What's g-unit?

Gorilla

Wow, what does a gorilla have to do with shoes and rappers? What does "unit" mean in this context?

I could be wrong, but I think they mean like gorilla warfare. Unit I guess is instead of crew or gang.

But like I said, I could be totally wrong, not really my thing.

Do you mean guerilla warfare (gorilla = monkey)?

lol, maybe.

It means record deals and merchandise while working for 1/20th of it.

I figured that the g stood for gangster.

Me too, then someone told me it didn't. Shrug.

It's 50 Cent's group, that's all. G-Unit just sounds cooler. And yes, you will also find the G-Unit division of Ecko clothing.

Wassup G?

So far people are close.

G-Unit is a rap group originaly started by 50 Cent, with his buddies Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Young Buck.

The "G" originally stood for Guerilla, as in Guerilla-Unit (think Guerilla warfare). However, when they lauched their clothing line (and now other merchandise) they officially stated it as Gorilla-Unit because of the war on terror. 50 wanted people to wear his merchandise (obviously) and feared that big department stores would boycot it if it was Guerilla, because of the whole war on terror thing.

However, as is normal in rap, he does play on the word a bit. You can find him use both versions in various raps of his.

This is one of my favorites of his with the Gorilla version (found on Obie Trice's CD, which btw kicks ass)

Quote:

You can do all them push ups to pump up your chest I got a 12 gauge Mossberg to pump up your chest Have you gasping for air after that shell hit your vest Fear me like you fear God cause I bring death Silverback gorilla in the concrete jungle I'm the strongest around you know how I get down

Also, it should be noted that proper pronounciation of "G-Unit" should be done with a stutter, so it comes off more like "G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G-Unit" (also with the two silibles in the last part emphasised, like 'yun-it')

Here is a pic:



50 is in the middle (being the 'leader' of the group) with Lloyd on the left and Buck on the right. Tony isn't in many of the pics, because he was in prison for most of the time the group was gaining attention.

Quote:

Original post by DrjonesDW3d However, when they lauched their clothing line (and now other merchandise) they officially stated it as Gorilla-Unit because of the war on terror. 50 wanted people to wear his merchandise (obviously) and feared that big department stores would boycot it if it was Guerilla, because of the whole war on terror thing.

"Hi! I'm 50 Cent and I've Sold Out!". Not that he hadn't sold out in the first place, it's just all so very clear now. If that doesn't smack of manufactured pop group then I don't know what does.

I've seen 50 cent live at "Pukkelpop", but didn't know his group was actually called g-unit, he was announced as "50 cent" there. Pretty stupid of me =)

And thanks for your great explanation, DrjonesDW3d.

Quote:

Original post by Lode I've seen 50 cent live at "Pukkelpop", but didn't know his group was actually called g-unit, he was announced as "50 cent" there. Pretty stupid of me =) And thanks for your great explanation, DrjonesDW3d.

50 Cent does do a lot of his own stuff, as do all the members. Each of the 4 core members of G-Unit has their own album (which is primarly them, but does feature other artists) as well as what they do with the group. So he is 50 Cent, but also a part of G-Unit. Rap is nice because artists can easily do things on their own as well as part of a group (since you don't usually have a band).

It's kind of like how Eminem does a lot of stuff on his own, but is also a member of the group D12



If you like 50 Cent and haven't heard anything from D12 you should check them out.

Also, before it comes up, the name D12 comes from "Dirty Dozen." Eminem explains the reason for the name from an interview (http://music.yahoo.com/read/interview/12042917):

Quote:

Tell me about your aliases in the group. Where does the "Dirty Dozen" concept come from? PROOF: Honestly, we thought The Dirty Dozen was a western movie. EMINEM: Yeah. Proof had come up with the name, thinking it was from a movie or something. He just had the name and we was thinking, at first, that there should be 12 members. We should put together, like, 12 members of the Hip-Hop Shop--people that we know, that we respect lyrically. And then we kind of narrowed it down to six, and we all had aliases. I was Slim Shady back then, but I was also Eminem. So we figured out that each person would make up two people.

Members are:

Eminem aka Slim Shady;
Proof aka Derty Harry;
Kon Artis also Mr. Denaun Porter;
Swift aka Swifty McVay;
Kuniva aka Rondell Beene; and
Bizarre, aka Peter S. Bizarre.

