50 cent (@50Cent) – Money

How 50 Cent Ruined His Career in 5 Steps

50 Cent’s most recent album, Before I Self Destruct, failed to inspire the enormous sales and enthusiastic interest of past projects. While 50 nonchalantly attributed this less-than-stellar outing to bootlegging and the economy, we see another clear cause: the rapper himself.

The new album’s self-destruction theme is fitting: a look at the rapper’s recent career moves makes it obvious that he’s his own worst enemy. How is it that someone who did so many things right is suddenly struggling for the attention of the hip-hop community and mainstream alike? Here’s what happened.

1. He never goes away.

The work ethic that has earned Curtis Jackson a spot atop the Forbes hip-hop moneymakers list is ultimately his undoing. 50 has released an album every 2 years since 2003. While the albums alone would be ok, that isn’t all there is to it. Between the all-out PR blitzes, we’re also bombarded with movies, G-Unit clothing, mixtapes, books, video games, and reality shows. At some point within all this madness it started to seem the music was just another cog in the machinery of his empire. We get breaks from our favorite TV shows, we even get vacations from work….there is currently no escape from 50 Cent.

2. He’s been burning bridges.

Hip-hop revolves around collaboration, and in any given year you’re likely to hear your favorite rapper join forces with over a dozen others (sometimes on a single track). Not only does this keep fans interested, it also bolsters an industry collective with the power to elevate and eviscerate others. 50 Cent practically prides himself on not working with rappers outside of the Aftermath crew. He speaks about other artists as if they’re beneath him and acts as if there is nothing to be gained by associating himself with up-and-comers. As if that weren’t enough, he launches unprovoked attacks on other industry heavyweights (Jay-Z, Nas, Diddy). Not smart. After all, you see the same people on the way down that you saw on the way up.

3. He bases his worth on sales.

Around the time of his “battle” with Kanye West in 2007, 50 Cent mentioned on several occasions that he considered himself the best rapper in the world because he sells the most records. His reasoning was that sales are an accurate representation of how the public “votes” for who they like best. Nevermind the fact that labels and retailers don’t support every artist’s album equally. Does 50 Cent still feel this way in 2010 when his latest album sank like a rock on the charts? Does he suddenly change the tune he’s been singing for five years? Because if he doesn’t, he’s losing relevancy by the criteria he created.

4. He surrounds himself with lackeys.

One of the biggest tactical errors 50 Cent made with his G-Unit crew was kicking out Young Buck & The Game. Buck & Game were the two most popular members of the crew (not counting 50 himself) and they would have served as two cornerstones to keep it up to date. They were each strong-willed personalities. By collaborating with artists outside of the Aftermath crew, they served as “G-Unit diplomats”. Who is he left with now? Tony Yayo can’t rap to save his life, and Lloyd Banks has the personality of a wet sock. Why would you kick out the two most talented members of your group? The answer is simple, 50 Cent would rather surround himself with lackeys than rappers with their own ideas.

5. Different Times need different rhymes.

The very qualities that made us love 50 Cent are the ones that are slowly making us resent him. Rapping about guns and crack are fine when you’re a hungry, angry, underdog with a chip on his shoulder. But when you’re worth an estimated $300 million dollars and you ARE a top dog in the industry, the message starts to get stale. 50 has less of the “Robin Hood” aura he used to and a lot more of the “rich asshole”.

On the bright side, 50 did such a great job of entrenching himself as a power figure in the world of hip-hop, he definitely has the resources to turn things back in the right direction. He’s one of the most web-savvy artists around, with a powerful social network to rival all others. Then of course there’s his alliance with Dr. Dre & Eminem, who are two of the biggest names in music. 50 Cent has shot his own career in the chest nine times over the last few years, let’s hope it’s as resilient as he is.