MASSACRE,THE (2LP)

After years of hustling for his music and his life, and taking bullet after bullet, 50 Cent finally found massive success raining down suddenly on him, as he became the center of the hip-hop world in 2003 with his multi-platinum record GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN'. On the highly anticipated follow-up, THE MASSACRE, 50 reveals that he's unsure whether he's "God's child or Satan's angel," dropping this soul-searching moment as casually as the title in the chorus of the song, "I'm Supposed to Die Tonight." If 50 Cent is calm in his delivery, it's more than matched by the ease of the lyrical couplets he unfolds. He could beat most challengers to a freestyle battle in his sleep, and raps as if he's known this from birth, a truth he expounds on in "This Is 50," as he effortlessly whips a rival. When partner-in-platinum-sales Eminem, drops by on "Gatman and Robbin," 50 Cent shows he can bring the energy, but, for the most part, the rapper stays in his wonderfully jaded comfort zone. He smoothly packs the dance floor on the single "Disco Inferno," before unwinding the most laid-back of seductions on "Just a Lil Bit." If anyone thought 50 Cent might have burned out in his flurry of prosperity, THE MASSACRE, a strong sophomore effort, should set the record straight.