G-Unit – T.O.S. (Terminate On Sight) July 1, 2008

 

Man, has there been a lot of trouble in G-Unit paradise lately or what? You have Young Buck’s emotional phone call with 50 Cent, which was exposed after he got the boot from the camp. You have The Game and Buck making proclamations that Lloyd Banks might not be as happy a camper as he lets on with 50 as his boss.

You have 50 losing some of his selling power with the release of Curtis and most of all you have G-Unit as a whole not carrying the weight they did just a few short years ago. I’ll say it straight out without mincing words that Terminate On Sight will not be the album to lift them up out of the doldrums.

“You So Tough” finds 50 Cent supposedly going at Southern superstar T.I. with lines like, “Nowaways, this rap shit ain’t adding up / How niggas get caught with 10 machine guns, only get 12 months”, “Got the best lawyers that money can buy / They say at best they woulda got me 10 or maybe nine.”, and “I said, ‘How do you explain how the homie breezed?’ They said, ‘You keep your mouth shut or you eat the cheese.” The lines are clever but the song is nothing special and I’m not sure why 50 would go at T.I. if he is. I’m sure we’ll all be treated to a l ong drawn out beef that will unfold in front of our very eyes.

“I Like The Way She Do It” is one of the hottest songs on the album and sets the theme for Banks and Buck delivering the tightest verses on the album. The beat is guaranteed to make this a hit single and while Banks and Buck steal the show Yayo and 50 do deliver some clever lines like these by 50 in the opening verse, “I’m stupid rich/Got retarded money/ I’m special ed/ I got special bread.”

“Money Make The World Go Round” was a good idea, it just wasn’t executed properly. The beat was almost there but was lacking something, it sounded amateurish and Yayo on the hook wasn’t a good look. Like I said, it could have been hot but fell just short. “Ready Or Not” suffers some of the same problems in the weak production. Banks does his thing on the verse but the hook is weak and it falls short.

“Piano Man” is a serious strike out and sounds like a beat The Neptunes scrapped in 2000. The hook is awful and the verses leave a lot to be desired. “Let It Go” featuring Mavado is another miss as the hook by Mavado is not good to say the least followed by subpar verses.

“Straight Outta Southside” is a bright spot on the album with a grimy beat and Banks delivering something fierce with lines like, “I’m a stormy night/ You just a rainbow”. “Rider Pt.2” delivers some of that old Beg For Mercy G-Unit we know and love as the boys rock over a bangin’  beat and deliver some serious verses. My only complaint is that on the hook even 50 Cent isn’t immune to taking a page out of T-Pain’s book but it’s not too bad.

“No Days Off” is definitely a hot track, grimy but not over the top and very well produced. Everybody delivers decent verses but Banks stands out with lines like, “These dudes been perpetrating so long/ They could make it rain/ I could make it storm.” “Casualties Of War” is a street banger and finds the trio at their grimiest. Bangin’ beat and once again Banks steals the show with lines like, “I drink like a uncle/ Smoke like a rasta/ Ball like a superstar/ Talk like a boxer.” “I Don’t Wanna Talk About It” is a solid track. The beat is simple but gets the job done as 50 remind us how much he doesn’t give a fuck with lines like, “I’m takin’ care of business/ God’s my only witness.” Songs like “Kitty Kat” and “Get Down” are barely worth mentioning.

Overall, I have to say that this album is a mediocre effort at best. The lack of Young Buck and the overuse of Tony Yayo also makes for a bad decision on 50 Cent’s part and a bad listen for the fan. “Beg For Mercy” was incredible and this is not a worth follow up.

At this point is just sounds like 50 wants to fulfill his contractual obligations and Banks sounds like he needs some space to spread his wings. That is one bright space. Banks sounds good and an album from him is something I’m not looking forward to. Terminate On Sight is going to be a decent listen if you’re a die hard G-Unit fan and if you’re not you can probably skip it.