One good decision was to limit the exposure of 50's one-dimensional G-Unit partners. This would be a stronger disc without their unaccompanied solo turns, but the additions of M.O.P. and Mobb Deep, as well as the underrated Spider Loc, provide the necessary variety.

Of course, this is really all about 50. He'll never be a great rhymer, but his sing-song nasal hooks have become a powerful asset, and occasionally, as when spelling out his "Hustler's Ambition," he attains a certain rude eloquence. However, he says it best on "What If," a more benign follow-up to his debut hit, "How to Rob." Imagining himself copping the style of almost every name in hip-hop's pantheon, he finally concludes, "Niggas can't do me better than I do." On this album, 50 does himself better than he has in some time.