The hype continues to grow for the big showdown on Sept. 11 between stars Kanye West and 50 Cent. Both have albums being released on that day, and the big question that everyone is asking is, "How many records will each artist sell in the first week?"
The road to this showdown has been interesting: 50’s album was supposed to be released in June originally, and Kanye was not scheduled to release his album until October or so. The reception for 50’s singles (the mediocre "Straight to the Bank" and "Amusement Park") caused his label, Interscope Records, to push his release date back while 50 went back to the studio to record new material. Meanwhile, the opposite happened for Kanye. The great reception "Can’t Tell Me Nothing" received when it was first heard in May led his label to bump up his release date.
One thing that should be kept in mind is that record sales do not equal skills.
The sales, however, do play an important part in this case, because 50 raised the stakes recently, boasting that if Kanye outsold him, he would retire and not release any more albums. What’s funny is that plenty of people across the nation are hoping that Kanye wins because it will mean not having to hear anything else from 50. Based off of the past results it seems like 50 would easily outsell Kanye. But nowadays, the public’s opinion of hasn’t been too good. His music, which was never exactly brilliant, is at an all-time low, which means that not many people are looking forward to his new album, Curtis.
On the other hand, Kanye has improved musically over the years, and couldn’t be at a better spot right now. His lyrical ability has improved recently, and of course many people are looking forward to the production on Kanye’s album. One song that features the aforementioned great production is Kanye’s latest single, "Stronger." The Daft Punk-sampling track is very catchy and unlike any other record out nowadays.
Interestingly, there is another big star releasing an album on Sept. 11 who no one seems to notice because of all the hype with 50 and Kanye West: Kenny Chesney. The country star has previously gotten the No. 1 first-week sales spot with the release of his last couple of albums, and probably will even outsell the aforementioned artists. The loyalty of country music fans is right up there with any other genre, so we can expect Chesney to sell a good amount of records. It’s too bad. that 50’s threat to quit making music only applies to Kanye West.
