I remember May, 2000 perfectly. On a sunny afternoon, I was over at my boy David’s house, and while his mom was upstairs, chatting with mine, he asked me, “Have you heard the new Eminem album? It’s crazy.”
“No,” I said, embarrassed, because I knew it’d be tricky to find a way to cop the CD and hide it from my parents. But it wasn’t just that—I was embarrassed because I was late on Eminem. Way late. When “My Name Is” came out, I thought the track was goofy, and I didn’t give the nasally emcee from Detroit a chance until he forced me to, with his show-stopping performance Dr. Dre’s “Forgot About Dre” (and the rest of 2001), and again on the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Dead Wrong.” It was only until a few months before The Marshall Mathers LP made history by selling 1.76 million domestic copies in a week that I even gave The Slim Shady LP a spin. Determined not to be so behind again, I went into David’s basement, where he and I listened to Eminem’s sophomore set from start to finish.
I thought the album was shocking and shameless, terrifying and triumphant, hateful and hilarious. It was the first time I’d ever heard Hip Hop with such emotion, such irreverence, and such a combination of both calculated and intense, unbridled anger. “Kill You” left me wanting to press rewind, but David said, “No, just wait ‘til you hear what’s next.” When “Stan” left me with my jaw on the floor, I knew I couldn’t afford to re-listen. I had to hear the whole thing. “Kim” was as terrifying as any horror movie I’d ever seen, I was stunned at the wordplay on “Drug Ballad,” and “Criminal” had me in stitches.
While the album wasn’t perfect, with too many posse cuts and now-dated pop-culture references, I felt it was one of the most impressive emceeing performances ever committed to wax, and remains so today. The Marshall Mathers LP is devastating and intense, and leaves an indelible impression. It is also unquestionably, at least to me, Eminem’s greatest album, the pinnacle of his genius. Even Dr. Dre, who produced The Chronic, Straight Outta Compton, and Doggystyle, had extraordinary praise for the project.
“I don’t feel like I’ve made my best record yet,” he told VIBE in 2008. “The Marshall Mathers LP got the closest…”
So when Eminem announced little over 13 years later that his next album would be titled The Marshall Mathers LP 2, a little bit of excitement—and a lot of panic—hit me simultaneously. The latter emotion was amplified upon hearing “Berzerk,” the ehh-level tribute to the Beastie Boys, apparently courtesy of co-executive producer Rick Rubin. Will the album be as good as it’s predecessor? Will it be awful? The latter seems more likely, with Eminem’s best albums having been released over a decade ago. And let’s be honest: Eminem could lock himself in his house for the rest of his life and live comfortably without dropping another bar.
So the question is this: is The Marshall Mathers LP 2 an attempt to cash in on the commercial success of one of the fastest-selling albums of all time? Or is Eminem out to prove that one of Hip Hop’s greatest (albeit recently underachieving) talents has what it takes to follow up on his magnum opus? After all, this is the man that admitted on “Talkin’ 2 Myself” that, “I almost made a song dissing Lil Wayne / It’s like I was jealous of him cause of the attention he was getting… / Almost went at Kanye too…” There’s no way to tell for sure until the album drops in November, but here are some of the things Em can do to make sure his next release is worthy of The Marshall Mathers LP legacy.
“But Dr. Dre Said…”: Production, Production, Production
One of the greatest misconceptions about Eminem is that the bulk of his music (or the best of it) has been produced by Dr. Dre. It started with The Slim Shady LP, where “produced by Dr. Dre” was slapped on promo posters and advertisements to give the white emcee credibility and to excite the fans. And, while there’s absolutely no doubt that Dre and Eminem have teamed up for some classic cuts (“Guilty Conscience,” “Kill You,”), Dre has actually produced a surprisingly small amount of Eminem’s work. In fact, Eminem’s first three and most highly-regarded projects, The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP, and The Eminem Show, featured three, six, and three Dre contributions a piece, whereas much-criticized projects Encore and Relapse boasted eight and 17, respectively.
