How 50 Cent Built His Empire

Rapper can't quite nail a return to his glory days on new album

(NEWSER) - 50 Cent, once at the forefront of rap music, returns with Before I Self Destruct—but his fourth solo effort isn’t impressing the critics. “Though packed with tough beats, dense production and 50's most ferocious delivery in years, the gloats about shootings, drugs and bloody 'hoods feel about as fresh as a Saw sequel,” writes Edna Gundersen in USA Today . The album “isn't likely to renew 50 Cent's currency.” More»

(NEWSER) - What does the burgeoning beef between rappers Jay-Z and The Game have in common with US foreign policy? Plenty, writes Marc Lynch in Foreign Policy. Like America, Jay-Z is a hegemon: “Nobody, but nobody, in the hip-hop world has his combination of hard power and soft power.” But like America, it’s debatable how much of that power Jay-Z should actually use against lesser threats. More»

Increasingly, rappers sing about brands they sell

(NEWSER) - Rappers have always name-checked alcohol in their music, but nowadays many artists are going beyond references to actually selling their own brands. From the way the Los Angeles Times describes it, Pitbull’s latest hits sound more like advertisements for Voli vodka. He’s part owner of the liquor brand, meaning he’s more than happy to rap about the low-calorie, flavored vodka as the new “it” drink. Ludacris and Snoop Dogg both push cognac, with both artists releasing mixtapes and music videos promoting the drinks. More»

Looking to break into the biz? Use one of these pseudonyms.

(NEWSER) - With Diddy constantly changing his rap name, you might think all the good ones have already been used. But no: There are an awful lot of awesome pseudonyms still left, and Jesse Gissen lists his favorites on XXL :

• Sirius Black: “This bad ass dude from the Harry Potter series is known for practicing black magic, breaking out of prison and being able to turn into a werewolf. Seriously, it doesn’t get any better than this.”

He's back in studio, comparing himself to legends

(NEWSER) - Famously egotistical rapper Kanye West is back in the studio—and comparing himself to Kobe Bryant and Maya Angelou in a typical-for-him, all-caps blog post . Unlike many rappers, he promises he won’t get worse with age, because “true poets get better,” he writes. There’s just one problem: “First of all Kanye, you’re a rapper. You’re not a poet,” writes Joe Anello on College News . More»