Get Rich Or Die Tryin'

So many white people are gonna listen to this and say "Oh this Mr. Cent person is quite vulgar talking about shooting down people, talking about getting with woman, and being braggadocious in general" as if they didn't grow up listening to Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, AC/DC and other popular artist from their times that sang this exact same stuff. Time's change and what people find good changes. I like all these artist (except AC/DC) But don't deny that 50 Cent is a terrible artist because of the stuff he talks about whether it's beats to his songs, the imagery of his songs like Many Men, or even his hit songs that you can't deny will forever stay in the minds of the public like In The Club. Overall I think a lot of people should be more open to hip-hop, but really any genre, it's just i'm tired of these people who criticize this genre but then listen to the artist previously mentioned who talk about the same thing. If Kid Rock can go Diamond (sell 10 million copies) for his garbage album Devil Without a Cause say the exact same things as 50 Cent and get no flack from those same white folks, they can at least tolerate 50 for his arguably better album and best Mr. Rock for the fact that he didn't brag about wanting to sleep with an underage girl.

"I'm similar to a squirrel, looking for a slut with a nice butt to get a nut" Modern day Shakespeare.

I do not really know why I have wasted my precious time listening to this. Lost nearly an hour just to witness some arrogant, chauvinistic lyrics written by a man whose opinion is of no consequence at all. 50 Cent full of himself, though (like, sadly, most rappers out there). I didn’t reach the bonus tracks in the album: my ears were already sour enough.

50 cent is the soundtrack to breaking into cars to steal loose change so you can buy cigarettes. It's the sound of a cultural cesspool. I know as a white guy I'm not meant to say that, but fuuuck it's true. It's just bottom of the barrel trashy shit: some idiot carrying on about doing/dealing drugs, getting in fights and fucking hoes. Imagine being such a bottom feeder that "tough" shit like this is how you measure your success. It doesn't even sound any good - most of the time he's trailing by half a beat, slurring his way through like he's just had a hit of horse tranquilizer. Oh and it goes for over an hour. 1/5.

Honestly insane that this album still even sort of holds up almost 2 decades later. All the beats are catchy and many men and in da club are still bangers. Even the album length isn’t that bad since each song sounds pretty distinct

I found it quite difficult to take this record seriously - it features A LOT of sound effects which could have been taken directly from GTA (just listen to 'Heat'!). Absolute highlight is on 'High All The Time' where 50 contemplates his need for a new fax machine. That line sure aged like fine milk. Standouts are 'Many Men' (great refrain), 'In Da Club', and the two Eminem features 'Don't Push Me' and 'Patiently' - including the great line "Shady Records was 80 seconds away from the towers, Some cowards fucked with the wrong building, they meant to hit ours".

Mumbly fucking boring hip hop. And the album just goes on and on.

Sigh. Let's try and get this over with. OK, so this is bad. Like, genuinely not very good. I had forgotten quite how much I loathe, despise and detest "in da club". As far as I'm concerned this album isn't quite the nadir of early-mid 2000s music, but it is damned close. It's almost irredeemable. I'm trying hard to find something good about it, but I just can't.

Without intending to, I first listened to the censored version, which was unlistenable because it was missing every other word. Then I listened to the uncensored version, which was unlistenable because of the constant assault of violent language. There were some good beats, especially the big hits, "In da Club" and "P.I.M.P.", but that fact was overwhelmed by the relentless gun violence that just left me feeling dismayed and confused.

Hasn’t aged well and outside of the hits it sounds decidedly one note. My gf’s father summed it up nicely after once being subjected to some of this album remarking, “This is 50 Cents is it? He isn’t worth 5 cents!”