So what does this mean? Leave Dre off and fans are sure to get a classic? Not exactly. But it is a good starting point. A good portion of Eminem’s best work has come not from Dre, but at the hands of Detroit locals Bass Brothers (“Just Don’t Give a Fuck,” “Marshall Mathers”) and Luis Resto (“Lose Yourself,” “Yellow Brick Road,”), as well as Em himself (“The Way I Am,” “White America”). Ultimately, it boils down to this: there are certain producers that know how to produce for Eminem, and others that don’t. This showed itself to be true when comparing Eminem’s earliest projects, which consisted of minimal contributions from producers not yet mentioned to his 2010 release Recovery, whose awful a la carte method resulted in stinkers from Just Blaze and Boi-1da (seriously?).
Historically, I think Eminem’s best work has come not from the big-name producers, but from those who understand his skill set best. Eminem’s multi-syllable runs simply work better when exploring the negative space in a track. Instead of working with producers who want to be the stars of the show, Em’s best work will come with producers like the aforementioned Bass Brothers and Resto, and even the highly-underrated Mel-Man, who understand how to play the background. Of course, the Bass Brothers sued Aftermath and Interscope for royalties, so you can leave them off your wish lists. But the point remains; for The Marshall Mathers LP 2 to be a success, Eminem will have to be very judicious in deciding who will be handling production duties on his project. This will be a difficult task given Dre and Rick Rubin’s involvement. Too many cooks in the kitchen, and Eminem will find himself fighting production that distracts from, instead of highlights, his incredible presence on the mic.
Check The Technique—And The Shout-Rap—At The Door
Eminem is, without a doubt, one of Hip Hop’s greatest technicians, likely rivaled only by Pharoahe Monch in that respect. But ever since his reemergence from drug abuse in 2009 with “Forever” and its show-stealing double-time verse, Em’s been hell-bent on letting everyone know that he’s the rappingest rapper who every rappity-rapped. On every song. All the time.
Em’s never been one to shy away from flaunting his emceeing abilities (check “Criminal” and “Soldier”), but in the earlier part of his career, he seemed to understand that not every verse needs to be rapid-fire, with eleven-syllable internal rhyme schemes. Sadly, as Relapse and Recovery can attest, post-Encore Shady’s albums fall victim to this almost-compulsive need to use overly-technical rhyme schemes and delivery all the time. Ironically, this was the very same flaw that Em clowned Canibus for—repeatedly (“‘Bis, come on, answer me, man, respond! / Tell me ‘bout the sun, rain, moon and stars! / Intergalactical metaphors from Mars!” he rapped on “Can-I-Bitch”). Think about tracks like “Lose Yourself,” “Cleaning Out My Closet,” and “Sing For The Moment.” On those songs, Em was preoccupied with telling a story, conveying emotion, and connecting with his fans. If Slim can pump the brakes a bit, and focus on making great music instead of stuffing every bar with as many syllables as possible, his project will benefit immensely.
Another bad habit Slim’s picked up over the years is his propensity to shout on damn near every song. It’s not like he’s in danger of dethroning Meek Mill in this respect, but there was a time when “Kim” and “Till I Collapse” were the exceptions rather than the rule, and were much more effective because of it.
This ties into production, as referenced above. Take “Won’t Back Down,” a single from Recovery, whose clumsy, blaring production forces Em into revving the chainsaw and shout-rapping his way through the entire track. This was a problem that plagued Recovery much of the way through, and seems like an ever-present threat to derail any modern-day track from Shady. One of Eminem’s greatest qualities was knowing how to play off of his production, whether it was his calm demeanor over a guitar on “Marshall Mathers” or the memorable screams on “Remember Me?” It’s hard to imagine any project sounding good with Mr. Mathers screaming at the top of his lungs from plug to mic, so he’d be well-served to reserve the shout-rap for only a track or two.
Say Goodbye To Hollywood: Don’t Pander
Eminem has notoriously detested pandering to his fans, ranging from basically recording “The Way I Am” as a fuck-you to Interscope for requesting that he record a more radio-friendly single (which became “The Real Slim Shady”), to calling Swizz Beatz “Stan 2” idea “corny.” Even when he’s been forced to pander, he’s been candid about it, as evidenced by a VH1 interview where he admitted he didn’t want to record “The Real Slim Shady.”
