When 50 Cent, a.k.a. Curtis Jackson, told the popular hip-hop Web site SOHH.com, “If [Kanye West] sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11… I won’t put out anymore solo albums,” he seemed to feign total confidence, but Curtis is painfully typical 50 Cent. It is apparent that he can no longer hold a song together alone, surrounding himself with big-name producers and famous guest artists for most of the album.

Performances by Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige, Akon, Young Buck and Nicole Scherzinger are the best vocal performances on the album. Though I detest artists like Akon and Scherzinger, they were much like a musical salvation amidst this hip-hop hell that 50 put me in.

Songs like “Amusement Park” and “Follow My Lead” were the most cacophonous tracks on the album. Both were rip-offs of 50’s old singles “Candy Shop,” and “21 Questions,” respectively, and neither improved on the original, both sounding disjointed and rather annoying.

At some points even the production failed, which is a tragedy, since it was one of the better aspects of “Curtis.” In “Amusement Park,” what sounds like a drill being used is heard, implying masochism, perhaps? Another song where poor production is demonstrated is “My Gun Go Off” where the shots heard in the background of the track sound more like popcorn kernels popping.

Some songs managed to grab my attention despite the landscape of the rest of the album. “I Get Money” was a fairly good ode to materialism, typical 50 Cent stuff with a great beat and an insanely catchy chorus. “All of Me,” though, is the only truly good song in the album. With a great background beat involving a brass section and Mary J. Blige’s terrific vocals, the song succeeds.