50 Cent got shot 9 times and survived. Always take that tenth shot, kids.

Certified classic. We've had about 30 hip hop albums so far in this list, but to date I've only five-starred two of them (I'm chalking that up to the list writers having suboptimal experience and taste for the genre). Today marks number three, in glorious fashion. 50 Cent broke onto the scene with THIS album, truly his best body of work. This man came in the game HUNGRY. Supported by Dr. Dre production (and executive production), and label ties to Eminem and his G-Unit buddies, it was like he'd been in the game forever when his debut dropped. I say all off this in hindsight of course, because I was in middle school when this dropped. But you better believe that my suburban white boy middle school self knew this album even then, and not *just* "In Da Club" either. I've revisited and rediscovered this album several times in my life, and each time I find more to love. I remember doing pushups like a madman in high school to "If I Can't." Today was a rediscovery of "Heat," probably one of the most in-your-face Dre beats ever, and the music video is fantastic and hilarious. 50 represented a resurgence of gangsta rap with high budget production, blended with the "bling era" that reigned for a little while. He would ultimately go toe to toe with the artist formerly known as Kanye West, to see if backpack rap or gangsta rap would win in (I think) 2007. Ye won that one, but there's no messing with this album. As much of a fan as I am of Kanye's work (that fandom is under heavy scrutiny these days), I'd personally take this album over several of his earliest entries. In 2010, 50 Cent tweeted "I can't believe my grandmother's making me take out the garbage. I'm rich, fuck this shit, I'm going home, I don't need this shit." On this album, 50 rapped "Mama said everything that happened to us, was part of God's plan, so at night when I talk to him, I got my gun in my hand." Shot nine times before this album dropped. Curtis Jackson is a legend. Favorite tracks: I'm keeping 14 of 19 in my playlist (really 14/18 if you exclude the intro), which is absurd. My essentials are Many Men, In da Club, Heat, If I Can't, PIMP, 21 Questions. Album art: Iconic. One of the most powerful and distinct album covers in the history of the genre. No notes, no complaints. Guy is bulletproof. 5/5

Not in my edition of the book. 1 star. (C)Rap. Angry black man rants about motherf**kers, killing people, taking drugs, and refers to woman as "sluts with a nice butt to get a nut"... and then on his biggest hit asks "come on and give me a hug". Tedious, misogynistic, macho posturing rubbish. "Your mami, your papi, that bitch you chasin'/Your little dirty ass kids, I'll fucking erase 'em"

Wanksta indeed. This was okay but doesn’t really speak to me and is way too long.

Classic album. There are some skippable tracks—"Blood Hound" (although I like Young Buck, who sounds like a wee baby on this track) and "Back Down" are my least favorite—but I don't outright dislike any of them. Got this on CD when it came out, and I could pop it in and listen to it from start to finish—which I did many times. I took a look at the numbers for this album on Spotify, and unsurprisingly, "In da Club," "P.I.M.P.", and "21 Questions" are the most-played, and understandably so. But I was shocked to see that "Gotta Make It to Heaven" was the *least*-played track. Megahertz produced the shit out of it, and 50 ... well, in his own words: "You ain't got to tell me / you feeling this shit / Because I hear what I'm saying / I know I'm killing this shit." And he ain't lying; it's my second favorite track after "P.I.M.P."

I can't think of anything redeeming about this album. It's an hour that I will never get back.

Not all 5s are created equal. Is this really as good as To Pimp a Butterfly? Should this really be in the same category as Bringing It All Back Home? I don’t really know, but I do know I had a hell of a good time listening to this. The best of gangsta rap meets some of the catchiest pop rap ever. The Dr. Dre-led production is damn-near immaculate. Perfectly crafted beats, absolute ear worms. Is 50 the greatest lyrical talent? No, but he doesn’t need to be. His street stories, bravado, and charisma make him an unbeatable rapper for this era of hip-hop. And the hooks! This thing is an hour long and I kept waiting for a bad song. Never came. Every song here is good to great. An all-timer for hip-hop. The influence of this record still echoes throughout hip-hop today.

Every song a banger, every song an ANTHEM. This was the soundtrack of my senior year, so I may be biased. This is the definition of the ultimate perfect album. Fuck it, new rule. If it gets the ultimate perfect stamp, every song gets added to the playlist. Definitely a 5, even if it was out of 100, it a HUNNED!

In the Bible, it says what goes around, comes around Hommo shot me, three weeks later he got shot down Now it’s clear that I’m here for a real reason 'Cause he got hit like I got hit, but he ain't fuckin' breathin What can I say? The first album I ever owned. My introduction into Hip Hop. This album shaped me and started my journey into music. 50 really came on the scene with a bang and Get Rich or Die Trying is an album to me that has no skips. His flow, his lyrics, the classic records. Man, what an album!