“After I heard ‘My Name Is’ a few times, it had become cheesy to me. After listening to ‘The Real Slim Shady’ five or six times, it became cheesy, too. I thought, ‘This is the formula! If this song becomes cheesy to me after a little bit, it might work.’ The songs that I love the most usually don’t end up being singles. When I’m at my best is when I’m dumping my true feelings out, not when I’m being funny.”
Still, there’s cause for concern. Aside from making his next album a sequel to his most successful project ever, it was impossible to ignore the fact that Em’s rocking the blonde ‘do again:
In a 2009 interview with Complex, Em explained why he stopped dying his hair in the first place: “Once I got sober I was like, ‘What the fuck am I doing? I’m like thirty-five years old, am I going to keep dying my hair fucking blonde?’ Also it was just about letting go. The hair reminded me of my addiction, and I hated myself when I was in my addiction. I hated myself worse than anyone could ever hate me.”
The explanation was the logical conclusion of the Slim Shady mythos Em cultivated on 1998’s Slim Shady EP, where his alter-ego symbolized his darker side. At first, it was a young rapper’s way of sticking out and expressing his outlandish thoughts, but it later became the symbol of his greatest inner demons, a topic he explored on cuts like “When I’m Gone” and “My Darling.” So why is Hip Hop’s Angry Blonde a blonde once more?
One explanation is that label heads might feel a project titled The Marshall Mathers LP 2 and Eminem bleaching his hair are necessary components to ensnare fans with nostalgia, possibly the most powerful selling point an established artist has. There are other signs, too: throwing Rick Rubin, who’s been all over the place in 2013, executive producing Kanye West’s Yeezus and…sitting on the couch nearby for Jay-Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail. Indeed, there’s no question that, regardless of Em’s intention, the Aftermath machine that ruled the early-to-mid 2000s is hard at work, which brings this piece to its final point…
Hi, My Name Is…: Keeping “The Marshall Mathers LP” Legacy Intact
Sequels are a source of dread for those of us who loved the original. It’s why we cringe when we hear that Quentin Tarantino has been toying around with a third Kill Bill movie (technically a prequel, but you get the point), or why fans are freaking out at the thought of more Star Wars films; it’s why Blueprint 2 was such a disappointment, and why Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…II was such a pleasant surprise. Once something is slapped the designation of “sequel,” you’re going to do one of two things: you’ll either build upon the legacy of the original, or you’re going to tarnish it.
As Eminem astutely observed on The Marshall Mathers LP’s “Kill You,” “They say I can’t rap about being broke no more.” And he didn’t, instead focusing on the price of fame: family members asking for money, lawsuits from every direction, obsessive fans, allegations of cultural appropriation, drug abuse, and the uglier sides of relationships. These themes have frequently cropped up in subsequent Eminem releases, but The Marshall Mathers LP is where they really came together for the first time.
Of course, there’s almost no question that Em will revisit the themes that have stuck, but what about the ones that haven’t? For example, on “Marshall Mathers,” Em sarcastically reacted to criticisms that he’d left the grimy raps of the Rawkus and The Slim Shady LP days behind, rhyming, “The underground just spunned around and did a three-sixty / Now these kids just diss me and act like some big sissies / ‘Oh, he just did some shit with Missy / So now he thinks he’s too busy to do some shit with MC Get-Bizzy.’” In 2013, even Eminem would have a hard time arguing that he hasn’t left the underground, so why not offer some honesty about how you feel about making Stadium Rap like “I’m Not Afraid,” or at least how 2000-era Slim would have reacted?
Ultimately, there are dozens of ways Eminem could go with The Marshall Mathers LP 2, but there’s one thing that’s for sure: dying your hair and adding a “2” to an album title does not a sequel make. For Eminem to truly make a spiritual successor to his greatest album, he will have to dig deep and come up with honesty and self-awareness, do the album according to his rules, and flip the bird to anyone who says different. If he can do that, then the dubious proposition of making a worthy sequel becomes a little more manageable.
