Curtis vs. Graduation: Which Album Will You Buy on 9/11?
We're less than a week away from September 11th, the sixth anniversary of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks, which claimed 2974 lives. This year's 9/11 memorials will also share the spotlight with 50 Cent and Kanye West, as the two pop titans prepare to release their respective third albums on that historic day. Some call it the battle between good and evil; Kanye's soulful and conscious style vs. 50's boastful and braggadocios image. 50 raised the stakes when he told SOHH.com that he's betting his entire rap career on the showdown. "If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11, I'll no longer write music," he boasted. "I'll write music and work with my other artists, but I won't put out any more solo albums."
Kanye, on the other hand, took a more diplomatic approach when discussing the chart race with MTV. "I'd rather come out on a day like that, up against 50--where people are excited about going to the stores and it's an event and people talk about it--and be No. 2 on that day rather than come out and be No. 1 on a day nobody cares about," said Mr. West.
Ultimately, it's up to music consumers to decide the fate of this battle. I'm sure you already know who I'm putting my money on. (Hint: it's not Kenny Chesney.)So here's the million dollar question for those of us that still buy CDs: Which Album Will You Buy on 9/11 Poll Closed.
Images © Interscope/Def Jam
Comments
I’ll be honest I wont be supporting either of these artists and there albums. It’s all a bunch of commercial garbage. Artists like 50 cent and Kanye West have just joined the Pop Rap genre created by the likes of Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer. They are lyrically weak. Go buy some Nas cd’s or Talib Kweli or AZ or Rakim. Learn something instead of listening to this rubbish.
have to say, I’m not partial to either, but Kanye’s Graduation seems to be the better material. Fitty’s sound is more tired with each release. He’s on the way down, Kanye is peaking. Can’t tell me nothin’!
@Graeme… how can you possibly call kanye lyrically weak?
i second chris. kanye is better than everyone graeme just mentioned… and fifty sucks now. kanye has my vote.
To Chris, Kanye is lyrically weak, he said it himself plenty of times though ill listen to him any day than 50. To James, Kayne better than Nas, Talib Kweli, AZ, and Rakim! LOL, on the production side ok, but lyrically, hell no.
Neither of them are my favorite rapper but plain and simple, kanye makes better music
Neither of those two.. Im saving my money for 18/11 and Ultimate Victory.
18/11.. What was I thinking… Here we go again:
Im saving my money for 9/18 and Ultimate Victory
I’ll buy Kanye no doubt. No way 50 wins this battle. Other than “I Get Money” all of his new stuff is weak.
I’m definitely buying Graduation. 50’s “catchy” stuff is getting less catchy and more annoying. He hasn’t matured as an artist, he hasn’t done anything that hasn’t been done. Besides, Barry Bonds is one of my favorite songs right now. Kanye’s beats are better and his first two albums were better than 50’s first two albums.
look…they both are nothing special lyrically…but kanye is a very good producer…ill be getting his album probably..but as for 50??? wat the fuk…of course not!!! no hip hop head will be…i might rob it nd smash it up!!! cuz thats all his garbage is worth!!!!!
I agree wit the guy under me that rap is becoming more and more comercialized, but looking at just those 2 kanye is most def my choice-his style, lyrics and overall product is better than 50cents
I agree wit the guy under me that rap is becoming more and more comercialized, but looking at just those 2 kanye is most def my choice-his style, lyrics and overall product is better than 50cents
wow.. Hold up, to the guy that said Kanye is better than Talib, Rakim, Nas and AZ, mate you need to start doing some research into Hip Hop. You clearly have not heard those artists, or else you’re just into your mainstream garbage and like something to dance to. Overall KANYE IS LYRICALLY WEAK IF COMPARED TO THE REAL LEGENDS OF THIS GENRE.
ya’ll must not be from the streetz because 50 album is what hott kanye songs sounds sleepy and wack
yo this is a scame when you vote for 50 cent it counts towards kanye and when you vote for kanye it counts for 50 cent
here’s the thing graeme. To me, rap is not just a lyrical thing, nor is it just a production thing. IT’S BOTH. On that basis, kanye has the perfect mixture. lyrically? no, he’s not better than az, kweli, or nas, but overall? yes.