Defining sound of the era. Nothing 50 put out after this could hold a candle, but this has always been enough. 4.5

3/5. It's pretty obvious how this album got so popular, these are well written pop songs. Sure there is rapping and it is identified as hip hop but there are great choruses and accessible music, while the beats and themes remain heavy, diverse, and rap-oriented. I do acknowledge these are good songs and respect it and I do enjoy most of the songs on here. I may skip the song if I was by myself but wouldn't be upset if it came on the radio or in public. I also think 50 cent is an okay rapper but if he went towards more pop music, I think he's better at that. The album as a whole felt a little too long for the vibe it was going for. There are serious songs on here but it's not really the theme of the album, not that it needs to happen, it just feels conflicted. Best Song: P.I.M.P, In Da Club, If I Can't Also, as a P.S., shoutout to the reviews being blatantly racist, no matter how many times you say "I'm just speaking the truth." No, you are a bigot, which is the truth. You just created a narrative because you saw someone you didn't like looking at listening to this music and now everyone who listens to this is not a good person to you. If I told you I am the nerdiest person, I play dungeons and dragons, my favorite bands are Rush, Pink Floyd, and the Beach Boys, and I said I enjoyed this album enough to listen to it on loud speakers, would you be able to comprehend that or is that too much for your narrow minds? Re-evaluate what you say before you make yourself look stupid online. Not liking an album because of the artist is one thing but not liking it because of the people who listen to it is deplorable. Do better.

Best 50 cent's album when you are in Da Club, it is 2003 and you have to wake up early for school. 3 for nostalgia.

Get Rich or Die Tryin’ "I'm similar to a squirrel, looking for a slut with a nice butt to get a nut" Never particularly been a fan of Fiddy’s flow and style, although I do like In Da Club, a brilliantly well constructed bit of party rap, and PIMP, which while crass, has a good beat and hook. What Up Gangsta is kind of what I’d expected, a pretty forgettable bit of gangster rap posturing, but Patiently Waiting is really good, with great strings in the verses, Eminem excellent as usual and a nice synthesiser running through the chorus. Many Men also sounds great with an excellent, even if lyrically it does tread the same ground as seemingly every gangster rapper. High All The Time and Heat are pretty generic and formulaic, If I Can’t sounds good, with nice instrumentation. Blood Hound is pretty ropey, Back Down is good, Like My Style not so much. Poor Lil Rich has a nice synth line, and Nate Dogg on 21 Questions gives it a 90s vibe, although the effect on 50’s vocal is a bit odd and the track overall isn’t great. Don’t Push Me has a nice sense of musical drama, and it almost feels as though he is about to get introspective, but it turns into the usual braggadocio. Gotta Make it To Heaven has a decent production, but isn’t a particularly goo track. I kind of came round to his slurry mumbly delivery by the end, and I really liked the production, particularly the Dre and Eminem produced tracks. It does sound very early 2000s, but it has a polished sheen I found enjoyable and relatively non-uniform use of instruments and samples, giving a nice bit of interest. Thematically it obviously covers a lot of the same ground as the 2pac and Biggie albums we have had. Nas is the pinnacle for me in rapping about all this stuff but I found 2pac more interesting and thoughtful behind the belligerence than Biggie, and I think 50 cent sits closer to Biggie. Although a little less puerile and crass than Biggie he still does seem to inhabit the same adolescent’s idea of edgy realness, which ultimately gets quite boring, even if he has lived that life for real. I suppose sensitive singer songwriters sing about love in the same way as every other sensitive singer songwriters, which could also be seen as repetitive, but there are only so many ways and times you can describe how you shoot guns, get blow jobs, sell drugs and spend lots of money before it all sounds the same. I gave 2pac 4 and Biggie 2. This is better than Biggie but I’m not sure it quite reaches 3, even though In Da Club is a banger. Ultimately I’m unlikely to come back to it, so I’ll stick with a high 2. 💲💲 Playlist: In Da Club

Nr. 24/1001 What Up Gangsta 3/5 Patiently Waiting 2/5 Many Men 2/5 In Da Club 3/5 High All The Time 2/5 Heat 1/5 If I Can't 2/5 Blood Hound 1/5 Back Down 2/5 P.I.M.P. 3/5 Like My Style 2/5 Poor Lil Rich 1/5 21 Questions 3/5 Don't Push Me 2/5 Gotta Make It To Heaven 1/5 Wanksta 1/5 U Not Like Me 2/5 Lifes On The Line 2/5 Average: 1,94 The lyrics are objectively so bad and arrogant. Can't believe this made it on the list, there are many hip hop albums out there, which are way better and didn't make it onto the list

Even as someone super into hiphop around this time, this was always a novelty act. Can only think it's on this list as an example of gangster rap but then BIG and DMX have that dark style down better and Xibit from the same period massively outshines him. Production is slick but don't like his style of rapping at all.

