G-Unit Beg For Mercy CD

Queens rapper 50 Cent ascended to the pinnacle of the hip-hop world in 2003, and the latter part of the year saw his crew, G-Unit, drop by with their own ubiquitous single "Stunt 101" and debut record, BEG FOR MERCY. Far from an entourage cashing in on one member's immediate success, the success of both 50 Cent and G-Unit is more of a chicken-and-egg situation. Since 1999, G-Unit's mixtape moments have been among the most sought after on the streets, helping to pump up 50 Cent's status until he exploded onto the mainstream.

Unsurprisingly, BEG FOR MERCY delivers a blistering attack of street rap that survives on its own merits. While 50 Cent opens the show on "Poppin' Them Thangs," he quickly blends into the mix, as G-Unit features two other more-than-able lyricists equal to the task and well-versed in trading off with the wildly talented 50. Lloyd Banks brings an arrogant strut that plays off Buck's subtle yet angry drawl. Together and separately, they both play off 50's familiar laid back style. The most intriguing moment on BEG FOR MERCY is the torn "Footprints," which inserts a renowned religious poem into the middle of the gangster world, a fitting summation of the unique world view of G-Unit.

Though backing posses had become de rigueur for commercially successful rappers by the early 2000s, 50 Cent's posse, G-Unit, is somewhat exceptional, as showcased on its album debut, Beg for Mercy. Following 50's unsuccessful stint with Columbia Records during the late '90s, he returned to the streets and willfully assembled a backing posse, with himself as the superstar and his cohorts as his street-level representatives, thereby ensuring himself future street credibility and enough firepower for entire mixtapes. The plan paid off in spades as G-Unit worked the mixtape circuit, releasing one after another, while 50 in turn blew up in 2003 with his solo debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin', yet maintained his street cred with his well-bred posse, touring extensively and releasing still more mixtapes. All of this made the eventual release of Beg for Mercy a real event -- and all the more so because Murder Inc had announced that they would simultaneously release a new Ja Rule album and go head to head, sales-wise (though they wisely reconsidered), and because Interscope bumped up the release date of Beg for Mercy to November 14 (citing bootlegging concerns) so that G-Unit could contentiously go head to head with Jay-Z and his much-anticipated Black Album. It's thus difficult to distance yourself from the aura of hype surrounding Beg for Mercy and evaluate it as music rather than as an event. Of course, when you deflate the album of its hype, it's not quite as exciting as it probably sounded fresh out of the cellophane first thing in the morning on November 14, but it's still a considerably exciting listen nonetheless. For one, 50 and his cohorts (Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, and on two long-ago-recorded songs, an incarcerated Tony Yayo -- with no gue

G-Unit: 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, Tony Yayo.

Producers include: Denaun Porter, DJ Twinz, Dr. Dre, Hi-Tek, Dirty Swift.

Personnel: Butch Cassidy (vocals); Mike Elizondo (guitar, keyboards); Daniel Seeff (guitar); Scott Storch (keyboards); Tracie Spencer (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: Carlisle Young; Dr. Dre; Eminem; Kevin Crouse; Patrick Viala; Steve Baughman; Steven King; Michael Strange; Sha Money XL.

Recording information: 54 Sound, Detroit, MI; Can Am Studios, Tarzana, CA; Circle House Studios, Miami, FL; Encore Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Homecookin Studios; Larrabee Sound Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Record One Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Right Track Studios, New York, NY; Sony Music Studios, London, England; Teamwork Music Studios; Westwood One Mobile Recording.

Photographer: Sacha Waldman.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.199) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...The cinematic, bouncy production on MERCY is almost as full of life a GET RICH's; dark, hook-y funk is augmented by flutes, horns and soul choruses on tracks such as 'Stunt 101' and the excellent 'Footprints'..."
Entertainment Weekly (11/21/03, p.84) - "...Amazingly, 50 and his crew are able to imbue [their] crassness with a sort of rough-and-tumble charm, winning you with their sheer boisterousness and the fun-house spirit of the music..." - Rating: B
Q (1/04, p.114) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[O]n Lloyd Banks's ghetto ballad 'Smile,' G-Unit show slow-burning, heavy style."