50 Cent
3Arena, Dublin
★★★☆☆
We’ve reached an age when rappers are becoming heritage acts, trading on nostalgia for the glory days of hip-hop, and moving to cash in on their legacy before the time comes when they have to hang up their mic.
Rapper Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent is on his Final Lap tour to celebrate 20 years since the release of his breakthrough album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, but he doesn’t seem to be on his last legs just yet, as he delivers an energetic 90-minute set at the 3Arena, showcasing his languid, easy-flowing style of rap, and his unerring ear for a hip-hop hook. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was one of the best-selling and most highly acclaimed albums of 2003, shifting 12 million copies worldwide in that year alone, and becoming 50 Cent’s most well known record. No wonder he’s keen to make hay while the memories shine.
The young fans at the 3Arena are here to see a hip-hop legend, but before 50 Cent comes on, they are reacquainted with a rap dinosaur in the form of Busta Rhymes, accompanied by his hype man Spliff Star. Dressed in their trademark technicolour rap coats, Rhymes and his sidekick come on like a hip-hop version of Morecambe & Wise, wisecracking with the audience, doing choreographed routines and relishing their roles as warm-up act for the main man. Every now and then, Rhymes would stop messing and show his talent for quick-fire rapping, but watching a sweaty 50-something bloke mime getting oral sex brings to mind Benny Hill from the Hood.
There was no messing around from Jackson as he lumbered loudly and proudly on stage and launched into I’m On Some Shit, What Up Gangsta and Hate It or Love It, backed by Tony Yayo from 50 Cent’s former posse G-Unit, a DJ and a full band, plus the requisite troupe of twerking dancers, and a stage set that changed from neighbourhood streetscape to laser pyramids to walls of fire and brimstone over the course of the show. All through the changing visuals, 50 Cent kept up a solid lyrical flow, but a bit less loudness with the proudness would not have gone amiss. The sound was earsplitting, the low bass rattling your bones and the high frequencies cutting through your head like an icepick. If you’re planning on going to the second Dublin show tonight (Tuesday), bring earplugs – or pick up a pair of industrial strength ear protectors from the nearest construction site.
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Jackson was certainly not miserly with the hits, performing more than 30 of his best-known tunes, at one stage delivering a straight run of classics that featured PIMP, Candy Shop, Disco Inferno, Window Shopper, Best Friend and 21 Questions.
There have, though, been gaps in 50 Cent’s CV over the past decade, as he grappled with his record label, abandoned musical projects and made some bad business choices that brought him to bankruptcy. But he has also dabbled in acting, including a star turn in the Jim Sheridan film named after his seminal album, and pivoted to a successful career as a TV producer. Though new tunes have been thin on the ground, the enduring appeal of Get Rich or Die Tryin’ should ensure that 50 Cent remains in hearts and minds – and Christmas present lists – for some time to come.
Many Men (Wish Death) and I’m The Man lead into the night’s biggest tune, In Da Club, during which the pyrotechnics and ticker tape come out in force. But Fiddy isn’t done yet, encoring with a near-marathon rap session that takes in Patiently Waiting, Wanksta and Southside.
