The Massacre

Template:Short description Template:For-multi Template:Multiple issues {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |Template:Short description|noreplace}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template other Template:Category handler Template:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Get Rich or Die Tryin'2003Bulletproof2005studioThe Massacre50 Cent - The Massacre.png|border50 CentMarch 3, 2005<ref name="allmusic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>2004Template:Hlist Template:Hlist Template:Duration Template:Hlist Template:Hlistx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}}

The Massacre is the second studio album by American rapper 50 Cent, released on March 3, 2005, via Interscope Records, Eminem's Shady Records, 50 Cent's G-Unit Records, and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. With production from Dr. Dre, Eminem, Scott Storch, Sha Money XL and others, the album features guest appearances from G-Unit affiliates Tony Yayo, Olivia, Eminem and Jamie Foxx.

Preceded by the singles "Disco Inferno" and "Candy Shop", the album debuted atop the Billboard 200, selling 1.15 million copies in its first four days; it remained atop the chart for six weeks after its release. The Massacre received generally positive reviews from music critics, and was 50 Cent's second consecutive number one album on the chart. Following its release, the album spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top ten singles "Just A Lil Bit" and "Outta Control."

BackgroundEdit

The original title for the album was revealed as The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, named after the 1929 Chicago gang murder spree known as Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. 50 Cent intended the album to be released on February 15, 2005, but Interscope was not interested. He leaked "Disco Inferno" in order to force their hand, and Interscope released it on March 7.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Originally, songs intended for the album included "Hate It or Love It", "Higher" and "Special" but the songs were eventually given to the Game's The Documentary, causing a majority of The Massacre to be reworked.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

After 50 Cent released the Game from his G-Unit Records imprint on live radio February 21, 2005, a shootout occurred.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Paul Rosenberg of Shady Records and Jimmy Iovine of Interscope worried that the album would underperform due to the negativity of the Hot 97 shooting. 50 and the Game later entered into a truce six days after The Massacre was released,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> but their animosity rose up again after Game made fun of G-Unit at Hot 97's annual Summer Jam, where he first used the "G-Unot" insult, later turning to a boycott.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

CensorshipEdit

The censored version of the album censors out most profanity, violence, and all drug content. The track "Gunz Come Out" has inconsistency in the editing, and contains some profanity. The opening intro removes the shooting sequence, and is cut down to 20 seconds. The album cover also removes guns in the background behind the rapper, being replaced by motifs and a gradient background.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> In comparison, the album is not as heavily censored as his previous album Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Music and lyricsEdit

LyricismEdit

Themes from the previous album return on this album, like gangster life and such. What stands out as a novelty is that there is a lot of sexism in the songs, which was so much in the song P.I.M.P on the previous album, but now it is a main part and is now a constant part of the lyrics.

ProductionEdit

The instrumentation of the album closely mirrors that of its predecessor, incorporating string instruments and orchestral elements; however, cinematic themes are no longer the central focus. This album introduces numerous new musical components, including jazz rap and R&B influences that evoke the essence of early 1990s New York hip hop. A notable addition to the album's sound is the influence of Scott Storch, whose musical ideas infuse tracks like "Candy Shop" and "Just A Lil Bit" with Middle Eastern Arabic melodies layered over hard-hitting hip hop beats. Furthermore, the album benefits from exceptional mixing, primarily attributed to Dr. Dre's involvement, as was the case with the previous album.The album's production credits include Bang Out, Bass Brothers, Black Jeruz, Buckwild, Cool & Dre, C. Styles, Cue Beats, Disco D, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Hi-Tek, J.R. Rotem, Luis Resto, Mike Elizondo, Needlz, Scott Storch, and Sha Money XL.

Commercial performanceEdit

With a release in the middle of the sales week, The Massacre sold 1.15 million copies in its first four days of release, becoming the sixth-largest opening week for an album at the time since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> This is the second largest opening week for a hip hop album, behind Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP (2000), which sold 1.76 million copies in its first week.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi replaced it as number one in late April 2005, as The Massacre reached 3 million units sold.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In February 2020, The Massacre was certified six times platinum for combined sales and album-equivalent units of at least six million copies in the United States.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It has sold over eleven million copies worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="complex"/>

In 2005, The Massacre was ranked as the number one album of the year on the Billboard 200.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Critical receptionEdit