RELATED: Em And Them: Hip Hop’s New Generation Of Teen Angst [Editorial]
Pointless article ..Hip Hop the only genre that refuses to let artists grow and experiment
I think the article was fresh. It was an opinion of caution. We all want the album to be great. No one wants to see him fail again. I think it was well researched. He wasn’t focusing on the blonde hair as blonde hair, he was focusing on the fact em has changed him mind and went against his previous (failing) formula. If anything, the hair plays no part, but if it’s an indicator of where his mind is at, it could be a cool sign.. just an opinion
eminem did ‘experiment’ and look wut happened. RECOVERY!!! em’s always sold his fans on his verses, but he was secondary on dat album. so if he’s gon bring MMLP back, he better do it right. all i’m sayin’
These voices, these voices, I hear them and when they talk I follow, I follow I follow…
Who gives a fuck about him bleaching his hair . Let the album come out then judge the quality or lack of .FFS
Did you even read the article. Smh, bet you just read the title and went straight to the comments.
^ FUCK OFF YOU STUPID BASTARD AND TAKE HIS DICK OUT YOUR ASS FAG
Yeah, I agree totally with the shouting part. Damn, we don’t need a lyrical version of Meek Mill.
Eminem new album is already leaked in private forums with quality 320kbps.
I reuploaded it and it’s ready for download.
Get it here: eminemmmlp2leaked.blogspot.c o m (remove spaces in link)
Do you even lift?
So yeah Eminem’s newest singles are beginning to sound awful. Meanwhile, Lil Wayne has risen with his substance. I guarantee you that EMinem will not outsell Wayne’s album. It may sell 100k copies at most.
You are fucken retarded….
You’re a fuckin moron
is that you dentaldamboy?
another dentaldamboy
you smoking crack?
eminem selling 100k first week?! LOL
he’ll sell at least 500-600k
You’re retarded. Relapse, his worst selling album sold a little over 600k in it’s first week. And lets face it, Relapse doesn’t appeal to many and many people consider it as one of his worst albums.
So i predict sales similar to those of Recovery for his first week. Around 700k i’d say.
What about a sequel to Stan?
great article and analysis of Eminem. I always wished he’d bring back that sarcasm, wit and cut-throat honesty in his delivery. Hope MMLP 2 lives up to it’s expectation.
Dope article, thanks for it!
Great article.
Props on looking at the production aspect of this. You’re right, Bass Brothers had a lot to do with Eminem’s early sound. And also, you’re dead on about Eminem syllable-stuffing.
My problem with sequel albums is that its so hard to duplicate the sound and feel of the first. Whether it’s a good album or not, I will be really surprised if shares any similarities with MMLP 2.
It’s like a movie sequel. You can have the same cast, but if you got different people behind the scenes, its not gonna fit with the original.
This. I think a sequel for The Eminem Show would have made more sense since it better represents how Eminem is and sounds today. And the productions were mainly from himself. He just isn’t in the “I don’t dive a fuck” phase anymore and the album just can’t be similar to the MMLP. Thats why making a sequel to the Eminem Show would have made more sense
It’s not a marketing scheme to sell copies. Recovery sold 10 million. This album could be named “This is a horrible album” and it would still push 5+ million. lol
Recovery never sold 10 million, it sold 4 million in the US and 5 million worldwide. I get your point tho
^ sooooo it sold 10 million
http://www.mediatraffic.de/albums-2010.htm
LMAO he sold 5.8 mil just in 2010
9!!
Recovery sold 10 million worldwide. Get your facts straight ! It sold around 4 Million in the US alone.
I wish someone could send this article to PAUL ROSENBERG or anybody at SHADY RECORDS or INTERSCOPE!
If someone could send this to his manager Paul through his twitter that would be great. I only disagree with the part about leaving Dr Dre out, it’s ridiculous. Dr Dre was always there to oversee in his earlier days too. Even if he had less Dre production, Dre pretty much gave the shots.
But for the rest of the article, it pretty much represents what most Eminem fans feel about his recent work.
