Rating: NNN
One minute 50 Cent’s glibly citing Jay-Z’s public humiliation of Mobb Deep as a warning of what could happen to his enemy Jadakiss, the next he’s signing them to his label. To a lot of rap listeners, the move made the respected Queens gangsta duo look whipped – more so when they popped up like puppets in 50’s and Olivia’s videos dressed head to toe in G-Unit gear. Not surprisingly, the resulting cameo-plugged record sounds more like a G-Unit album than an Infamous one. That said, Interscope really knows how to put together a rap album, and a bunch of the beats here (via Sha Money XL, Alchemist, Havoc) are serious headbangers. But by Curtis Jackson’s third cameo, it’s clear that this is only 50 per cent of a Mobb Deep record, and 50 Cent’s getting a healthy percentage.
