You don't have to "Beg for Mercy" listening to this CD

After opening the new G-unit CD case, entitled "Beg for Mercy," I wasn't expecting much. 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson by birth) sits holding a rifle as Lloyd Banks holds his middle finger up to all who open the cover. It seems that every song will be about guns, smoking and maybe a few on why you shouldn't listen to JaRule. Pop the CD in though, and you will hear a wide variety of beats and lyrics. Even though the music is all G-Unit you don't get sick of hearing the same voices, and every song sounds entirely different.

The first track lets you know 50 and his crew have good beats. Of course, it isn't too long before you here the ever-present gun-cocking sound in the third track, "My Buddy." The song begins with dialogue including "Say hello to my little friend." For the first time, G-Unit shows its sensitive side by devoting an entire song to the love of their guns.

Unfortunately, Stunt 101 slows the progress of the album. No one needs to be reminded of 50's overplayed excessive need for wealth. Another pointless song is "Groupie Love," and I'll let the title speak for itself.

Ignoring these few slip-ups, the album is excellent. The sensitive side of 50 comes out again in "Wanna Get To Know You." Once he finds the woman of his dreams he promises, "I even let her call me by my government name." This more 'loving' side is magnified even more in "Smile." This sweet song reminiscent of "21 questions," depicts the love a thug can have for his girl; he wants to be the reason she smiles.

"Beg for Mercy," also takes a more serious tone, first with religiously linked "footprints." Young Buck says,

"First there was two sets of footprints in the sand
Then there was one set of footprints in the sand
When times get hard and [expletive deleted] hits the fan
God don't walk with me, he carry me man."

Put those lyrics with the nice beat G-Unit did and you get one of the most quotable songs on the CD. It is questionable though, that God would carry him because five tracks later, he assures all listeners that "the graveyard has got plenty room for," them. Of course, "Beg for Mercy," has violent messages, after all it is G-Unit, but the entire album does not focus on killing.

The final song of "Beg For Mercy," is that long awaited track insulting JaRule and Irv Gotti. Honestly, the song is childish but it's pretty addictive. 50 cent successfully uses shock appeal to make this song memorable. The most surprising aspect is learning 50 is signing to Irv Gotti's mother.

The new g-unit CD surpasses all I have heard before from 50 Cent. This one is a full package with a variety of beats, lyrics and song types. With over half the songs on the album being more than satisfactory in some way, this is a CD I might even buy (and not burn).