It’s the rap battle fans have been waiting for.
On Tuesday, “pop-lux” crooner Kanye West and gangsta champ 50 Cent go head to head, dropping their highly anticipated third albums.
To borrow West’s words from a recent Rolling Stone interview, “This is a rock ‘n’ roll moment right here.”
As if this showdown of two of the biggest names — and best sellers — in rap wasn’t enough to excite fans, Fitty has gone above and beyond the call of duty to ramp up the hype.
“I’m King Kong, and Kanye is human,” 50 Cent said in Rolling Stone, which devotes its current cover to the 50-Kanye duel. “Humans run when they see King Kong, because they’re scared.”
The buzz generated by Fitty’s alpha male chest-thumping should go a long way in boosting sales of his “Curtis,” as well as West’s “Graduation.”
And that was the plan all along, according to Kanye.
Kanye told Blender magazine it was his idea to move his album release to Sept. 11 so he and 50 Cent could go head to head and create some buzz. He repeated the claim Sunday night at the VMAs before joining Fif on stage for an award presentation during which they both tried to look mad at each other. Both seemed just about to break a smile.
All this buzz is good news for the ailing music industry, and hip-hop in particular. While the overall industry is struggling, rap sales have plunged 30 percent in the last year and are down more than 40 percent since 2000 — mainly because the genre lacks the multiple 5 million or 6 million sellers each year.
West and 50 Cent are being counted on as saviors.
Fitty announced weeks ago that he’ll quit putting out solo records if “Curtis” fails to sell more than the latest from West. Later he called it a “friendly feud” before saying “it’s not possible for Kanye to beat me. It’s the teddy bear versus the gorilla.”
West has been talking, too, though many of his comments toward Fif have been complimentary. “Fifty is one of the good rappers. He can’t retire,” Kanye told the Tribune.
And obviously, he won’t. Fitty admitted this week that his “retirement” shtick means essentially nothing. “I was just raising the stakes,” the rapper said. “When they hear, ‘He’s going to retire,’ it draws attention.”
The “feud” has done exactly that, earning both men reams of press. The artists will no doubt benefit from the first-week push — especially since the second-week drop-off in urban music is often pronounced. Online message boards have been full for two weeks with impassioned arguments for buying one record and not the other.
The faux beef has a serious side, too, 50 Cent said. It used to be hip-hop beefs resulted in stabbings, shootings and even deaths. To the rapper, his showdown with West marks a new era of hip-hop peace.
“People expect a competition in hip-hop to be dangerous,” he said. “This one isn’t. Kanye didn’t say anything disrespectful, so I don’t actually have a beef with him. It’s just the competitive nature of the art form.”
– – –
FIRST ALBUM SALES
Fitty “Get Rich or Die Tryin” (2003) 7.7 million copies
Kanye “The College Dropout” (2004) 3 million copies
SECOND ALBUM SALES
Fitty “The Massacre” (2005) 5.1 million copies
Kanye “Late Registration” (2005) 2.8 million copies
– – –
TALK BACK
Which artist ultimately will have the bigger career, Kanye West or 50 Cent? E-mail ritaredeye@tribune.com and include your full name, age and neighborhood.
