Kanye West vs. 50 Cent: The Showdown

The biggest debate in hip-hop since Jay-Z vs. NaS will be decided starting today when Kanye West's third album Graduation* goes up against 50 Cent's third album Curtis.

A lot of media types will hype this as a "Battle Of The Titans," which is correct in a way. However, the media types don't seem to be focusing on the music aspect of each album. Instead, they seem to be hyping each artist's ego.

It'd be easy for me to pile on to that debate, but since I've listened to each album completely I am going to analyze Graduation and Curtis for their value in music.

GRADUATION, KANYE WEST

Following the theme of school related titles, West fittingly drops his third album Graduation. The title fits the album well, seeing that Kanye has developed into a bonifide hip-hop star since his first album and you can clearly hear it.

His first album, The College Dropout contained a lot of old school soul samples mixed with fresh drum beats lead by singles "Through the Wire" and "Slow Jamz" while his second album, Late Registration added the sounds of an orchestra and the co-production of Jon Brien to compliment the sounds of sped up soul samples led by the singles "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" and "Gold Digger."

Now with Graduation Kanye takes his game to a whole new level, adding the sounds of a synthesizer, popularized by Timbaland's album Shock Value. Kanye's effort on this album clearly makes it his best work to date.

One of the more noticeable changes is that the album contains no skits which helps move the album along seamlessly. In addition, Kanye has guest spots by only two rappers, Lil' Wayne and Mos Def. Wayne appears on the track "Barry Bonds" while Mos only sings on the track "Drunk and Hot Girls."

With that said, Graduation is more of a dissertation with Kanye wanting the listener to focus on what he has to say rather than what supporting rappers would.

The album is headed by two hot singles, "Can't Tell Me Nothing" and "Stronger." The first single, "Can't Tell Me Nothing" is Exhibit A of Kanye's improved lyrical ability with a slew of consecutive punchlines to go along with the infections "La la la la, wait 'til I get my money right" chorus.

In addition, the pattern of Kanye being one-upped by collaborators (i.e. Common on the track "Get 'Em High or Mos Def on the track "Two Words") ends with the track "Barry Bonds", his collaboration with Lil' Wayne in which 'Ye spits punchline after punchline including the gem " I'm insulted/ you should go 'head/ and bow so hard till yo knees hit yo fo' head."

"Stronger" is more of a club banger with pounding drum sounds that remind the casual hip-hop fan of "Gold Digger." Here Kanye samples Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" perfectly providing hip-hop with a hit that could make its claim as the song of the summer.

The third single "Good Life" features T-Pain, another perfectly timed collaboration because of his recent run of hits. His use of the vocoder blends well with the track. Another intriguing collaboration occurs on the track "Homecoming" which features Chris Martin, the lead singer of the band Coldplay. Another example of Kanye capitalizing on what's hot in music now.

The album closes with the track "Big Brother" which is Kanye's ode to Jay-Z. Really, you can't have Graduation without giving credit to those who helped you get to that point. As a whole, Kanye earns an 'A' with Graduation.

CURTIS, 50 CENT

50 Cent came onto the hip-hop scene strong with his debut Get Rich Or Die Trying, riding the coattails of mentor Eminem, legendary producer Dr. Dre, and the street-banging single "Wanksta." 50 made more early waves with his very public beef with rapper Ja Rule, whose career would be ended by several Eminem and 50 Cent diss tracks.

Since then, 50 Cent's musical career has drastically changed course.

In his second album, The Massacre, 50 seemingly started to sing on tracks which was something he dissed Ja Rule about, discrediting Ja as a rapper.

Though he had several hits from the album including the Dr. Dre produced "Disco Inferno" and the Scott Storch produced "Candy Shop" and "Just A Lil' Bit", 50 felt the wrath of the hip-hop community.

Whether it was his competition who he dissed in the track "Piggy Bank" like Fat Joe, Jadakiss and NaS or former label mate The Game, 50 turned off a lot of fans with his "beefs" in the industry.

50 took some time off from the game to star in a movie loosely based off his life and the accompanying album that didn't fare too well in the mainstream.

Now, 50 returns with his third studio album Curtis challenging West in the music stores. And admittedly, the album isn't completely terrible.

