Cotton Candy

50 Cent isn't an artiste, per se, but a popular artist. His recordings are meant to be digested and enjoyed by reg'lar people, but unlike so much classic hip-hop -- think Jay-Z's The Blueprint, OutKast's epic albums, or even Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP -- it doesn't stand up under critical scrutiny. Unrepentantly thugged the fuck out, he's too bent on getting rich without trying to waste time on reflective moments, save for pithy comments such as "In 1999, I had a vision and made a decision/Being broke is against my religion" on "Ryder Music." His sound is hard, but it's not cold-hearted, because he's unwilling to deliver the introspective, Macbeth-like soliloquies that would vividly illustrate his heart of darkness. In essence, 50 Cent makes good pop music -- light, tasty, and shallow, no revelations, no compromise.