Ooh, you're hard. 53 minutes of self adulation. Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: In Da Club Date listened: 06/04/23

Eminem added a little energy. Otherwise this was just treading water. The lyrics were a complete turn off for me.

Still the favorite one.

I’ve long debated how to rate this compared to the classic debut rap records of the time, as it’s much less a personal, artistic statement 50 had been waiting his entire life to make and more of an almost cynical collection of focused grouped singles covering all the necessary bases of the time period (NY gangsta records? Check? R&B tinged song for the ladies? Check. California record, Atlanta record, weed smoking song from a guy who doesn’t even smoke? Check, check, check. Etc). But the reality is those focused grouped singles are phenomenal, backed by immaculate production and 50 spitting his ass off in way he never would again. So while it’s not illmatic or ready to die, it deserves its place among them.

Surprised at how much I loved every track on this one.

Little did anybody know that this would be the death knell of gangsta rap as we knew it. Perhaps getting shot nine times after ruffling quite a few supposedly unruffled feathers and living to tell the tale is worthy of something being the final act of a tall tale. Curtis Jackson, better known as 50 Cent, waves the flag of his G-Unit and the more than good enough endorsements of Dr. Dre and Eminem on his highly entertaining, if not a tad bit long, debut album. Walking the tightrope of grit and glamour with swagger and charisma, Get Rich or Die Tryin' becomes a memorable listen based on not just that but how hook-laden it is throughout. Get Rich or Die Tryin' could be seen as the last of a soon-to-be dying breed of hip-hop monoliths but it would look and sound great on the way out.

This Album Is Great.

"He says bad words and talks about sex and drugs :(" Womp womp Melvin, do my homework. This slaps unfathomably hard. Might genuinely be one of the catchiest albums of all time. The lyrics might not be very deep, some beats sound like Super Mario 64, but nothing beats fun. And this album is a lot of fun. Five.

Это один из очень немногих рэперов, кого я могу с удовольствием слушать

Es tan espeso como artista y persona pero es un gran álbum, staple del rap y de la cultura pop de los 2000s

I liked 50 Cent but didn’t expect this record to be so good. It’s got grooves, a healthy dose of tongue in cheek - and a good deep swagger. 50 here sounds like a mix between Jay Z (for his freshness and Hip Hop CEO thing), Biggy (the drawl and the smoothness) with a touch of west side gangsta coming from Dre’s touch. The guest are also stellar. Great record.

Gangsta rap classic. Gotta love the Dre beats.

Classic. Still holds up as one of the all time best rap albums.

50 Cent: “I try not to say nothing, the DA might want to play in court.” Also 50 Cent, 5 songs later, over a beat made from the sound of a gun cocking and firing: “I don’t care if I get caught, the DA can play this motherfucking tape in court.” Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is the peak of gangsta rap. 50 is an obvious student of the genre and came in with some of the best flows, bars, and especially hooks in the history of hip-hop up to this point. It’s a treat that, on top of all that, this is also a no-skips album where even the deep cuts go hard. You get Dr. Dre production, 2 of Eminem’s best verses ever (I prefer “Don’t Push Me” tbh), and 2 of the most hilarious diss tracks of all time (no one has wrote a diss bar better than “You sing for hoes and sound like the Cookie Monster,” even 20 years later.) Also, 50 Cent is my Brother-in-Law’s second favorite rapper, behind only DMX, so I also feel like this is almost a personal Christmas album because he always ends up playing it after we’ve had 5 drinks and just start pouring tequila in a glass. And it still sounds just as good as it did when we were in 4th grade.

Excellent.

