The Trouble With ‘Curtis.’   

 So far Jackson has released three singles from ‘Curtis’ to radio,  all have bombed.  

  It would seem that Jackson, who once relied on uber masculinity and feuds with others rappers to sell records, has played his last ace.   

 There are no gimmicks this time around. After ruining the street credibility of fellow rapper Ja Rule, going toe-2-toe with his former protégé The Game, and even throwing rhymes at Nas and Fat Joe, 50 just can’t summon the attention he once did.  

 There is something different about 50. He seems docile, bored even. His performance at the 2007 BET Award proved it. Completely indifferent during his performance, sometimes lip-singing, Jackson looked like an old man whose heyday had come and gone.  

 Maybe his formula for success has become too easy, even for him.  Jackson insist that his beef tactics are still intact, especially when it come to other rapper taking jabs at him.   

 ”I seen Jay-Z use those tactics countless times. He’ll just ignore the guy that’s being disrespectful,” he recently told New York Magazine. “But I think a lot of them are like kids—if you don’t spank their hand and say stop, it gets worse. I think, better to give them an example of you ruining someone’s career, like I did with Ja Rule.”    

 But 50’s feud with Ja Rule was nearly four years ago, helping to propel his debut album “Get Rich or Die Tryin” to 10 million in sales. In 2007, who is left for the rapper to feud with?  In an industry that’s always looking for the next big thing, 50 stands as the old kid on a the block who use to be cool.

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