“Here's a taste of my life, it's bitter and sweet

I pour my heart out to the sounds of the drums and the beat

I put my life on the line when I'm out on the street

Put my Teflon on, and roll with my heat”

- 50 Cent on “Ryder Music”

On March 5th, 2005, 50 Cent released his second studio album, The Massacre. Between, his first and second album, 50 Cent all but took over the world. He saw his G-Unit label dominate the charts. He started a popular clothing line and released a signature Reebok sneaker. Then to top it off, he starred as himself in a docudrama movie on his own life. This all came after a debut that sold more than 12 million copies and spawned two #1 singles. How do you follow that up? Can the quality of the next effort ever meet the amount of hype and expectation?

The harshest of The Massacre reviews came from the Guardian’s Alexis Petridis, who cited 50’s redundancy. He’s not entirely wrong, but we don’t turn to 50 Cent for deep metaphors and allegories. Similarly, we don’t turn to British critics to understand African American art. Kelefa Sanneh, of the New York Times, probably summed it up best when he said 50 specializes in “obvious but nearly irresistible tracks”.

The general public agreed, as they purchased more than 1.1 million copies of the album in its first week. 50 always covered the bases as far as singles were concerned. Each of the five singles were meant for the ladies, the club, or some combination of the two.

What often goes unsaid about his early work was just how great he was at crafting songs. He put that same effort and attention from smash singles into the deep cuts.They would also have good features, beats from great unsung producers, and catchy hooks.

This, more than anything is what separates his second album from his first, even if it didn’t receive the same cultural and commercial acclaim. What was cool is that 50 and his team had the presence of mind to create music videos for each individual song on the album. No, these non-single videos didn’t have the highest budget, but they reflected the type of attention to detail that defined 50’s style. Nobody else used their resources to touch every part of rap like he did.

He continued his trend of utilizing beef as a primary means of promotion. “Piggy Bank” took aim at nearly every prominent name in early 2000’s rap, but mostly the artists that assisted Ja Rule on his 2004 track “New York”. He sent shots at Ja Rule, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Nas, Kelis, and Cassidy. The lines weren’t especially damning, but more so just a part of his schtick. He needed to remind everybody that he was the bully of rap, and releasing content during his reign made you eligible to get dissed. Siding with his actual rivals was a guarantee to get put in the crosshairs.

50 saved something for the introspective backpackers on both “God Gave Me Style” and “A Baltimore Love Thing”. On the former, he contemplates life, his career, the people around him, and whether one's character and fate can ever change in time.

I zone off thinkin' is there really heaven or hell
If so what happens to a changed man that dies in a cell?
I need more answers to these questions, 'cause time will tell
Got a date with destiny, she's more than a girl
Don't much good come from me, but my music
It's a gift given from God, so I'ma use it

On the latter, he goes full personification, likening the impact of hard drugs to a person and speaking from that perspective.

While Scott Storch provided beats on two of the five singles (“Just A Lil’ Bit” and “Candy Shop”), he saved his best work for the Jamie Foxx feature on “Build You Up”. The playful melody and bongos match perfectly with Jamie’s crooning and 50’s boasts about spoiling his lady. Yayo gives a smooth verse on “Toy Soldier”, a gutter track that plays on the G-Unit leader’s ability to empower his comrades. A sampled cranking noise precedes each verse like winding up automaton toys.

What the Massacre seems to do more than its predecessor is stand the test of time. The songs still sound fresh after 15 years. Dig up your ipod or CD player today and play 50’s epic second album. It’s not his most popular, but it should be the work he’s remembered for.