Lets face it… It's been a good minute since 50 cent has been relevant music wise, not having released a project since 2009, and even that one wasn't exactly a gem. In this industry, thats ample time to have left fans with an out of sight out of mind mentality so this mixtape couldn't have come sooner. The general consensus seems to have been that fans were hoping for the best out of this release, but being prepared for the worst.
1. Body On It [Jake one]- This skit seems to come out of nowhere, even with it being news reports from 50's old hood, but as soon as the beat from Jake Uno drops none of that matters. Sounding to be crafted just for 50, body on it is solid and hopefully a taste of things to come from 50.
Jake One on creating Body On It: "That was a beat I made with 50 in mind. He always raps over 1 bar loops so I did that and tried to do a interesting turnaround"
2. Niggas Be' Schemin' [Twice As Nice]- Reminiscent of Get Rich or Die Tryin's "Many Men" and "What Up Gangsta," Schemin' embodies that same feel that made 50 a household name. Overall production is simple with hard drums and dirty hi hats paving the backdrop for sinister guitars strings and pianos. I think the producers on this one may have studied his old stuff and taken it a little too literally instead of bringing something new to the sound, but either way it worked for 50.
3. Queens, NY: [EQ]- Up & coming producer EQ with some dope chop work that rides with a continuous instrument feel, but a simple production that leaves you waiting for more or for something to drop in. This however is exactly the type of track that 50 feels comfortable spittin on, and if he was aiming to make a track that brings us back to what made us love him then he succeeded. The feature from female rapper Paris though, unfortunately sounds like a Remy Ma stand in.
EQ on creating Queens NY: "My creative approach to the "Queens, NY" track was initiated by a gritty Wu-Tang-ish sound that drives the track...giving it that influence. The grunge guitar gave it that grimy (throw back) NY Hip Hop edge...then the drums gave it that 50 Cent appeal… the rest is history!!!!" (@fulldeckent @exceptionalQ)
More After The Jump (!llmind, DJ Khalil interview & More!)
4. I just Wanna/ Skit: [d.r.u.g.s.]- Producer d.r.u.g.s. takes KC and The Sunshine Band's "Thats the Way" and destroys it. Great chop work and hard drums make this a banger for 50 and Yayo to trade verses to. Many producers would think the sample was "untouchable" but d.r.u.g.s. puts his hands all over it.
D.R.U.G.S on creating I Just Wanna: "I don't know what to say about this one, but I will say this…This track almost didn't happen. I had chopped the samples so small and I had no direction. It was my homegirl A.J. who convinced me to just [sit] down with it and take my time. Then I laid the drums and i forced it to work. What I'm saying is.. if you asked me to re-create this track, it wouldn't happen lol."
5. Shootin' Guns [Dj Kahlil]- From the moment the beat drops and the vocals start you can tell its a Kahlil production and it's a PROBLEM, one of the dopest and most complete cuts on the project. This is def a street anthem, but Khalil and 50 somehow make shooting guns sound radio ready.
[Here is some of what Khalil had to say in my phone interview with him about the making of this track]:
Can you give a little insight on the creative process for the making of [Shootin Guns]?
"I was working with Danny my keyboard player [Danny Keys] and Liz Rodrigues from The New Royales, the band that I'm in… Danny started to play this main melody and it was dope, it was crazy… Liz started singing along with it so i was like yo go in the booth and sing it, follow the melody. I had her do like 6 or 7 tracks of the main vocal and then had Danny go in [the booth].. he did 6 or 7 tracks of the same melody… Then I had them both go in there and yell it. I just put an overall mix on their vocals, kind of following the organ line… after that I had accidentally dropped everything out so it was just the vocals by itself… and we all just looked at each other… it just sounded so crazy, like we sampled it from somewhere [with] the blend of everything. Then I ran it thru Guitar Rig [Native Instruments] and a bunch of diff racks. From there we started adding more organs and adding more crashes and stuff to [give it] that live rock feel. It ended up sounding like we sampled it off a southern rock album. … Then we worked on the hook Liz wrote for it (sings) got my guns and magazines… 50 changed some of the words and had a singer redo the same thing. Liz was the original singer, but 50 had someone else do it because he had changed a few of the words and Liz was in Toronto so it was hard to get [in the studio]. I like the singer that 50 got, it sounds good.. it's a little different than the original, but I like it.. I'm still always going to be married to the original" (laughs)
I know you use Reason a lot, is that what you used on this track?
