And in this corner...

Over the weekend, Rapper 50 Cent said he would give up the rap game if his new CD, set for release on Sept. 11, didn't outsell Kanye West's new disc which is set to be released on the same day.

Interesting. But who will win this epic battle? Well, lets take a look at the facts.

Kanye West has a huge ego. He has made headlines for his antics at award shows where he threw obsenity-laced tantrums when he didn't win. But on the other hand, Kanye does have the talent to back up his high opinion of himself. His last two CDs, College Dropout and Late Registration have received great reviews and have sold well.
50 Cent also has a huge ego. Several reviews of his last CD, The Massacre said one of the things you had to get over to fully enjoy the disc was 50's egotistical rantings. 50 Cent has made some major waves in the entertainment world, including appearing as the lead in a movie based on his music, Get Rich or Die Trying, but some have said 50 has limited longterm appeal.
Both have released interesting singles from their forthcoming CDs. Kanye West released Stronger and 50 Cent has released Amusement Park. Kanye's song is quite good. The music is catchy with an old-school vibe, lyrics are ... well they won't inspire like Jesus Walk, but they'll do. 50 Cent's single is, well, bad. A terrifyingly bland retread of Candy Shop from his last CD.

So who will win? My money is on Kanye's new CD. Stronger is a stronger single. And while there is some alure to 50's music, the constant delays by his record company to release the disc for sale (the disc's release has been delayed twice) suggests that it is not going to be good.

Not to mention, someone close to 50 Cent's label leaked the disc on the Internet more than 2 months ago, and early reviews and blog chatter suggests speculation on the disc's lack of quality might be correct.

So, tune in the week of Sept. 11 to see if 50 Cent will beat out Kanye West, or if music listeners will be cashing in their loose change.