Kanye West Or 50 Cent? THE SHOWDOWN!

The Curse of the Underdog: Ye’ vs. 50

Words Kenji Summers

David versus Goliath? If we are to remember this Biblical story then the rapper by the name of Kanye West will be the victor of the September 11^th showdown. But should album sales or the quality of music be the determin ing factor? Let us examine the issues that fans and industry heads or str uggling with in the world of “Professional Hip Hop.” In earlier July, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson declared that his album Curtis would outsell and be better than rapper Kanye West’s Graduation. 50 numerously took time to tell the public how Kanye was not on his level of stardom or talent. Not really a bold statement when you look at 50’s past record selling history, but factor in to the equation the same re lease date for both artists and the formula changes. When we consider th e David versus Goliath comparison, let us not forget at one recent point in Hip Hop history 50 Cent gained the majority of his fans from reveling i n the position of an underdog. But things have changed in 2007 and the underdog in this dog fight (FREE M ike Vick) is none other than Kanye “The-Luis Vuitton-Don” West.

Kanye West has been the quieter of the two rappers and has appeared more h umble in the media than in past years. In a 2006 interview with Hot 97 50 Cent commented "They like Kanye West because he's a safe n*gga." Safe or not in a short period of time, Kanye has gone from the cocky inter continental champion of soulful Hip Hop to the number one contender for the mainstream world title. Kanye’s journey has been filled with milestones including six Grammy’s and this battle is the next in his ascension to becoming a hall of fame a rtist. In the uniform world of Hip Hop, Kanye has made a statement of indi viduality and disturbed the rap status quo. He has produced for artists of all genres and maintained his credibility in the rap world. On Graduation, Kanye has turned French music legends, Daft Punk into Hip Hop household names because of his ear for melodies and uncanny ability to sample exis ting music. Songs such as “I Wonder” and “Everything I am” show how introspective ‘Ye can get when it comes to his solo efforts. But his bread and butter are featuring artists on hit songs while maintaining his control over the t rack. Not many artists currently can say they outshined T-Pain and Lil W ayne on tracks recently but ‘Ye makes it seem easy. This go ‘round with Graduation, Kanye has placed his sole focus on making his album the best it can be whil e 50 Cent has used his expert marketing ability to promote himself, the f eud, and his album simultaneously. The number of jabs 50 has taken at ‘Ye are endless but the ultimate test for the public is September 11^th. Similar to Vince McMahon fighting matches in his own company 50 Cent see ms to be setting up feuds that will increase his marketability and benef it his companies.

While 50 Cent has sat back and allowed his G-Unit to waste talent, Curtis is an album with stadium packing music. The first song on the album, “My Gun” opens up the album with a fury similar to Get Rich or Die Trying. 50’s hooks have always been his money maker and this album is the epitome of him getting money. The beats are harder than Graduation and give off a sense of hunger that 50 cent seemingly lacked with his “Candy Shop,” “21 Questions” and other soft singles. The diversity of producers on Curtis helps to save 50 from his repetitive subject matter. If anyone thought Curtis would not sell is sadly mistaken, 50 recruited his popular friends, Jus tin Timberlake, Robin Thicke, Eminem, Dr.Dre, Timbaland, Nicole Sche rzinger, and Mary J. Blige to appeal to all sorts of music lovers. 50 Cent has constructed a pop-hop album that focuses on what he is good at, talki ng shit and ego tripping. With Vitamin Water sold and a diverse portfoli o of merchandise, the fall of the “NEW King of New York” is unlikely. But are sales the only way to generate revenue with Hip Hop music?

In this day of lacking album sales the Kanye West coined term “stadium status” is ever so important. Touring is paying bills and the quality of albums is determining the mon ey that artists can demand. Major tours cannot be booked with a hit singl e; the stakes are higher for artists to put together quality albums that can be performed live. For the record both Kanye West and 50 Cent’s concluding tracks are the top stadium status tracks on their new albu ms. Kanye is becoming a respected international star comparing himself to a young Michael Jackson. With lines on Graduation such as “I’m like the flyy Malcolm X—buy any jeans necessary” fans cannot help but appreciate Mr. West’s confidence and charisma. In comparison 50 cent spits, “I took quarter water sold it in bottles for two bucks then Coco-Cola cam e and bought it for billions what the fu*k.” Now to call Kanye West and 50 Cent confident is an understatement and to t hink that their ego trips are a rarity (they are more like ego vacations) is unrealistic.

The fact of the matter is Kanye West is growing as an artist while 50 Cent s eems to be relishing in his popular mediocrity. 50 knows he could do bett er but his album formula is still selling. Why reinvent the wheel? But to call Kanye West out for his advancement as an artist is not good Hip Hop. If Universal/Interscope neglects to buy more Curtis albums then Def Jam Graduation albums, 50 may be forced to eat his words and retire. Many critics have st ated that the feud reminds them of Willie Lynch syndrome or professiona l wrestling. Either one does not totally describe what this event has do ne to Hip Hop. Hero versus heel? Or house n*gger versus field n*gger? Fac t is, both ‘Ye and 50 are richer than any slave or wrestler that I know. There are no u nder dogs in this battle of millionaires and the quality of the music sho uld be the only determining factor in which album you side with at the end of the day. Listen to each track multiple times and let your ears be the ju dge.

-Kenji “Movie star K” Summers