Nah...Curtis' SECOND intro into the game was all marketing. It was, "Hey America! Check out super gangsta, shot nine times and survived, Eminem approved, Dre on the beat 50is Cent!"
Calvin came into the game spittin' that smooth gangsta shyt on Deep Cover and had everyone like
. Then G Thang, the Chronic and Doggystyle? Calvin Lion definitely takes that crown.
50 always struck me as a pure marketing gimmick...nothing slick behind his lines...no real message in his music...half the time he seemed to be off beat...I always felt he purely rode eminem and dre's wave...i mean...you never heard of this dude until one of the greatest hip hop producers and THE white rapper got behind him...it took two all time greats to get him to blow...how could it be anything other than marketing...
50 cents success was a great social study into just how fickle the average hip hop fan...50 came in clowning ja rule for singing and then dropped shyt like 21 questions and candy shop...same type of music ja rule made...
Big ups to him though...he was giving an opportunity and he ran with it...but he was GIVEN an opportunity...he was GIVEN an image...he was GIVEN eminem and dre fanbase...to me it seems like Nelly blew up because that country grammar album was just smooth all the way through...just an album full of nothing but number 1 hit singles...snoop entrance was the same way...just his whole style and flow could not be denied...
Somewhere there is a paper with the title "how to market 50 cent to america" on it...i do not think you can find the same paper for snoop, nelly, or dmx...
Drake doesn't really count to me because he is a half black / half jew / emo slightly homo guy...so he appeals to everyone...
Hangs around enough real thugs to talk that nikka shyt
Is Jewish enough to talk that money shyt
Comes from a well to do family to talk that suburban shyt
Has enough grimy people in his circle to talk that ghetto shyt
Simps hard enough to get the female / weak male/ homo male audience...