This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
G-Unit: 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, Tony Yayo.
Producers include: Denaun Porter, DJ Twinz, Dr. Dre, Hi-Tek, Dirty Swift.
U.K. edition includes the bonus track "Collapse."
Queens rapper 50 Cent ascended to the pinnacle of the hip-hop world in 2003, and the latter part of the year saw his crew, G-Unit, drop by with their own ubiquitous single "Stunt 101" and debut record, BEG FOR MERCY. Far from an entourage cashing in on one member's immediate success, the success of both 50 Cent and G-Unit is more of a chicken-and-egg situation. Since 1999, G-Unit's mixtape moments have been among the most sought after on the streets, helping to pump up 50 Cent's status until he exploded onto the mainstream.
Unsurprisingly, BEG FOR MERCY delivers a blistering attack of street rap that survives on its own merits. While 50 Cent opens the show on "Poppin' Them Thangs," he quickly blends into the mix, as G-Unit features two other more-than-able lyricists equal to the task and well-versed in trading off with the wildly talented 50. Lloyd Banks brings an arrogant strut that plays off Buck's subtle yet angry drawl. Together and separately, they both play off 50's familiar laid back style. The most intriguing moment on BEG FOR MERCY is the torn "Footprints," which inserts a renowned religious poem into the middle of the gangster world, a fitting summation of the unique world view of G-Unit.
What the critics say...
Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.199) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...The cinematic, bouncy production on MERCY is almost as full of life a GET RICH's; dark, hook-y funk is augmented by flutes, horns and soul choruses on tracks such as 'Stunt 101' and the excellent 'Footprints'..."
Entertainment Weekly (11/21/03, p.84) - "...Amazingly, 50 and his crew are able to imbue [their] crassness with a sort of rough-and-tumble charm, winning you with their sheer boisterousness and the fun-house spirit of the music..." - Rating: B
Q (1/04, p.114) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[O]n Lloyd Banks's ghetto ballad 'Smile,' G-Unit show slow-burning, heavy style."