wrong direction.

if you had been a fan in 2001 and watched "big money hustlas" you'd have hoped for something psychedelic and unreal but instead, they did something that felt too real and they failed to fit the bill by trying to play along. it's not good enough to JUST play straight humor with tastelessness but someone thought it might be. the "adult", "gritty" western theme fails because we never expected them to be very adult it's not FUN or funny when they try in this case. aside from the fact that "rustler" might have rhymed with "hustler", i can't guess why they even did this aside from violent j having often called himself "southwest" even though they're from michigan. i was completely confused by this mess when i first saw it, not understanding WHY they went in this direction but that's nothing compared to my irritation with "Bang! Pow! Boom!" which sounded like some sort of Broadway musical. they've always had a cinematic flair but it feels like their current style, including this film, is for 40+ year olds... maybe even trying to please artsy types such as those who could appreciate a "musical", not a "rap album". to say they've "fallen off" isn't it... to say they've "sold out" isn't precise either... i'd start with "lost their soul"... you know, it's kinda like the simpsons doing "simpsons christmas boogie" when they sold out compared to their old "dignity"; whatever it was.