Jostain syystä jäänyt nuorena aikuisena tätä dissas ja jäi kuuntelematta koko levy. Vaikkakin jostain Hangon juhannuksesta sen olin löytänyt eikä kelvannut kahvilan vessamaksuksi (50cent ei-asiakkailta). Jollekin taisin levyn antaa sitten. Mutta nyt vuosien jälkeen kuunneltua voin todeta, että olihan toi nyt tosi kova levy. Ehkä jopa yks parhaimmista räppilevyistä mitä kuullit. Pakko antaa kredittiä

Anything less than 5 is wrong

One of the best debut albums by a rap artist

Well this was a pleasant surprise, I thought I didn't like 50 Cent

A gangsta rap sacred text as bulletproof as the man who wrote it.

una cosa d locos

This isn’t Sgt. Pepper’s, but for what it is and supposed to be, it’s 5 stars. Nostalgia plays a factor.

Patiently Waiting Many Men In Da Club If I Can’t Blood Hound P.I.M.P. 21 Questions Gotta Make It To Heaven Wanksta U Not Like Me Blast this on my way to my 9-5 like I’m some king pin when I’m obviously nothing close. Classic early 2000 rap. By one of the best. Very catchy songs. Clever bars.

Legendary

Cool!

Costruito perfettamente. Si arriva alla grande a 'In Da Club', iconica. E poi 'P.I.M.P.'

Generational

WHAT UP GANGSTAA 🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥 one of the greatest workout albums to ever grace my ears having dre produce is a cheat code to making a good album 4.7/5 blood hound kinda ass tho

goat

Me gusta por que habla de pegar tiros. Lo de "some shit with a banana clip to stop me" ha estat potente

izgorilo

top bas ima par hitova

Amazing, great tracks and classics ! I wasn't expecting I would love 50 cent this much

Oh boy, this one brings back some memories. G g g g-unit!

Cool.

Fantastic album with so many killer singles

It's hard to understand the impact this album had when it first released. it was massive, and it's easy to see why. 50 Cent doesn't have too much to say on this album in terms of lyrical content. However, for what this album is supposed to be it absolutely nails it. Beats that are tough and catchy, bombastic bars that are full of charisma and swagger. (not even to mention the amazing hooks) For what this album is trying to achieve it is an easy 5 Star.

Great

Ain't no business like ho business but there is something disconcertingly ungangsta about adding a soprano inflection to the end of gangSTA. Five stars for me being 8 or 9 years old and buying the P.I.M.P single from Big W, only to find that when played on the PC it had a bonus uncut X-rated DVD of the original P.I.M.P music video on it. Tits and ass absolutely everywhere, Grade 4 Will didn't know where the fuck to look. Other undeniable tracks include Many Men, In Da Club and 21 Questions.

Coming hard on to the national rap stage. It's enjoyable and I played the eff out of it back in the day. G-unit! There are some bangers that still hit twenty years later. I don't know if many modern hip hop artist will be able to say the same.

Highlights: In Da Club, If I Can't, Many Me, P.I.M.P, 21 Questions, Wanksta Leave Em's: What Up Gangsta, Back Down Overall Thoughts: No doubt one of the biggest club rap albums of all time that I grew up dancing to at middle school dances. This album is so ladened with mega-hits that anything short of a hit gets forgotten. It is a pleasant listen for me since there is not a lot going on subliminally. Some of the songs take gangsta rap to an extreme which can get repetitive and tiring especially after a nearly 20 song album. Although, If you were going to listen to gangsta rap I'm not sure there is someone I'd prefer listening to more then 50. Score Breakdown: 4.267 & 5 -> 4.634

Absolute Classic 5/5

This album is very nostalgic for me. Every song is a banger and there’s so many classics on here. Easy 5.

To add to my paranoia that my phone is listening to me...I am seeing Mr Cent tomorrow on the 25th anniversary of this album....so that's weird. I really love this album, it's encapsulates the era of early 2000 gangster rap and the beef between some of the biggest rapping names around, it has some great guests on it and the production value is immense, hence why you still hear in da club on radios still. Putting my objective hat on, it's slightly dated at points and 90% of his songs are him bragging about surviving being shot. I think I have to give it a 5, but will appreciate that it's likely a biased review

Finally a great rap album. I get hyped listening to 50 cent. All the beats are so clean, simple yet inventive. I’ve heard most of these songs because of how popular he became. I’ve nearly heard the entire album throughout my life without directly listening to it cover to cover. But even the songs I had not heard were 🔥. I had to switch to the explicit version because too much was lost in the censoring. Couple of songs were less than amazing but there were a lot of songs on this album so I’ll let it slide. 9/10