I wouldn’t buy either. And how tasteless of them to stage their vulgar little battle on September 11.
like nas isnt pop rap??? hahahahaha lmao
ochie wally wally ochie bang bang…..lmao
dont buy neither of these muggs vs sick jacken 9.11.07
real hiphop
I’ll buy both albums. Cos i support hip hop period!!
Hey i think its pretty obvious that KanYe West is going to sell more albums than 50, although I will support some of 50’s new songs by listening to them I will not be buying his album as opposed to KanYe. To all those people who are bringing Nas, Talib, and Az up in this conversation leave them out of this they dont have anything to do with next Tue, they dont have an album coming out and they havent even generated enough buzz through the country to have people takling about them. To those people who are upset about these albums releasing on 9/11- please dont take it so personally, are we not supposed to do anything positive and special on that day from now until the rest of time? Its not like its the yr after that happened, yes it was tragic, but we need to move on.
obviously graduation …. i want 50 gone forever!!
I think this pool is useless…50 isnt even an option to me…even if graduation wasn’t released on 9/11…i still wouldnt buy curtis…50 cent had one good song in his whole career-in da club…which isnt even on my classics list…and besides,50 focuses more on stupid irrelevant beefing than on his own sound…so kanye,you have my vote…
James I understand what you’re saying but the beats Kanye produces aren’t proper Hip Hop. He makes beats so people will dance to them. When I hear a track It needs i wanna hear dope lyrics and a good beat. Real Hip Hip is produced by artists like DJ Premier, RZA etc.. not Kanye West. If you’re talking about overall, you have to be talking about. Lyrics, rhyming, flow, production and the beat. Kanye has average/decent production, and reasonable rhymes and average flow, you obviously don’t understand what being lyrical is, and you cannot be a good rapper if you’re not lyrical.
how can you say kanye doesnt produce real hip hop, he produced most of commons album be, he produced dreams by game, the takeover by jay, get by by talib, the cool by lupe and still dreaming by nas. he became popular after he dropped through the wire, that to me is not a hip pop song, that was straight hip hop, only bad single was workout plan. hes no nas or talib or rakim but he better then most niggas out right now
wat happened the comment i posted???
50’s music stimulated my interest in hip hop and i can classify him as one of the greatest rap legends. can any one tell me who kanye west is? we’ve heard enough of these college stuff. facts are sturbbon and it’s a fact that 50’s album will outclass kanye’s,we all know that!
it’s true you can’t help but like 50’s music. 50 is there to stay considering according to a research carried out by forbes he’s one of the most powerfull celebrities and kanye’s nowhere near that. what put him in that position is his music so i think 50’s album will outclass kanye’s album. everywhere we go we hear of 50 in movies, in other pp’s music, on t-shirts man etc it’s an insult to undervalue( forgive me if i used the wrong term) the ingenuety of %50 cent’s music. 50 has the phrase that catches man i can’t wait till 11 sept to hear one of the best rap music ever to be produced. we love u 50!
im gnna buy curtis bcoz kanya has only 13 fckin traks ……
chif.. 50 cent has already went down as one of the worst rappers of all time.
Kanye is not lyrically weak but not dat strong.what ever happened 2 curtis is scary cuz comparing his tracks like many men, patiently waiting, dont push me n tracks like candy shop, amusement park n da likes u can definately tell dat he’s gon soft.
how any one could still support 50 cent is still beyond me.. and for kanye.. this is personally my favorite of his cd’s and is definatly album of the year.. it has some of the most amazing production i’ve ever heard..
i already downloaded both albums…and 50 wins
I agree with meet, i downloaded both albums and 50 definetly wins, im going to buy curtis on sept 11th
I will support Kanye….. I aint feeling 50 at all never did but kids/YT like him. So 50 wins with no effort cause all his singles SUCK!
Kanye ova 50 anyday. all of 50’s music sounded the same and “I Get Money” has got 2 be the most annoying song ever made!!! by the way Kanye may not be the best lyrically but he is far from weak!