Template:Music ratings The Massacre received generally positive reviews from music critics; it holds a score of 66 out of 100 at Metacritic.<ref name="MC"/> Vibe magazine found it "full of finger-pointing panache" and wrote that "50 delivers a taut, albeit less explosive, album aimed at both silencing his detractors and keeping the ladies satisfied".<ref name="Rodriguez">Template:Cite journal</ref> NME observed "a new depth to the murderous lyricism" from 50 Cent on the album.<ref name="NME"/> Greg Tate, writing in The Village Voice, said that, like Tupac, 50 Cent is "a ruffian who knows the value of a good pop hook", and called The Massacre "the most diabolically sensous collection of baby-making gangsta music since Pac's All Eyez."<ref name="Tate">Template:Cite news</ref> Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times found the album to be "nearly as addictive as its predecessor" and called 50 Cent "a crafty songwriter, specializing in obvious but nearly irresistible tracks that sound better the more you hear them."<ref name="Sanneh">Template:Cite news</ref> In his review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau said that 50 Cent's "ugly gangsta lies" are "incidental to the mood of the piece, which is friendly, relaxed, good-humored, and in the groove."<ref name="Christgau"/>

In a mixed review, Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club said that, although its strengths lie in 50 Cent's "dark charisma" and "fluid delivery", the album is marred by flaws typical of "big rap releases: At nearly 78 minutes, it's far too long, wildly uneven, and not particularly cohesive sonically or thematically."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Uncut magazine wrote that, despite 50 Cent's "cool menace", "not even tight productions from Eminem and Dre can stop things from flagging midway."<ref name="Uncut">Template:Cite journal</ref> Lynne D. Johnson of Spin felt that it lacks "originality" and makes artistic concessions: "He's tryin' too hard to be everything to everybody."<ref name="Johnson"/> In a negative review for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis panned him as a lyricist and felt that the album lacks "any of the factors that make the best gangsta rap disturbingly compelling ... There's nothing except a string of cliches so limited that repetition is unavoidable".<ref name="Petridis"/>

AccoladesEdit

The Massacre was nominated at the 2006 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album,<ref>Complete list of Grammy Award nominations Template:Webarchive. Associated Press. Retrieved on 2009-12-25.</ref> but lost to Kanye West's Late Registration.<ref>Grammy Awards Best Rap Album Winners: Late Registration Template:Webarchive. About.com. Retrieved on 2009-12-25.</ref> It was ranked the twenty fifth best album of the year by Rolling Stone.<ref name="rollingstone2005">The Top 50 Records of 2005 Template:Webarchive. Rolling Stone.</ref>

According to 50 Cent, the album received more mixed reviews than its predecessor Get Rich Or Die Tryin' because he was focused more on the hooks and song structure: "People fought love for the things they see are significant. Jimmy Iovine was a producer … he loves the significance of production. He loves Dre. I don’t give a fuck what I made … look, I made my whole second album as a 10-record. I knew they wasn’t my best verses but my choruses were right so I focused on my song structure."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Track listingEdit

Template:Track listing Template:Track listing

Notes

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Sample credits<ref name="autogenerated2005">(2005) Album notes for The Massacre by 50 Cent. Aftermath Entertainment.</ref>

"Intro" contains elements from "What Up Gangsta" performed by 50 Cent.
"This Is 50" contains elements from "Things Done Changed" performed by The Notorious B.I.G.
"I'm Supposed to Die Tonight" contains vocal samples of "Vocal Planet" performed by Spectrasonics.
"Gatman and Robbin'" contains replayed elements from "Batman Theme" composed by Danny Elfman.
"Candy Shop" contains a sample of "Love Break" performed by The Salsoul Orchestra (uncredited).
"Outta Control" contains an interpolation from "Set It Off" performed by Strafe.
"Ski Mask Way" contains elements from "What Am I Waiting For" performed by The O'Jays and resung elements from "Cell Therapy" performed by Goodie Mob.
"A Baltimore Love Thing" contains elements from "I'll Be Waiting There for You" performed by The Dells.
"God Gave Me Style" contains elements from "Each Day I Cry a Little" performed by Eddie Kendricks.
"I Don't Need 'Em" contains elements from "Nobody Knows" performed by S.C.L.C.

PersonnelEdit

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}} Credits: The Massacre]. AllMusic. Retrieved on 2010-02-28.</ref>

