Note: This is technically a various artist compilation soundtrack, but 50 Cent has significant vocal contributions on 14 of the 18 tracks. So this feels like a new 50 Cent album.
Sound: Ominous synths, cinematic strings and slick beats create the quintessential gangsta rap backdrop for 50 and company’s confident and violent boasts about street hustlin’.
Heavy Rotation track: 50 Cent “I Don’t Know, Officer” (featuring Lloyd Banks, Prodigy, Spider Loc & Mase) (Top 20 Songs of 2005 Candidate)
Medium Rotation tracks: 50 Cent “Hustler’s Ambition“; 50 Cent “Window Shopper“; Spider Loc “Things Change” (featuring 50 Cent & Lloyd Banks); 50 Cent “Best Friend”
Recommended: Many soundtracks feel like a dumping ground for extra tracks and may feature a couple hits, if they’re lucky. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is a solid and consistent album from start to finish. It doesn’t feature nearly as many classics as 50’s debut album, but it’s certainly tighter, hookier and more memorable than the follow up, The Massacre.
Grade: B+