Aren't those guys just "ripping off" Public Enemy? With Hank Shocklee and the Bomb Squad and the whole guerilla motif? I put "rip off" in quotes, because "homage" could be just as appropriate. And then again couldn't the same thing be said of PE with regards to Afrika Bambaataa?

Quote:

Original post by LessBread Aren't those guys just "ripping off" Public Enemy? With Hank Shocklee and the Bomb Squad and the whole guerilla motif? I put "rip off" in quotes, because "homage" could be just as appropriate. And then again couldn't the same thing be said of PE with regards to Afrika Bambaataa?

No, I think they are ripping off Beethoven by making music they think people will like.

Quote:

Original post by DrjonesDW3d No, I think they are ripping off Beethoven by making music they think people will like.

I would say "spitting on his grave" would be a more apt description, only they have nothing to do with Beethoven or well-written music for that matter.

Quote:

Original post by DrewGreen Quote: Original post by DrjonesDW3d However, when they lauched their clothing line (and now other merchandise) they officially stated it as Gorilla-Unit because of the war on terror. 50 wanted people to wear his merchandise (obviously) and feared that big department stores would boycot it if it was Guerilla, because of the whole war on terror thing. "Hi! I'm 50 Cent and I've Sold Out!". Not that he hadn't sold out in the first place, it's just all so very clear now. If that doesn't smack of manufactured pop group then I don't know what does.

What some people consider "selling out" in the rap industy, I consider smart business moves.

Rap artists are about 'making money' just like a doctor would be. Yes they are in it to make a buck, but many of them also really enjoy what they are doing. They also happen to be very very smart businessmen because they know that their influence extends further than just their music. People like JayZ have made fortunes selling clothing, energy drinks, and just about everything else you can think of. What is wrong with wanting to have a successfull business?

More power to them for knowing what people will buy and selling it to them.

Quote:

Original post by Salsa Quote: Original post by DrjonesDW3d No, I think they are ripping off Beethoven by making music they think people will like. I would say "spitting on his grave" would be a more apt description, only they have nothing to do with Beethoven or well-written music for that matter.

Congrats, you have your own taste in music.

You might not believe it, but a lot of people find a lot of art and tallent behind rap music. Yes, that even includes white people and old people and women and just about every kind of person out there. I know it's hard to believe with the media's impression of rap being all about big rims, cars, making money, abusing women and what not (but hey, you can argue the NFL and NBA are the same :)).

Here are some poems

Quote:

Ambition Over Adversity Take one's adversity Learn from their misfortune Learn from their pain Believe in something Believe in yourself Turn adversity into ambition Now blossom into wealth The Rose that Grew from Concrete Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature's law is wrong it learned to walk with out having feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping it's dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared. I Cry Sometimes when I'm alone I Cry, Cause I am on my own. The tears I cry are bitter and warm. They flow with life but take no form I Cry because my heart is torn. I find it difficult to carry on. If I had an ear to confiding, I would cry among my treasured friend, but who do you know that stops that long, to help another carry on. The world moves fast and it would rather pass by. Then to stop and see what makes one cry, so painful and sad. And sometimes... I Cry and no one cares about why. Can You See the Pride in the Panther Can You See the Pride In the Panther As he grows in splendor and grace Topling obstacles placed in the way, of the progression of his race. Can You See the Pride In the Panther as she nurtures her young all alone The seed must grow regardless of the fact that it is planted in stone. Can You See the Pride In the Panthers as they unify as one. The flower blooms with brilliance, and outshines the rays of the sun. In the Event of My Demise In the event of my Demise when my heart can beat no more I Hope I Die For A Principle or A Belief that I had Lived 4 I will die Before My Time Because I feel the shadow's Depth so much I wanted 2 accomplish before I reached my Death I have come 2 grips with the possibility and wiped the last tear from My eyes I Loved All who were Positive In the event of my Demise

I'm no expert in poetry, but I find those pretty good. They were written by this guy.

You can come up with whatever reasons you have that rap isn't music or that it takes no tallent or isn't art, however, I will disagree with you on every point you think you can make :)