JTTS Presents: The Year in Free Music- Day #1
Posted on September 28, 2009 by Martín Caballero
There is no such thing as a free lunch, and there is definitely no such thing as free music. As the Interweb’s unchecked tentacles continue to reach out and eat up new releases months before their release date, the newest and riskiest new idea in the industry is the “download-only” release. Similar to watching the newspaper industry collapse under the crushing weight of “free,” artists and execs are staring down at a dark paradox: their product is more popular than ever, people are finding new ways to access their product by the minute, yet ask someone to pay for it and watch the place go up in flames town-hall meeting style. The “free download” mix tape or album isn’t really free at all; the amount of time, money and effort thrown into creating a bunch of songs that people will carelessly download and stick in their iTunes library of 20,000 songs is often equal to that of a retail album, all in the name of hopefully, hopefully catching your ear enough to fork down a measly $10-12 to see the artist on tour or actually (gasp!) buy the album. This has been a blessing and a curse for listeners, as “free download” elicits the same eye-rolling apathetic response as a band telling you to check out their MySpace. But that’s why you have JTTS bookmarked and as your home page: so we can wade through hellish wasteland of RapidShare links and pop-up ads for natural male enhancement to bring you the finest of this year’s (legitimately) free music. Most of the journey felt like getting crushed in the garbage compactor of the Death Star, but there’s a few tasty links amidst the sludge.
What better place to start than with 50 Cent, the ugly mug that launched a thousand mix tape DJs and pretenders back in 2002. There’s no need to rehash the details of the Curtis Jackson era (pick up any issue of XXL for that shit), but its safe to say that when Fiddy dropped this tape in mid-summer, even the few people who found Curtis amusing were having trouble facing themselves in the mirror each morning, to say nothing of the man himself. The most predictable, self-serving option would be for 50 to distance himself from his last album and re-emerge with “street-oriented material” on a back-to-basics mix tape. In case you haven’t noticed already, 50 Cent has never met a demographic he didn’t think he could sell something to, and in this case he’s returning to the forgotten constituents on the mix tape circuit that helped launch his career.
Minus the over-dramatic cover and title (it’s a mix tape…but it’s, like, an LP!), our favorite Queens-bred super thug manages to do just that. He doesn’t quite recover from the masochistic torture he’s inflicted on himself over the past four years through Justin Timberlake collabos and MTV reality show abortions, but he’s back to what he does best: picking the right beats and doing enough shit talking to be somewhat entertaining. Really, millions sold or not, I don’t know what else people expect from this guy. Remove the pressure of selling records and 50 seems more relaxed in knowing his own limitations.
LISTEN: 50 Cent- Talking in Codes
Lines like “There’s nothing to it, cock and bang than get rid of that/hit and spit a cap/he won’t get a chance to Twitter that” are about as lyrical as it gets, but what 50 lacks the ability to get deep and intricate like say Nas, he has an irrefutable knack for picking great beats, unlike say Nas. Case in point: “Talking in Codes” flips the same sample found on KiD CuDi’s droning “Mr. Solo Dolo” into a eerie, dub-flavored instrumental for 50’s hollow death threats. “Get the Message” sounds like it could have slid into Raekwon’s Cuban Linx Pt. II without raising an eyebrow, while the directly Wu-inspired “C.R.E.A.M. 2009″ bangs with a heavy back-ended thump, like something 50 was hiding from Mobb Deep during the Blood Money sessions. Even the obstensibly unlistenable “I’ll Do Anything” glides smoothly over the twinkling keys and bed of strings provided for 50 to serenade his bitch (”You should be in fucking love with me, look at all this shit I got you!”). As usual, when Fiddy opens his mouth to say something, it’s usually dime-store wisdom expressed via swooning hook (”I’m a winner, I got to win/Watch me manuver with the Ruger”) or mumbling tired threats to who ever is on his mind that particular day.
LISTEN: 50 Cent- Get the Message
But that’s not what you’re here for, right? As stated above, any discussion about 50’s lyrical abilities (or lack thereof) is like shitting on Shaq’s free throw percentage. If you’re expecting analytic breakdowns of street economics and politics, pick up Reks; if you want pure lyrical fire, maybe you should check for Joell Ortiz. But as much as I admire and support those two and others like them, the bottom line is 50 Cent can and often does make more entertaining songs than them, songs that rely on hot beats and 50’s undeniable charisma behind the mic (not to be confused with skill), songs that sound appropriately awesome when played loud in your car. That’s what made 50’s original mix tapes so unabashedly fun; with the pressure to please the bean counters (50 himself being the biggest one) off, the strength of his basic, unrefined formula becomes apparent. Enjoy it while it lasts, before 50’s next overblown, overproduced retail album gets shoved down your throat.
DOWNLOAD: 50 Cent- War Angel LP
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free music poast fail?
shame because u spent time on this.. but 50 Cent doesn’t have legs on JTTS apparently..
whatever. I like 50. nice work Marty!