Guess Who's Back? [PA] (CD - 2002)

GUESS WHO'S BACK could mislead the uninitiated in that it's far from a repackaging on the coattails of the fierce rapper's multi-platinum breakthrough GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN'. This collection culled from the Queens rapper's much sought-after mix tapes and one shelved major-label release snuck out on a small label a few months prior to his Eminem-aided 2003 coming-out party on Shady Records.

The title plays on his high-profile feuds with Ja Rule and Murder Inc. (among others); 50 Cent's been shot, stabbed, and caught up in tons of intrigue, but he's back. Unbowed he stands on the cover of GUESS WHO'S BACK, his figure a blur pointing a very clear gun just to the left of the camera. He backs up the bluster of this stance with a furious, uncompromising flow that's closer to the streets than his Number One album. While underground heads will have most of the tracks, newer fans will get a glimpse of where 50 Cent came from. Nas, 50's most obvious lyrical cousin in both imagery and severity, appears on a few tracks, including the brutal "Too Hot." 50 Cent is the epitome of the street (which makes his mainstream success all the more remarkable) and GUESS WHO'S BACK stands as a document of his authenticity. minimize