Kanye is gonna win the battle of the album sales…I’m sure!
kanye is better but 50s marketing machine will push his album into more sales than kanyes album
50 cent is my favorite rapper even tho this mite not sale that much kanya can never come close to get rich or die tryin noboby can!
I have both of them downloaded and Graduation is hot I gotta say Kanye ripped it BUT 3 tracks are WHACK and his lyrics are mediocre if it was not for his beats….50 Cent killed it on Curtis you could bump all his tracks u cant bump all kanye’s…even my sister said Curtis is better especially Man Down lyrics is crazy and the song is crack..I am buying both Curtis and Graduation but I beleive and know 50 will win Kanye might get the grammy cause white people(im white too) but Curtis is better lyrically and beats wise. Please people cop both save Hip-Hop solja boy and Hurricane Chris is ruining it
-Alexander S.
i think kanye will outsell 50 in the first week, but curtis will do better in the long run.
50 is one the most lyrically weak rappers in the game, i got money, i got hoes, and i like to talk about it is all he has to say, say sumthin real nigga we kno ur ass is richer than all us, all he got is them catchy hooks that hit with a punch
i will definetly go for the new tupac…who doesn’t know him!? it’s 50 of course
I have both albums as well, and frankly, it’s not even close; Graduation outclasses Curtis in every way possible. As others have already said, EVERY SONG on Curtis sounds the same, and the lyrics are all the same: hoes and money. And what the hell is up with “Peep Show”? Disgusting song right there. Not one song on that CD stands out.
Every song on Kanye’s album is hot and actually THOUGHTFUL. The only song I don’t like is “Everything I Am”. All the others are pure gold, especially “Good Life”, “Drunk and Hot Girls” and “Homecoming”.
i will probably buy kayne west. but everybody should buy the new NECRO-DEATH RAP on 9-11-07
wow.. 50 cents whole album sounds like he has morphed into a worse version of ja rule.. after all those years of crackin on him.. so sad.. and for all you that say kanye is weak lyricist.. all i gotta say is.. if the devil wear prada adam and eve wear nada im in between but way more fresher…
Most of yall are just bandwagon riding. You probably watched that MTV show when they talking bout the best rappers in the game. I ain’t buying neither cuz i don’t buy music, but 50 is easily the better rapper and yall only saying Kanye is lyrically weak because you heard somebody else say it. Judge for yourself and hear all his music. But for the record he is lyrically weak, because he rap off the same syllable for an entire song, that only work when you freestyling.
Kanye has great lyrics, not only are his lyrics thought provoking he also has some great beats. if you like to talk about yourself and how rich you are get 50’s album. IMO Kanye will win but 50 sure as hell won’t quit
Me gustan ambos stylos, pero Kanye tiene mejor musica. Aunque 50 cent en este albun esta rodeado de los mejores productores de hip-hop. Mi voto es para Graduation.
damn ya stupid….both Kanye and 50 rock…if ya hate on either wun of them its showing how much taste ya have when it comes to music…. 50 got the record for most records sold in a week for a reason… he verses are hot… and Kanye has done nuffin but get hotter wit every song he releases…. damn i cant believe how stoopid people can be when it comes to music… acting like ya hate 50z music… ya know ya all jammed to P.I.M.P. ya noe ya all was saying “g-g-g-g- unit”…. ya noe ya wus on his sac b4 he started beefing wit the world…. ya noe ya wus feeling Candyshop…. ya noe ya wus sweating magic stick….ya just ignant ya digg…
“But for the record he is lyrically weak, because he rap off the same syllable for an entire song, that only work when you freestyling” That doesn’t mean that his weak, that means that he knows how to use his words. Dude if somethings lyrical, that is.
laidbaq37 you’re the only one that’s stoopid and ignant, you can’t spell sh*t. Don’t be hating on people that don’t like the music you listen ya digg LOL. With spelling like that you need to start listen to some music that will teach you something ya noe lol.
LITTLE BROTHER! GETBACK!
Fiftys lyrics r good enough i dont know how there weak!
