50 Cent needed a comeback. Since he lost his now-infamous battle of the albums to Kanye West back in 2007, (Kanye's Graduation sold 975,000 copies while 50's Curtis only sold 691,000) and his last album was panned as "too commercial," he could really use a boost in street cred and sales. Now, after months of re-release dates, two singles that never made it onto the final cut of the album ("Get Up" and "I Get It In") and the album leaking over a month before it was supposed to be released, Before I Self Destruct is finally here. With the album's release today, 50 Cent gets to try again and from the loud angry growl six seconds into the first song, "The Invitation," it's obvious he's trying hard.Before I Self Destruct is 50's way of attempting to redefine himself to the rap world. His angry lyrics and violent threats over loud booming beats attempt to show that he is not one to be messed with. In the not-so-subtly titled song "Death to My Enemies," he attacks longtime rivals such as The Game and Kanye West with profanities every third word to push the point that he is very angry and dangerous. The whole first half of his album follows this trend with such songs as "Hold Me Down," a love song to his gun that states, "I need you to hold me down . you give me a sense of security . From three point range, with a Glock, I shoot better then Kobe."

The song that truly stands out in this opening sequence of angry, loud, profanity-ridden tracks is "Psycho," featuring Eminem. The issue here is that Eminem is the only thing that makes the song worth listening to, and when 50 Cent tries to imitate his collaborator's staccato raps and singing, he comes off as an inferior knockoff. His song "Stretch" reiterates his rough and tough nature, preaching about his previous experiences dealing drugs on the bad New York streets. "I'm the dope man, coke man, smoke man, whatever man . sellin' morphine and codeine."

In contrast to the first batch of tracks, the second part of the album is much more listener-friendly and will be the source of this album's popular singles. The clearest cut from this bunch (and also the catchiest track on the album) is "Baby By Me" featuring Ne-Yo. The great beats mixed with Ne-Yo's soft R&B voice and 50 Cent's rhythmic raps are the recipe for a song sure to be heard at club scenes and on the radio. Though not the best track, this is definitely the one that most listeners will enjoy, and it sets the precedent for the second half of the album. The changeover from intense to more mainstream 'pop' tracks can be clearly heard in the song "Gangsta's Delight," which is both a homage to and elaboration on Sugahill Gang's classic "Rapper's Delight." 50 Cent attempts to both establish himself as a 'gangster'-a hardcore man of the street instead of just a basic rapper. He states, "I'm the underground king, I reside on the throne," declaring himself at the top of the "true rap" scene with a classic recognizable backbeat more people can recognize and enjoy. The best track on the album is called "Strong Enough." This track with beats, background singers and lyrics that rival Jay-Z contains enough originality to make an enjoyable track from what could have been a cheap imitation, (temporarily) cementing 50 Cent's place as a legitimate street rapper.

In recent years, 50 Cent has come out with overplayed radio singles, an acting career (under his real name Curtis Jackson) and commercial endorsements for Vitamin Water. If commercialism makes him "self destruct," then this album came out just in time. This album as a whole isn't for everyone, even though there are certain songs that are more mainstream. Unless you are a diehard 50 fan, take this album one track at a time to see what is for you, as this is a generally darker, louder and more raw 50 Cent than has been heard in years.