September 03, 2015

50 Cent "Power Of The Dollar" (Vibe, July 2000)


"With his controversial stickup-kid anthem, "How To Rob," from last year's In Too Deep soundtrack, 50 Cent entered the hip hop world as though he had nothing to lose. His threats of making his peers run the jewels may have burned a few bridges, but his feverish storytelling and humor-filled punchlines made him one to watch in the new millennium. On his debut LP, Power Of The Dollar, the Queens, N.Y., native continues his hunt for props, once again slapping the faces of rappers and trying to boost his 'hood credibility with boasts of his thuggery." The Vibe review goes on to suggest that 50 stole Hov's rhyme style, you can check out the full review below. I don't remember feeling that way at the time ... I don't think? ... although, for sure, 50 and Hov been sending direct and subliminal shots at each other since the late 90s. You could argue that Jigga's early diss to 50 helped his career early with "I'm about a dollar, what the f#ck is 50 cents?," in response to "How To Rob." 50 responded to that with a smile and a "thank you;" they've been trolling each other since, lol.