GOOD ARTICLE. IT’S TRUE EM WILL NEED TO SHOW SOME HUMILITY ON THIS PROJECT TO SUCCEED IN MATCHING THE ORIGINAL. RECOVERY WAS A “SAFE” ROAD, AND HE DEFINITELY MADE BANK ON IT, IT’S PROBABLY BEST THAT HE PANDERS BACK TO THE CROWD THAT ORIGINALLY BROUGHT HIM TO FAME RATHER THAN THE POP CROWD THAT WILL PAD HIS POCKETS.
best eminem article in YEARS!!!! picked the thots outta my head on dis one
hope d album is dope tho
I stopped reading after they said “leave Dre off to get a classic” is a good starting point…hahaha
I don’t get people who is saying that this page is dickriding Kendrick… HHDX are clearly fucking the skin off Em’s dick.
yes yes yes, this is what we need!!! please em, return to your roots and leave this new way of doing rap behind, we know you are a fucking genius with words, now go back to the simple ways and let us into your mind
who wrote this article? fuckin dopest writer ive ever seen.
Eminem dick riders (of which I used to be) will love anything he puts out regardless of how it sounds, but this article did a great job showing what made Slim one of the GOATS and what he has done since the Eminem Show to tarnish his rep. Going pop is the last thing on my mind for Em after his first 3 albums but that is exactly what he tried and successfully did on Recovery. On behalf of all of Slim Shady’s die hard original fans, I hope the he reads this article and realize what made him great and what he has done since then to do the opposite.
ROMAN COOPER
my ass sut the fuck up and just wait bitch
Dope article dx need to do more of these instead of random dumb stories bout 2 chainz or ace hood buying sum fake shit.
Never gonna top MMLP even tho I prefer SSLP myself.Two different times his flow changed the production and pop hooks have been truly horrible since recovery came out slaughterhouse n yelawolf albums had the same problem.
The lyrics are still there but the voice n screaming rapid fire flow don’t work as well.
If he wants to come close to the original slow down the flow and get alchemist to do the bulk of production. Guess we will have to wait n see but I don’t have high hopes for this hopefully he proves me wrong.
Great article. I’ve always thought the quality of Eminem’s music definitely went down after he stopped working with the Bass Brothers. Eminem re-signed his contract aroung the same time the Bass Brothers sued Interscope. Eminem should have backed them up and threatened to walk if they didn’t give the Brothers their deserved royalties. These guys morgaged their house to pay for Eminem’s demo recording and pressing before he was famous. It’s really pathetic how he sat quietly and let those guys battle it out alone.
Now he seems lost working with a bunch of random but well known names.
this shit hits the nail in the head
Bring back Ken Kaniff!
THIS !! The skits were awesome. I’m pretty sure he’ll at least bring back the funny skits or else the album can’t really be called MMLP2
There will definitely be skits, he only did away with them for Recovery, because they didn’t fit in the style of the album, but there were skits in Relapse like Steve Berman, Paul and those other funny ones. Ken Kaniff should get brought back, I loved his skits, even the Relapse ones.
Your right, i almost forgot about Relapse. The skits on it were suprisingly good
EMINEM DOESN’T HAVE BLOND HAIRS ANYMORE.
IN THE BERZERK LIL VIDEO,THE DIRECTOR INSERT SOME SCENES FROM THE REAL SLIM SHADY MUSIC VIDEO,SO DON’T GET ANXIOUS EMINEM HAS HIS NORMAL COLOR IN HIS HEAD..
Yeah, because he was really wearing Dre Beats in the Real Slim Shady video. Dumbfuck.
Like this guy said, EM has Dre beats on his head idiot. And The Real Slim Shady video doesn’t have any scenes like this. I hate retards like you who say things as they were facts and don’t know what the fuck they are talking about.
Just to make sure your little mind isn’t confused. Dr Beats didn’t exist at that time faggot.
Not true… In the video of him with blonde hair he has his PROOF tattoo. He didn’t have that when the real slim shady was out.
Ctrl + F ”Infinite”… No results found *pass*
holy shit an eminem fan who can think objectively. I thought I was the only one who thought this way about his music.
