Contributed by Andrew Kahn on 9/18/07

He presents the image of a gangsta to the fullest: the gun-toting, bulletproof vest-wearing thug who doesn’t back down from beef with anyone. But 50 Cent’s latest move resembles a cry-baby more than anything.

After unofficial reports were released that claimed Kanye West’s Graduation had outsold 50’s Curtis – by about 200,000, in fact – Fiddy couldn’t simply admit defeat. “He’s never had a fraction of the sales 50 Cent has,” 50 said earlier this week. “(Def Jam) could have one scan (of Graduation) and have it count four times. West’s entire career hasn’t sold half what I sold on my first album.”

So in addition to platinum-selling artist, movie star, and business mogul, Curtis Jackson can now add “sore loser” to his list of achievements. Because we all know that nobody doctored any sales figures, but rather Kanye’s album sold more for the simple fact that it was better. The singles were better, the album as a whole was better, and right now, the Louie Vuitton Don is hotter than the G-Unit General. Perhaps accusing ’Ye and his label of cheating is 50’s way of backing out of his earlier claim that he’d stop making solo albums if he failed to outsell West. If so, and even if not, it’s a dirty move by 50, especially since it comes on the heels of him blaming the album’s lack of success on his label’s poor promotional methods.

For the latter complaint, there’s certainly precedent – many artists have grumbled about their label’s inability to market the product, and in many cases, they have a legitimate grievance. But still, can an artist as big as 50 reasonably use that excuse? It’s not like he’s a new artist who needs to get his name out or a proven veteran who hasn’t been relevant for a while and is trying to make a comeback. He’s been in the forefront of the music industry for several years now. If the label is having trouble marketing his product, it’s because he doesn’t have a quality product to offer.

But hey, the man’s been shot nine times. He has the right to get angry and frustrated, rip a plasma television off a wall now and then (as he reportedly did in his label’s office after discovering one of his songs had been leaked). So let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and say his label did mishandle Curtis and that’s what contributed to lower-than-anticipated sales and the eventual defeat at the hand of Kanye. That still doesn’t justify his most recent remarks. Kanye didn’t cheat. He’s simply more popular than 50 at the moment, and part of that’s due to his music being of a higher quality.

So here’s some advice for Mr. Jackson: Admit defeat – after all, you’re still going to sell a lot of records – and get back in the studio to make Before I Self Destruct as good as that “first album” you refer to. Because if you’re just going to whine about cheating, it’d be better off if you followed through on that promise you made a few weeks ago.

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