Led by the hit single "I Get Money," also 50 seems to go back to his early days with tracks like "My Gun Go Off", "I'll Still Kill" which features Akon, and "Come & Go" featuring production by Dr. Dre. 50 also changes the pace with the mellow "Follow My Lead" which features R&B singer Robin Thicke. 50's best move is letting singers do the singing while he raps.

However, that is where the compliments end with this album. 50's biggest shortcoming is that he still hasn't evolved lyrically, and that is clear in the smash single "Ayo Technology" which features Timbaland and Justin Timberlake.

Timbaland drops one of his most sinister sounding beats in recent memory, not to mention he raps on the bridge too. Timberlake does his thing, crooning "Aaayooo I'm tired of using technology, why don't you sit down on top of me / Aaayooo I'm tired of using technology, I need you right in front of me."

Bass heavy beats and top-bill collaborators can only take you so far. That's why Curtis can't come close to Graduation. Kanye seems to be able to do it all. His production improves seemingly with every track. Lyrically, Kanye continues to step his game up.

And even though 50 does come up short on the lyrical end of things, hearing the name 50 Cent is almost like hearing about the Yankees--you either love them or you love to hate them--no matter what they do.

Graduation: 5-stars
Curtis: 3-stars

*"Bittersweet Poetry" appears as the I-Tunes bonus and features John Mayer. The Japanese edition of Graduation contains the tracks "Good Night" which features Mos Def and the "Can't Tell Me Nothing Official Remix" which features a new verse from Kanye and an additional verse from Young Jeezy. Those tracks were not taken into consideration when reviewing this album.

My Top 25 Songs From This Summer

Well, I'm back in Carbondale and that means the following:

• School is about to start
• Summer's over

And while that sucks, to lighten the mood I've come up with the 25 best songs from this summer (in no particular order).

