9.20.2007
Kanye Defeats 50 Cent
It was a battle royale of rap royalty on the charts last week as Kanye West dropped his new album "Graduation" on the same day as 50 Cent's new joint, "Curtis". And these two made sure everyone knew about their rivalry, by getting up in each others faces on the cover of Rolling Stone and on the MTV Movie Awards. Without a doubt, all the ruckus they made about their rivalry helped sales for both of them. But ultimately it was Kanye who came out the champ, moving 957,000 units in just one week! Not only did this crush 50's 691k finish, it also set a record for the highest debut sales in two years.Hopefully this will soothe Kanye's ego; the man has been complaining non stop recently about being snubbed for performances and awards by MTV. But it's 50 who we should be worrying the most about, especially since he threatened to quit the business if outsold by Kanye. He also told MTV, "I feel like Kanye West is successful because of me. After 50 Cent, [hip-hop fans] was looking for something non-confrontational, and they went after first thing that came along. That was Kanye West, and his record took off." Did 50 forsee his future? I think so, beause this all sounds like hype and excuses to me.
So, Kanye has won the battle for now, but will he win the war? Most likely, but who knows what kind of tricks 50 cent might pull out of his sleeve.
by K. Lawson
