A gangsta rap blockbuster with hooks to spare

50 Cent survived a near-fatal shooting and music industry exile before making one of hip-hop’s most remarkable career turnarounds, signing with Dr. Dre and Eminem and releasing the biggest-selling album of 2003. After years of waiting in the wings, Fiddy’s ear for melody and sneering sense of humour had primed him for stardom. A gangsta rap blockbuster with hooks to spare, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ seamlessly mixes pop crossover smashes like “In da Club” with the harrowing, autobiographical “Many Men (Wish Death)” and swaggering, arrogant street rap anthems like “Poor Lil Rich.”