Funny because when nobody fukked with him when he first came out, I was a fan. When everybody fukked with him, I stopped being a fan. Dude fell off when he blew up. He wasn't the same dude when he first dropped.
I kind of see what you're saying. But I still think, all things considered, Get Rich or Die Tryin is his best work. His prior stuff is cool, but is in the vein of typical NYC hood rap. Which others did better than him.
Get Rich was 50's sound. Mumble flow and all. It separated him from his peers and was done well enough to be memorable.