Im a BIG rap game listener I ride for 50 anytime and Kanye does have his songs…50 just turning out to be more commercial and more pop like then how he was when he first came out…Kanye is doing his own thing in the game i guess you can say he’s bout the only one some what different…Never the Less Id buy Curtis Ova Graduation only because im more into the Grimey Street than the instrumental procussion/ Techno
I just heard every song on fiftys joint….GARBAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
fifty’s beats are hot, lyrically he may not be anywhere near kanye, but his flow and hooks are way more catchy, my vote is for CURTIS.
if kanye does lose to fifty he will still have the better album in terms of quality… kanye makes hits…50 cent makes gangsta rap hits that no one listens too..besides ayo technology his album blows the left nut
i think that kanye west is goin to sell more cause white people buy his albums also
Just heard Kanye’s whole album…its fire …and of course my favorite song is…MY BIG BROTHER….Kanye is touching souls with this album…MY BIG BROTHER SONG IS JUST PRICELESS.
AYO John im white & i dont care how good KOCKye West is i wouldnt buy a bootleg from his mamma…..iLL give it up to KOCKye he came through once again for my peoples….he got over on fity this time…keep up the good work buddy
Clearly 50 cent is gonna sell more albums
kanye also sick but he’s not gonaa come close
50’s album is soooo wack, he raps about NOTHING! I’m definetly feelin Graduation tho…
first of all, laidbag37…please tell me you are kidding with that comment! i really hope you are making fun of someone, bc if thats really how you speak, you really need to get educated on how people talk in the real world…its not cool to be an idiot, and “ignant”…secondly kanye west will totalllly win…why?!…because 50 has completely sold out, his 1st album and his mix tapes were amazing, but now all he cares about is making catchy music…hes like the britney of hip hop…kanye has a message, you cant deny him that
“ya’ll must not be from the streetz because 50 album is what hott kanye songs sounds sleepy and wack”
because there’s internet “on the streetz”…
kanye, ftw
ok you guys are retarded.. 1st off Kanye has a unique style.. many ppl have tried to copy it.. but he is original.. he doesnt rap about fake stuff he raps about what he does.. and respect to the 80’s and 90’s rapper because they were real and i will forever be an old skool fan.. but for sum1 to b as bold as kanye and jump outside of the “ima kill you bitch hoe nigga nigga” rapping style.. he has guts and should be respected for doing something different
i like more aggressive music so im for 50 but i can also respect kanye’s work and his lyrics of real world ideas. as far as the ‘fake’ stuff 50 says idk how u can say that after knoing what hes gone through
Personally…I think that both of these men are doing something creatively positive for Hip-Hop. They are trying to rehab the suffering of Hip-Hop today. If you want to speak on lyrical content, then I’d have to say that Kanye can paint a story. But that’s just it…a lot of people are tired of living in fairy-tales. Not everyone has or will ever have “the good life.” Fif paints a story, only his paintbrush drips real paint. I agree with the blog from before–instead of being ignorant to the music that these 2 different, but very talented people put out, we need to support them. Or just shut up! What we say won’t take talent, money, or anything else from them. And for all of you who are trying to be agressive while responding to others–remember that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Well, i’ve downloaded both albums, and to me, Graduation’s a much better album. Kanye’s keeping it real, even tho he may not have the “hype” 50 has. Nothin against 50 because i like him too, but Graduation is put together better, and is showing what hip-hop really is about. Graduation gonna out sell Curtis.
I will buy kanya and cupid cd before I buy sorry 50’s cd.
I hear that Jerome. At least the rappers that Kanye executive produced, like Common, get reach number one on their own volition! Can 50 say that about his current crop of losers like Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks?
im touched buy those weak album 50 got raw material such as mobb deep MOP and the rest of g unit could make more then what he haves shown …kanye just suck he doesnt rap but he is talking just in songs dat not rap im waitin for KUSH by havoc and chamillionnaire
yo 50’s good but in my opnion, the graduation is far better than the Curtis, so i think i’ll buy the graduation and maybe, just maybe rip the curtis offa the net