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50 Cent – executive producer, author
Bang Out – producer
Jeff Bass – keyboards, producer
Mark Bass – producer
Steve Baughman – engineer, mixing
Akane Behrens – engineer
Black Jeruz – producer
Buck Wild – producer
Jeff Burns – mixing assistant, assistant
Dave Cabrera – keyboards
Tony Campana – engineer
Larry Chatman – project coordinator
Lindsay Collins – voices, speech/speaker/speaking part
Cool – producer
Ruben Cruz – background vocals
Cue Beats – producer
Dion Jenkins – background vocals
Disco D – producer
Dr. Dre – producer, executive producer, mixing
Mike Elizondo – bass, guitar, keyboards, sitar, producer
Eminem – producer, executive producer, mixing
Nicole Frantz – creative assistance
Brian "Big Bass" Gardener – mastering
Yvette Gayle – publicity
Zach Gold – photography
Scott Gutierrez – assistant engineer, assistant
Tiffany Hasbourne – stylist
Adam Hawkins – engineer
Hi-Tek – producer
Lionel Holoman – keyboards
Kameron Houff – engineer
Eric Hudson – bass
Mauricio "Veto" Irragorri – engineer, mixing
Tyrue "Slang" Jonas – artwork
Rouble Kapoor – assistant engineer, mixing assistant, assistant

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Steven King – bass, guitar, mixing
Steve Lininger – assistant engineer, assistant
Jared Lopez – engineer
Andrew Mains – editing
Kyla Miller – engineer
Needlz – producer
Traci Nelson – background vocals
Alex Ortiz – engineer
Conesha Owens – background vocals
Kirdis Postelle – project coordinator
Chuck Reed – engineer
Luis Resto – horn, keyboards, producer
Robert "Roomio" Reyes – assistant engineer, assistant
Roberto Reyes – assistant
J.R. Rotem – producer
David Saslow – video
Kelly Sato – marketing coordinator
Ed Scratch – engineer
Les Scurry – production coordination
Sha Money XL – producer, engineer, executive producer, mixing
Randy Sosin – video
Nancie Stern – sample clearance
Scott Storch – producer
Chris Styles – producer
Rob Tewlow – producer
Patrick Viala – mixing
Che Vicious – programming
Barbara Wilson – background vocals
Brandon Winslow – assistant
Ravid Yosef – editing

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ChartsEdit

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Weekly chartsEdit

Weekly chart performance for *The Massacre*
Chart (2005)	Peak position
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)<ref>Template:Cite journal Template:Cbignore</ref>	1
European Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	3
Greek Albums (IFPI)<ref name="GRE"/>	2

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Year-end chartsEdit

Year-end chart performance for *The Massacre*
Chart (2005)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	39
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	19
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	10
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	21
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	62
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	27
European Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	7
French Albums (SNEP)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	41
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	8
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	17
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	11
UK Albums (OCC)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	29
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	1
Worldwide Albums (IFPI)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	3

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CertificationsEdit

Special editionEdit

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BackgroundEdit

The album was re-released on September 6, 2005, as the Special edition. It included a remix of "Outta Control" featuring Mobb Deep, which replaces the original version of the song as track eight. This edition included a bonus DVD with music videos for a majority of the album's tracks (with the exclusion of "Disco Inferno", "Gunz Come Out" and the intro), and the trailer for the film Get Rich or Die Tryin', which released two months later. Due to the ongoing feud between 50 Cent and The Game, this version omits the G-Unit remix to "Hate It or Love It" as the twenty-second track. Once the special edition was released, The Massacre re-entered the top three of the Billboard 200 at number two, being blocked from number one by Kanye West's Late Registration.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The original version was also re-issued using the special edition track listing leaving out the parts for the DVD.

Track listingEdit

Template:Track listing

Notes

^{<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^[a]{{#if:| }}} signifies an additional producer.

Sample credits Information taken from The Massacre liner notes:<ref name="autogenerated2005"/>

"Intro" contains elements from "What Up Gangsta" performed by 50 Cent
"I'm Supposed to Die Tonight" contains samples of "Warning" by The Notorious B.I.G.
"Gatman and Robbin'" contains replayed elements from "Batman Theme"
"Candy Shop" contains a sample of "Love Break" performed by The Salsoul Orchestra (uncredited)
"Ski Mask Way" contains elements from "What Am I Waiting For" performed by The O'Jays and resung elements from "Cell Therapy" performed by Goodie Mob
"A Baltimore Love Thing" contains elements from "I'll Be Waiting There For You" performed by The Dells
"God Gave Me Style" contains elements from "Each Day I Cry A Little" performed by Eddie Kendricks
"I Don't Need 'Em" contains elements from "Nobody Knows" performed by S.C.L.C.

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

External linksEdit

Template:Discogs master

Template:50 Cent Template:Billboard Year-End number one albums 1990–2009

Template:Authority control

The Massacre

Contents

BackgroundEdit

CensorshipEdit

Music and lyricsEdit

LyricismEdit

ProductionEdit

Commercial performanceEdit

Critical receptionEdit

AccoladesEdit

Track listingEdit

PersonnelEdit

ChartsEdit

Weekly chartsEdit

Year-end chartsEdit

CertificationsEdit

Special editionEdit

BackgroundEdit

Track listingEdit

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

External linksEdit