Even Robin Thicke can't jolt life into the soft-voiced, love-the-ladies template that 50 introduced on Get Rich with 21 Questions and beat into the ground on every album to follow. When Thicke crooned high-pitched mumbles about being held hostage during a bank robbery on Lil' Wayne's Shooter, it was a surprise. When he appears on Follow My Lead, you already know why he's here.
With Ayo Technology, 50 doesn't seem to expand his own sound as much as he benefits from the sound Timbaland and Justin Timberlake created on FutureSex/LoveSounds. The song would be just fine without 50. Tracks like My Gun, Man Down, I Still Kill, and I Get Money could be bullet points rather than song titles. It's not that the music is bad, it's just boring.
The dilemma in the marketing strategy is that there has to be a winner when, really, the two albums aren't competing. Artistically, West is always moving, while 50 is at a standstill.
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