The economy is recovering slowly, but let's be honest: Times remain tough both on Wall Street and Main Street. But there are some people who clearly aren't feeling the pinch as much as the rest of us. Rapper Gucci Mane is one of those characters. It's not particularly shocking, as the Atlanta native has got plenty of caché behind him: He scored himself a high-profile guest spot on the remix of Mariah Carey's "Obsessed," landed on the list of the 10 Hottest MCs in the Game, has been killing it in the mixtape game and is looking forward to the release of his second full-length album The State vs. Radric Davis. So it's no surprise that in this wintry economic climate, Gucci is one of the few who can still sport (and afford) a solid piece of bling. It's not new (he's been sporting it for a few years), but 50 Cent just unveiled his new song "Crime Wave" (which features Gucci) and he included this photo of Mr. Mane.

Gucci told HHN that he "wanted to have a chain that was gonna shock the world and was gonna draw a lot of attention to me. So I thought about it while I was in jail. I was thinking about the colors and I wanted to have something crazy like the Big Cat chain, so I just went with Bart Simpson. I got a new one now though with a heart and an arrow going through it." Lately, Gucci has expanded his bling repetoire (including an Atlanta Falcons helmet and a ridiculous watch), but it's the Bart Simpson bling that gets us every time.

Meanwhile, "Crime Wave" is a crazy-good hardcore song that sounds grimy and cinematic at the same time. Between this and "Baby By Me," Before I Self Destruct is looking more and more like one of the top albums of the year.

The countdown is on for 50 Cent's hotly-anticipated, oft-delayed new album Before I Self Destruct, which is scheduled to finally be released on November 23. Though 50 promises that Before I Self Destruct will be more hardcore than any of his previous albums, first single "Baby By Me" is a smoother, R&B-inflected jam that features an assist from Ne-Yo. The video, which will premiere on MTV Jams on November 2, stars 50 in a domestic fantasy with former Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland and their two alternate-reality kids. It's a dreamy, cinematic clip from one of the most provocative artists in hip-hop.

2009 has been a career year for 50 Cent. He is about to release his fourth album, dropped two excellent mixtapes (the return-to-the-streets banger War Angel and the Michael Jackson tribute Forever King) and starred in the new British film "Dead Man Running." He also dropped his second video game ("50 Cent: Blood on the Sand") and popped up as himself on "Entourage." To top it all off, he took a spot on the Hottest MCs in the Game list a few weeks ago. He also recently hosted the latest ThisIs50 festival and recently redesigned his official Web site.

50 is also counting down to the release of Before I Self Destruct with various features on his site, including resurrecting some old clips. Today, for example, featured 50's recorded debut Onyx's "React," where he appeared as a hockey player in the video. An artist with a deep history, 50 Cent has built up some high expectations for Before I Self Destruct, but based on the preview of the "Baby By Me" video, it seems like he's off on the right foot.

50 Cent has certainly kept busy on his way to landing in spot number nine on the MTV Hottest MCs list. He put out two mixtapes, unleashed a couple of videos and even took the time to take a few shots at Fat Joe. But the main event for 50 is the release of Before I Self Destruct, his long-awaited and oft-delayed fourth album. It has had a number of release dates (it was even teased to come out the same day as Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3), and the most recent date — November 17 — just seemed like another guess.

Until today, because now Before I Self Destruct has an album cover, which 50 unveiled via his Twitter feed this afternoon.

As you can see, 50 has taken the "self-destruct" imagery very literally, as the cover shows him literally about to burst into flames. The imagery is consistent with 50's insistence that this album will be a departure for him and will set up the next series batch of records for him. It's as though he's doing away with his old persona in order to allow for a career rebirth. (Or perhaps Curtis is just a big fan of Spike's death scene on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"?)

So it looks like the hotly-anticipated Before I Self Destruct will actually hit stores on November 17. Album details are still unclear, though you can bet that it'll feature top-shelf production and intense guest spots from 50's many friends in the extended G-Unit family.

Biggie might have kicked in the door with a .44, but 50 Cent makes his entrance with a shotgun in the just-released trailer for his new movie, "Before I Self Destruct," which will accompany his album of the same name.

Read our full report on 50 Cent's directorial debut, and let us know what you think of the sneak peek!