Getting rich again

With a title like "The Massacre" on his sophomore Shady/Aftermath effort, no one can rightfully accuse 50 Cent of lack of ambition.

Sadly, three years after the Queens native's debut album, "Get Rich or Die Trying," 50 can be accused of spending too much of his time marketing mineral water and videogames and not enough focusing on what got him rich in the first place: writing rhymes.

"The Massacre" is a solid record, both lyrically and in terms of production and will doubtlessly be appreciated by many, though others will be irked that "The Massacre" is a watered-down facsimile of "Get Rich."

"The Massacre" sticks to the traditional rap equation, a few ultra-violent, gun-toting anthems, a few about seducing women, some about partying and a couple more about gun toting. Not to disparage this format - it has worked repeatedly for Jay-Z - but 50 seems unable to maintain as fresh a flow over three albums that Jay-Z did over ten.

"I'm Supposed to Die Tonight," one of "The Massacre's" standout tracks, combines a melodic hook, catchy, relaxed beats and decent rhymes making it stylistically reminiscent of classic Tupac. It is also a little too reminiscent of "Get Rich's" "Many Men."

Likewise, the album's first two radio singles "Candy Shop" and "Disco Inferno" are basically carbon copies of "P.I.M.P." and "In Da Club," respectively.

Then there's "Piggy Bank," 50's vicious attack on fellow rap-superstars Fat Joe, Shyne, Jadakiss and Nas, probably due to their continued association with 50's archrival Ja Rule. 1999's "How to Rob" also took shots at a plethora of rap icons and helped to jumpstart 50's career. While "Piggy Bank" proudly upholds this tradition it lacks much of the humor and wit that made "How to Rob" a great song.

There are few promising tracks that thankfully break new ground. On "A Baltimore Love Thing," 50 assumes the persona of heroin and eerily croons to a female addict, condemning her for her attempts to stop using.

Also, "My Toy Soldier," one of the few songs featuring a guest appearance, vividly showcases 50's ability to manipulate his underlings. Fellow G-Unit rapper Tony Yayo somewhat outshines 50 on the track adding a stitch of doubt to the content's validity.

In addition to producing "My Toy Soldier" and "I'm Supposed to Die Tonight," Eminem aids his prot?(c)g?(c) by producing and rapping on "GATman and Robbin'" in which both 50 and Eminem skillfully pledge their allegiance to each other. However, the song's beat, a sped-up take on the original "Batman " theme, is confused and leaves much to be desired.

The album's final track is a remix of "Hate It or Love It," a hit single on The Game's "The Documentary." While 50's verse remains largely unchanged, The Game, Young Buck, Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks make pertinent contributions, making it the first track to feature all five G-Unit members.

Disco D, who produced Usher's smash hit "Yeah," contributes the beat for "Ski Mask Way," which, while not a standout lyrical track, is well put together. Dr. Dre, Hi-Tek and Scott Storch, among others, complete the album's confident production team. "The Massacre" is certainly well produced, but it lacks the perfection of "The Documentary."

All in all, "The Massacre" is a chauvinistic, violent and extremely egotistical ode to street life. The problem with "The Massacre" is not its explicit content, but its unfortunate lack of originality in the portrayal of it.