THIS. A lot of Eminem fans are dick riders and won’t admit when some of his work is bad. They like it because it is from EM. They would hear the same song from another artist instead and probably wouldn’t like it. I’ve been a fan since around 2002 and listened to all of his work after and before that and have listened ever since. And i still hate to admit that his recent work has been atrocious compared to earlier, but thats what i think and the ones who won’t admit are mostly fans who’ve been around for the last couple years..They are the biggest dickriders
Great article ! It pretty much describes my thoughts.. I also think the big mistake Eminem is making nowdays is he’s trying too hard to be lyrical instead of focusing on content and telling a story. And like a lot of people already said, he’s agressive and shouting on every song which doesn’t help.
If you look at “Stan”, “When i’m Gone”, “As The World Turns”, Lose Yourself” And many many others, you can see he’s focusing on the story and not on being lyrical and trying to prove a point.
this album better not be whit all those ymcmb bitches. keep it 100 eminem!
I think eminem show is the most well rounded
Eminem is also a recluse so he doesn’t really see what people like or don’t like about his recent albums. The only opinion he can get are from the people around him who will most likely praise him for whatever work he shows them and ask an opinion for.
I hope he doesn’t try too hard on this album so he can just let it flow naturally. The biggest mistake he can do is trying too hard to look like and sound like he did on his early albums..It has to come naturally without being forced, thats when the best songs are made.
I think he can come closer to sounding like he did on the Eminem show than The MMLP. I think it represents him more like he is today than MMLP does. It wouldn’t be a bad thing either for him to sound more like he did on the Eminem Show either. It was a great album and my personal favorite right beside the MMLP
Yeah, why does Eminem scream ?
Because he’s getting raped by Interscope when he’s writing his songs, so it’s hard for him to concentrate on making good music and not scream when he has a huge co*k up his ass.
he cant the the marshall mathers lp
The Eminem Show
The Marshall Mathers LP
Devils Night
The Slim Shady LP
Relapse
Infinite
D12 World
Hell: The Sequel
Recovery
Encore
The Marshall Mathers LP
The Eminem Show
The Slim Shady LP
Infinite
Hell: The Sequel
Recovery
Relapse
Encore
(no d12)
Mmlp
Tes
Sslp
Recovery
Encore
Relapse
why people ignorhing d12 moment its fucking disrespectful to em & proof legacy
great article
I couldn’t have said IT any better , this album does ‘t look promising at all , he continues to go downhill since relapse by shouting on every song , his lack of substance , his collabs with wackest of em all , i rather see him retiring than disgracing his legacy , a shame it is
Well i’d rather him putting out a new album rather than retiring, but just not call it MMLP2. There is no way he can do justice to the first one and calling his album MMLP2 is just setting himself up for failure. People will be way more harsh on this than they were for Relapse and Recovery if it fails, which it probably will.
How can you say it doesn’t look promising when we’ve only heard ONE song?? And lack of substance?? Recovery is FULL of substance! People need to stop comparing his new stuff and old stuff. He’s not failing you, you’re failing yourself by doing that.
I wonder what your definition of substance is, as far as I’m concerned, recovery had a lot of substance and subject matters
The Eminem Show
The Marshall Mathers LP
The Slim Shady LP
Recovery
Relapse/Encore
HERES AN IDEA HAVE TDE GHOSTWRITE ALL HIS SHIT FROM NOW ON AFTERMATH
This article had a lot of truth, very good piece of writing and bitter sweet constructive criticisms and praise
I can’t stand the terms “dickrider” and “hater”; If someone doesn’t like something, cool; If they do, then that’s also cool. Music is subjective and that’s why I only judge the skill and not the music. Am I the only one who liked Recovery?? It had some of Em’s best songwriting and emotional presence. Yeah, it was radio friendly but that doesn’t mean it was bad.
