduation" had only sold 17 copies compared with 22 of "Curtis." He thought Kanye would make a
push towards the end of the week, eventually beating out 50 Cent for top dog.
Kamaru Usman, a sophomore, said, "Kanye will sell more. His album is more personal, in-depth."
Jared Muzzey, a sophomore at UNK, noted 50 Cent's 'streetcred' as a reason he was more of
a fan. He said, "I believe 50 Cent will sell more because he's from the streets, son."
This is a major point of contention for many fans of 50 Cent. 50 Cent, born Curtis Jackson, took the rap industry by storm in early 2003 with his first album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," when he opened up to the media about being shot nine times.
Kanye West, on the other hand, grew up in suburban-Chicago with both parents in the home. This is
evident in the two rappers' styles.
50 Cent delivers a raw, from - the - streets brand of lyrics, while Kanye West is much more radio-friendly. The new albums do not stray from their very different,preestablished styles. Kanye raps about dealing with fame, while 50 Cent's album is a dark, introspective set of tracks.
"I want the number one spot," Kanye told Rolling Stone's Joe Levy. "It's the era of MySpace, where everyone's their own superstar," West said.
50 Cent, on the other hand, is striving to be accepted more as an artist than a arena-filler.
"At the same time, from a creative standpoint, do you make it totally for them [the MySpace generation], or do you give something that’s a reflection of where you are as an artist?"
Levy, on his "New Music Tuesday" segment, available on Rollingstone.com, said, "Right now I like the Kanye record a little better, but when it gets dark and things get a little grim, or when I want to get charged up in the morning I'll probably like the 50 Cent record better. It’s tougher, it’s meaner, and it’s certainly more interesting than anyone would have you believe."
No matter which camp you belong to, look for these two artists to be battling for years to
come.
As far as 50 Cent’s retirement goes, it is safe to say no matter how long his hiatus lasts, you can be sure he will not remain "retired" forever. Fame is an addictive thing: just ask Kanye West.