I remember in 2003 when "In Da Club" was massive, and as an 8 year old white boy who liked the Beatles I was not ready for it. Well I am now. This is excellent. I wrote yesterday about the beats on the Queen Latifah album not aging well, and this album validates my argument. 20 years later, these beats and songs still hit, indicating an amazing job by Dr. Dre. 50 Cent is obviously a worse technical rapper and has less to say, but his charisma is so strong here that it does not really matter. This was a lot of fun to hear. Fave songs: Patiently Waiting, Many Men, P.I.M.P.

in da club

such good memories with this

Amazing

Only hits in this album.

Holds up surprisingly well. Really creative stuff, got so fed up with ice-cube and wu-tang that I forgot that hip-hop could be good.

Lotta bangers.

So many hooks.Such a good album.I really like 50 cents delivery,his says every word with such venom it’s crazy.In da club,21 questions p.i.m.p,many men,back down,gotta make it to heaven all great songs.The only problem with the album is that its quite long with some filler songs that dont need to be there.But overall this album is great

Didn’t expect much but this is brilliant - wit, humour and Dre’s production. Heat is an absolute banger.

Classic 2000s hip hop album with two huge bangers in "Many Men", "In Da Club", "P.I.M.P.", and "21 Questions". A bit too long for my taste but went by surprisingly quick; great album. Reviewers leaving poor reviews are indirectly telling everyone their age IMHO. 8/10.

The 00s wouldn’t be the same without 50

Let’s admit it - this is a fun album

184 forint does not disappoint.

só fadao de mil

9/10

Great album

Many man, I wish many men many many many men. Shot nine times. Many men

One of the absolute pillars of the golden age of rap. Aftermath can't be touched. There are tracks on this album that are crazy dated, but I just don't care. Best track: In Da Club

actually amazing!!!!

The great debut album in hip hop history. If you didn’t know 50 before this album, you know everything about him after it. From the title of the album which like an opera gives you a theme, to the storytelling that establishes his entire brand and image, to how he seemingly manages to turn everything into a proper song and not just rapping, which is rare in hip hop. Catchy choruses, massive songs, cool features, a mix of Eminem and Dr.Dre production, this album is legendary and among the best in the genre’s history.

What a great throwback to my youth. Greatest thing is, this album still holds up. 50 is at his best here with great flow, cool beats, good lyrics and best of all, all the songs have a somewhat catchy feeling to themselves since they have a proper chorus

Wasn't expecting this to be a 5 star for me, but even throughout 18 tracks, this album kept me engaged, fun to listen to, lyrics not corny, beats interesting. Wish 50 would've stayed on top longer

This was a really good album. I am not sure I had actually listened to the album from beginning to end previously but I had heard many of the songs. The beats are great as are the lyrics. I would definitely listen to it again.

This Is a Certified Hood Classic. No Skips.

First of all, this is a good album. Its got a TON of other social and racial factors tied up in how its perceived and who the artist who made it is, but in the end its a damn good album and it represents something that everyone should at least make an effort to understand. 5/5

FUCK this album is good. Easily one of the most influential rap albums of all time. Not only the features and lyrics but the production on this is INSANE. Any album that can make good rap songs with pianos, strings, and horns without sounding corny as shit is already a win to me. I can remember a young 10 year old Jack bumping Many Men from each middle school CYO basketball game all the way up to before college lacrosse games, easily one of the best pregame songs there is. 21 songs that conclude with easily my favorite track on the album “Lifes on The Line” with what I can only imagine is a car horn to two different pitches on the sample and it all just works so well. Top 5 most influential rap album ever, no complaints. IF YOU CAN READ A FULL PAGE OUR A HARRY POTTA BOOK, ILL GIVE 750000 TO WHATEVER CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION YOU WANT TO, FUCK THE BUCKET OF ICE!

One of the best hip hop albums of all time, produced by the best producer of all time (Dr Dre). Everybody was at the top of their game for this one

FAVOURITE 4EVA

How did I know all of these songs

Now I fully understand why 50 was & has remained so popular. Every song had a hook or featured a big time rapper. There's also a lot of layering in his songs - more instrumentation than most rap albums, which I like very much. 4.5 rounded up to 5 nostalgia's sake.