Animal Ambition: An Untamed Desire To Win

Music: Universal Music
A decade ago, 50 Cent was rewarded for keeping things real with his masterpiece Get Rich or Die Tryin’. Fast forward to 2014, the rapper who was born Curtis James Jackson III has severed ties with longtime collaborators Dr Dre and Eminem and his latest offering has very little of the man who charmed the world with his raw sincerity.He plays by old rules to score new club hits too often on Animal Ambition. Appearances by popular artists like Yo Gotti, Prodigy, Styles P and Jadakiss seem more like attempts to relive their glory days than create something new. The house-y Irregular Heartbeat (featuring Jadakiss) is an example of this. Album opener Hold On depicts the rich and debauched rapper rousing back to work. Pilot (produced by Shamtrax) and the Dr Dre-produced Smoke have pop chart potential. Hustler, Twisted and Winner Circle are catchy and aspirational, albeit in typical hip hop fashion. The three tracks are the highlights of the second half of this 11-track CD. We don’t know if 50 Cent has lost his touch with rapping about relevant topics, since his decline in the late 2000s, but Animal Ambition sure doesn’t raise our hopes for his revival anytime soon.