You not the only one, I loved it too, it showed eminem s growth and maturity and insecurities at the same time
i heard he dedicated this entire album to dissing insane clown pussies
I was like the writer of this article, when “My name is” came out, I hated it- straight corny. Over the years I heard some harder tracks/singles and thought “okay, this dude is dope”, and yet today 2013, I have never heard the Marshall Mathers LP or Slim Shady or any of his albums entirely- I just never got into Eminem like that… what I have noticed is that I find myself peeping all of his new singles and all I have realized is that it’s true- he screams in every song now and tries to bust a double-time Bone Thugs type flow and he sounds annoying- I just can’t feel this dude. Now, if he slows it down and tries to sound like he did on his earlier work, it might win the fans over again but Bezerk was horrible, so who knows at this point.
First, I’d like to say that I agree in part with some things on the article, but I think we can’t really judge his new album based on one song and the previous albums… I mean, Em always surprises us, and after all his beautiful career, don’t you think he deserves a chance? I respect your opinions, but I do have great expectations for MMLP 2
Wow,really good writer.
Roman, yo, kudos to writing a thought-provoking, analytic article on Em’s career and hopes for MMLP2. I thought you gave some good insight, however, I disagree with you on a couple of points…
First, Recovery was a dope album. I’m not sure why you discount many of the songs on there, since the album itself made complete sense in that it was an accurate reflection of someone coming to terms with the demons he’s faced after becoming sober. I mean, the emotional grab of the entire album, its honesty, and the lyrical expertise that tied it all together is the reason why it sold over 10M. The so called “stadium rap” songs you seem to discount are anthems to those fans who can relate to real struggle, and a testimony to those who have come out of it. Even for the harden rap fans, Recovery had gems like “Cold Wind Blows”, “On Fire”, “No Love (produced by Just Blaze by the way)” where Em eviscerates the hotter MC (not better) at the time (Lil Wayne). I find people who write about Em fall into two camps, those who love the old Em from SSLP and MMLP and those who love the reflective “new Em” from Encore to Recovery. However, Em arc in these albums just shows growth as a person. That’s why dude is so successful. Why would he rap about the same things he did in MMLP as a 30 year old drug abuser when now he is seemingly a sober 40 year old. People change. And the Artist with the longest career arcs are brutally honest in real time.
Second, I don’t disagree with his need to go back to the “underground”, but in a different way. Let me just say, I hope MMLP2 sounds nothing like MMLP1. I mean, it would be dishonest at this point. Since he already told us about his struggles and his rise out if it, I think, at least to me, Em only has one play left… to call out the top MCs and see who wins. He needs to go back to the battleground, where he was born and raised. I mean, if Em called out the likes of Jay, Yeezy, TI, A3K, Weezy (who every your top 5 is) and say “Let’s Battle”… do you really think any of them would want to step to the Mic like that. Seriously, dude is certified, so they couldn’t just ignore it. Even if they did, Em really has nothing to lose because nobody has done it like that from the top…(K. Dot is a young pup who still needs to prove he can stay hot, plus he didn’t own up to his dis)… And I get the feeling Em is going to be done (retire) pretty soon here (at least from solo major album releases). Why not go for broke?
You were on point bro, nail in the coffin, the best comment I have seen thus far, no dick ridin and no hate, just straight word!
Haha. ‘Go for broke’ good play
Bruh. Recovery got some of the corniest bars of Em’s career. Ain’t no quotables on that album. The last dope shit Em did was the shady cypher, but as far as songs go, Recovery was a lukewarm morsel.
mm1 fukkin knocks man! good luck ever paraleling that album em. mm1 is his best album and to me then relapse. hope mm2 is crazy. thinking it might be even though that new bezerk single is a bit lacking and weird but dope. but he always releases the weakest songs as lead singles dont he.
he needs to bring back ken kaniff…and those peter rosenberg skits LMFAO
It’s paul rosenberg noob.
I dont know what yall hearing, after relapse hes been jamming ever since..Recovery was awsome,Bezerk is a real Hip Hop head song,its perfect for a first release,just like all his other first release singles were silly like that, I actually like bezerk more than without me, the real slim shady, all those other ones. dude is back on point in my opinion! everybody has their own views tho……Cant wait for the album, yall talk all that shit I bet its gon sell out the stores tho just like Recovery did.
Whattup Stan?
Top article.
There wasn’t much I didn’t agree with – I’ve even used loads of these points in arguments with friends.