1. Ayo Technology by 50 Cent (featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland). Timbo drops another hot beat that will be blazing clubs shortly. JT comes hard with a solid hook. 50 still comes up short lyrically, but its an improvement from the crap he put on his last album.
2. Bartender by T-Pain (featuring Akon). I guess falling in love with a stripper didn't last long, so he's moved on to the bartender. Another catchy hook with Akon's verse is a nice complement to Teddy P.
3. A Bay Bay by Hurricane Chris. A Bay Bay is a certified club and ride banger, not to mention pick-up line for drunk fools like me. Unfortunately for Hurricane Chris, it has hip-hop one-hit wonder written all over it. I don't see Chris in the rap game for long, but the remix (which features hip-hop heavyweights Jadakiss & The Game) should keep him in the spotlight for a minute. Did you know this song is dedicated to his DJ, DJ Bay Bay?
4. Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston. Produced by JR Rotem, whose previous claim to fame was f*cking Britney Spears "tractor style", Beautiful Girls has summer smash written all over it. It's got a sample of an old school song (Ben E. King's Stand By Me), an infectious chorus, and words of truth. Kingston will probably find himself singing a lot of hooks in the near future.
5. Because of You Official Remix by Ne-Yo (featuring Kanye West). The difference between the original and the remix of the title track of his second album is Kanye West's hot verse that opens the track.
6. Can't Tell Me Nothing by Kanye West. The first of two top-25 singles, Can't Tell Me Nothing is one of Kanye's best works, ever. 'Ye meshes a soulful sample, Young Jeezy ad-libs and the best lyrical work word-for-word for a smash hip-hop hit. I can't wait 'til his album comes out September 11^th!
7. Get It Shawty Remix by Lloyd (featuring Lil' Wayne, Big Boi & Chamillionaire). Wayne, Big Boi & Cham spit hot fire on the remix to Lloyd's second single from his album Street Love.
8. Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne. I feel really guilty about liking this song, because I know I shouldn't. But there's a lot to like: aggressive sound, catchy chorus…oh and Avril. The music video raises the value of this song.
9. Hey There, Delilah by The Plain White T's. A few weeks ago, Delilah was the 1 song in the country. Still, it's one of my favorite songs from this summer because of the pure emotion displayed by the lead singer, Tom and his acoustic guitar.
10. I Told You So by Keith Urban. One of two country songs on my top-25 list, Urban really drives the point home with strong lyrics. Non-country fans could appreciate this song as well.
11. Int'l Players Anthem Remix by UGK (featuring Outkast & Three 6 Mafia). Players Anthem, is one of my top five songs from this summer. It's got a good sound (beat-wise) and lyrically as well. It is exactly what I would expect from three of the best hip-hop groups in history. Outkast's Andre 3000 steals the show with his opening verse.
12. Lil' L.O.V.E. by Bone Thugs & Harmony (featuring Mariah Carey, Bow Wow & Jermaine Dupri). This track from Bone's latest release Strength & Loyalty sounds like a classic BTNH track. JD drops a hot beat in which Krayzie & Layzie bone spit hot fire. Bow Wow holds his own, while the sexy Mariah Carey provides the hook and some kick ass vocals.
13. Make Me Better by Fabolous (featuring Ne-Yo). Another hot track produced by Timbaland, who has produced the most hits in the last two years combined with the soulful sounds of Ne-Yo and Mr. F-a-b-o has his biggest mainstream radio hit since Can't Deny It.
14. Makes Me Wonder by Maroon 5. This is the first single from their second album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long, and it is a certified hit. The pop/rock/funk-ish feel from this song highlight Adam Levine's lyrics.
15. Online by Brad Paisley. Another country song that has mainstream appeal. Paisley portrays the life of a boy who becomes someone he's not (and someone he wishes he could be) because of the Internet. This song is VERY likeable.
16. Party Like A Rock Star Remix by Da Shop Boyz (featuring Lil' Wayne, Jim Jones & Chamillionaire). Rock Star is another hip-hop track with one-hit wonder symptoms. Lyrically, Da Shop Boyz are weak, but are helped with an hot beat and infectious chorus. Lil' Wayne & Chamillionaire spit tight verses, while Jim Jones continues to get by with lyrics because of his swagger.
17. Pop, Lock & Drop It Remix by Huey (featuring Bow Wow & T-Pain). Sighs, another certified club banging one-hit wonder. Huey leaves much to be desired lyrically and Bow Wow is less than impressive on his verse. T-Pain "better known as Teddy Pendazdoun" delivers one of the hottest verses of the summer on the remix.
18. Same Girl Remix by R. Kelly & Usher (featuring T-Pain). Teddy P. provides a third angle on the remix of the hit duet which stars Kells and Usher. Kells also drops a new verse, freestyle and switches up on the beat. A classic R. Kelly remix.
19. Stronger by Kanye West. The second of Mr. West's singles, Stronger has more mainstream appeal than Can't Tell Me Nothing. While it draws comparisons to Gold Digger, Stronger stands on its own as a hit thanks to 'Ye's lyrics and production which samples Daft Punk's Better, Harder, Faster, Stronger. The video also kicks ass too.
20. Umbrella Remix by Rihanna (featuring Jay-Z & Chris Brown). I'm not sure which song was played more this summer by top-40 radio stations: this or Party Like A Rock Star. It seemed as if every radio station on the dial played Umbrella every hour on the hour. Chris Brown saves the monotony with a verse of his own on the remix, salvaging the worth of what might go down as the 1 most requested song of this year.
21. Wall To Wall by Chris Brown. Chris stands on his own with his a top-25 hit of his own. Top-notch production (by Scott Storch?) makes this song an instant club smash.
22. The Way I Are by Timbaland (featuring Keri Wilson & D.O.E.). Up-tempo beat, distorted lyrics and Timbaland…where have we heard this before? Some call it Sexy Back: 2007 without a catch phrase that will be overused. I call it a broke man's love song. One of my favorite songs of this year from one of the best album's of the year, Timbaland Presents: Shock Value.
23. We Takin' Over by DJ Khaled (featuring Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Baby & Lil' Wayne). Khaled has a 1 hip-hop hit with help from an all-star cast. Lil' Wayne steals the show with one of his best verses ever.
24. White Girl Remix by Young Jeezy (featuring Lil' Wayne, Fabolous & Rick Ross). Upon hearing this song, two things come to my mind. One, this is the year of the remix. Two, how many euphemisms can you have for cocaine? Not enough, according to these guys. Lil' Wayne and Fabolous provide hot verses with references to Lindsay Lohan and her habits. That's my girl!
25. Wipe Me Down by Lil' Boosie (featuring Webbie & Foxx). This is another hot hip-hop club track with classic club lyrics that talk about girls, cars and drinking. I'm calling it now, Wipe Me Down is the new Make It Rain. Mark my words.

That's it, that's my list. Do you agree? Disagree? Is there anything I left out? Tell me.