50 Cent Dropping New "War Angel LP" Tuesday, Plots More Mixtapes

50 Cen called into MTV's Mixtape Monday to announce that he will release a new "street album" called War Angel LP next Tuesday, July 16th, through his ThisIs50 Website. Releasing a mixtape to the masses is usually a first step for rappers with a new album coming out, but Fiddy was quick to explain that this is more than a mixtape, as War Angel will feature all-new material and that it's "the best body of work I put out in the mixtape circuit, period."

War Angel will help fans bridge the gap between now and September, when 50 Cent will finally unleash his oft-delayed Before I Self Destruct, which will reportedly feature production from Dr. Dre, Timbaland and Polow Da Don. "I have two other tapes to follow it," the suddenly prolific 50 added. "Fourth of July, Sincerely Southside Part 2 coming out with mostly '90s music on it. Timeless music, classic hit records. Then, after that, there's a G-Unit mixtape. It's actually untitled. I'll be finished with it in the next day or so." Scoop the War Angel cover art and track list over at Mixtape Monday.

Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 is also due out this autumn, with September 11th the targeted release date. Rap fans will remember the classic September 11th, 2007 match-up between Kanye West's Graduation and 50 Cent's Curtis, a sales battle that West eventually won. It begs the question: Will 50 schedule a redux battle royale against Jigga?

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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