50 Cent delivered real big on this project being his 4th effort. BISD is one of the best albums this year. The set comes with the CD and a DVD movie. It has street bangers that will make you wanna do things yourself, including dance records like "Could've Been You" & "Get It Hot". The stand out records are "So Disrespectful", "Crime Wave", & "Physco". Also has a slow song that is crazy like "Do You Think About Me"!
As for the movie, it's a really well-written, entertaining piece of low-budget pulp. 50 (or Curtis Jackson) as he credits himself, stars as Clarence, a street basketball star whose hoop dreams deflate when he rips up his knee. When his mother is killed in the crossfire by a local gangster, he exacts revenge and is soon hired by Clifton Powell to as a professional hit man.
While Before I Self Destruct is not on the level of something you'd pay to see in the movie theater, the production value, acting and writing is strong for this kind of movie. Clearly, 50 has done his research as far as following the plot mechanisms of gangster and Yakuza flicks. He also keeps the story moving, avoiding indulgence. This easily could've been an extended music video--an ad for the accompanying CD. With the exception of once scene, most of the music is used in the background. Credit NYC film vet J Jesses Smith (co-director) for helping to keep the production tight.
8 out of 10 stars