"I used Reason and Pro Tools. All the organs were in Reason, Drums, everything except the vocal parts. All the vocals were tracked out and separated, I don't even remember the [exact] process for what I did with that. I actually have to remember how I did that because I need to start using whatever I did on that, and a lot of it" (laughs)
Was this a track that was created specifically for 50?
"That track had been floatin' around for a while, just one of those tracks that been out there for a min nobody was biting on. Then all the sudden we had like 3 different artists that wanted it, another artist named Don Tripp had already recorded to it, and a few ppl started demoing it [but] then it ended up going to 50, 50 really liked it. I didn't actually know it was going to go on the mixtape, I found out the night before it dropped. I didn't even hear it (the final version) until a few days after it dropped, I didn't have time to listen… was dealing with some personal stuff, my dad had just passed away, so I had kinda been out of the loop. When I finally heard the song, I was like it's dope, he sounded great on it. I didn't picture 50 on a track like that, but he killed it.. Im happy with it."
(You can check the rest of the full interview transcript at http://tn2productions.
6. Put Ya Hands Up [Jahlil]- Put ya hands up is a prime example of why Jahlil is in demand right now. Simple production that he makes sound complex…he definitely gets the job done. *puts hands up*
7. Wait Until Tonight [Scoop Deville]- Hottest "commercial" joint from 50 in a while. Almost sounds like a radio song someone else put out, and 50 flipped it better like in the early 2000's. Scoop puts Bobby Womack's "If you think You're Lonely Now" to good use, considering the song's classic status. Crisp drums make this a banger and def one for the ladies. *plays Womack song*
8. You Took My Heart [Trox]- The producer incorporates this sample perfectly with great drum programming. Hard, old school vibe makes this a stand out cut. You'll either love it or hate it, I appreciate the beat… I'm a fan.
Trox on creating You Took My Heart: "I thought it was pretty funny that 50 took the simplest beat out of the batch. If I had tracked that beat out, there would've only been 3 files total. Definitely loved what 50 did to it though; reminds me of the old G-Unit mixtures."
9. Off & On [Street Radio]- How many times is Fif gonna use tupac samples? Who knows, but this one fits Fif to the T (no pun intended). Street Radio makes great use of samples on the hook to give it just enough of a switch-up on a simple loop to make it complete. The simple drums actually add to the track.
10. Nah, Nah, Nah [Ky Miller] Another simple but perfect instrumental for 50 to spit to. One of his most lyrical performances of the tape. the simple hook off setting the more intricate verses.
(Bonus) Stop Cryin' [!llmind]- Not the typical production from illmind, but catering to Fif's style. Hard drums and driving synths make this track something 50 fans, and illmind fans alike will love.
!llmind on creating Stop Cryin': "The beat was made around the same week that I made the beat for Skyzoo's "Speakers On Blast". That was when I was creating beats entirely on the ASR-10 Keyboard. I knew I wanted to make something hard with an easy pocket to ride to, so i heard that drum break and chopped and re-programmed it. The synths and bass were from Reason (with a little tweaking of course). When I layed down the melody, i knew it was something that 50 would murder!"
I can't lie, I was skeptical of this project before hearing it, but… I was pleasantly surprised. 50 made a wise choice to bring it back to the formula that worked so well for him on his first two albums. He incorporated a new twist here and there, and chose his production wisely. If this wasn't officially dubbed a mixtape, and was released as an actual album, I think it would def have moved some units.
50 on The Big 10: "I just released a mixtape. It's a full body of work. It's 11 cuts actually. Technically it's an album, because it's all original material. Everything that's there I reached out to producers and paid them to do the production. I'm excited... I feel the momentum of it." -(HollyWood Scoop) That you did, and you did it well Fif… Propers. I give it a 4 out of 5.
50 Cent "I just Wanna" Official Video
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