Via Nah Right, Brandon Perkins compares 50 Cent’s pre-release strategy for Before I Self Destruct to the McCain campaign. I dunno about this…

"Divide and Conquer" may be the most fundamental principal of the politics that got George W Bush elected. It also worked really well for 50 Cent. Fiddy ascended the thrown as King of New York by forcing fans to be with him or against him. Rap fans were either with the terrorists (Ja-Rule, Fat Joe, any non-G-Unit rapper ever) or with 50 Cent’s America. 50 tried that on last year’s release of Curtis and while the increased attention it caused for the record’s drop date, it was still the most disappointing opening week of 50’s career. The divide over divisiveness has increased, as a generation of Millennials has gotten a little older.

Well, except that Curtis featured more collaborations than on any other 50 record: Robin Thicke, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Mary J., Missy, etc. That’s not to say these were successful collaborations — Robin Thicke? Really? — but it’s just not the case that Curtis was a with-us-or-with-the-terrorists album. More often than not, 50 adjusted his styles to those of his collaborators. Then there’s this dubious point:

Part of Barack Obama’s astounding fundraising is attributed to his embrace of the Internet. Not only does his campaign’s tech savvy appeal to all the kids and their MySpaces and Facebooks, but those first-time donors and their $50 checks definitely add up. Meanwhile, McCain was openly mocked for an inability to even check his email (while also having a surrogate claim that he invented the Blackberry). Not a good look. And just last week, it was announced that Radiohead made more money from the digital pay-what-you’d-like In Rainbows in the first few weeks than the band made from the total run of its previous release. Thisis50.com might get some page views, but it remains to be seen if it’ll be enough.

Come on. 50 put out at least three free mixtapes — Bodysnatchers Vol. 1, Elephant In The Sand and Sincerely Yours, Southside — on his website this year, and just now I’m seeing a free version of the new Lloyd Banks tape. Relentless pressure on Thisis50.com surely helped sales on the second G-Unit record. There’s just no plausible way in which 50 hasn’t embraced the internet. Last thing:

Choose Your Running Mates Wisely
A few years ago, remember how Tony Yayo was a much better rapper when he was incarcerated…and no one had heard him rap yet? Then when he finally got around to making an album and no one actually bought it? It definitely hurt 50 Cent’s credibility. Snap…maybe 50 should’ve taught McCain a trick or two.

 The Yayo hatred has to stop. Yes, he had a weak, overhyped start. But his verses on T.O.S. and Elephant In The Sand are really solid. "From 1 to 10, baby girl off the Richter/ But I ain’t trickin’, I ain’t Eliot Spitzer"? Don’t front.