As an Eminem fan, I’ve been so disappointed with his recent releases. On an an EP called Hell:the Sequel with Royce, the main song is Lighters ft. Bruno Mars!! You couldn’t actually make that up.
Old Em’ would have definitely had something to say about this new Eminem in his raps, and they won’t have been nice things.
I also think it’s a shame that he’s using the MMLP brand to push the album and dying his hair. The reason he got so many fans in the first place is that he didn’t give a fuck, now that he does and it’s so obvious to see, a bit of the magic/mystery has left. It also shows that he’s struggled to grow as an artist (contrary to so many claims by teens on youtube)….doe Kanye still walk around in striped polo’s wearing a backpack?
I predict an album with maybe 2 or 3 hard songs (which portray his still massive technical and emotional potential), several filler songs, and a big, gay, horrible, radio-pandering single. But still, we live in hope.
ps. I miss the Bass Brothers. Completely right about production issues.
“I predict an album with maybe 2 or 3 hard songs (which portray his still massive technical and emotional potential), several filler songs, and a big, gay, horrible, radio-pandering single. But still, we live in hope. ”
So basically another Recovery album with a slapped on Slim Shady gimmick, my predictions too. We’ve already got the horrible radio song “Bezerk” which no doubt is only the tip of the iceberg as I bet there will be another even worse radio single in a few weeks.
MMLP
SSLP
Eminem Show
Infinite
Recovery
Relapse
Encore
Guys EM is in the top 10 if not 5 mc’s of all time. Every album cant be great. I don’t really get critics other than they have a job to do and its better to be against stars than constantly for them. On em’s wackiest song ever big weeniee his flow and the rhymes would be hard to touch by todays supposed great mc’s. Chris your thoughts are right on. As usual the artist is usually ahead of his or her fans and get to a place in their profession before we do where they decide this is how they need to do their thing. Recovery off the chain the flow on No Love sickest smoked weezy wee! Relapse 3 a.m. sick flow Buffalo Bill sick flow. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but must we nit pic every thing? I mean drake was supposed to be next right then he hits with Started from the bottom now we here????? HORRIBLE IMO. Peace
A great, well thought out op-ed. Respect.
Great article and very valid points, although I disagree with many. I’m a huge Em fan and while I am the first to point out the stains (Encore from track 8-track 13, for example), I will say this.
You will not find another rapper with more growth or more change, album by album, than Eminem. Sure, he may have used the same tactics on some albums, but the actual concept of each album is amazing. I’m not even sure Eminem meant to do it this way (I would think not, or at least to the degree I’ll mention), but he has definitely evolved with each album.
It makes sense that Slim Shady LP is titled such, because it’s an introduction to the crazy, zany Slim Shady. Marshall Mathers LP was deeper and you covered it perfectly. The Eminem Show was his adjustment to being Eminem, the rapper and his deal with these new found fames. Encore, in retrospect, is tragic in that you can sense his boredom and apathy for the album itself, which then led to his well publicized addiction.
Relapse is the album fans love to talk about, where he was on some real horrorcore stuff. Here’s my opinion of Relapse, it was BRILLIANT. At the time, I didn’t like it and I hated the accent. Now? The album goes through phases. It starts with his drug addiction, the psychoticness of most of those songs with the accent sounds like a completely different person, another alter-ego who is out to destroy Eminem. Once “Must Be The Ganja” fades away, it goes to the ambulance sounds and the EMT, Eminem addresses how he almost died on “Deja Vu” and the song right after that? Beautiful. The first song where he has no accent and no gimmick, it’s just straight up Em. Now, he goes to “Crack A Bottle”, with the celebratory message of the album and then the skit with Steve Berman, coming back, and ending with the refreshed Eminem we all know and love on Underground.
His next effort was Recovery, which had it’s flaws, but it was so refreshing to hear Eminem having fun rapping again that as a fan, I loved it. Recovery was exactly that, a recovery. He was recovering and he’s back. Now, he’s back with MMLP2. MMLP2 will mark the return of Eminem, Marshall Mathers, I can’t wait.
You just gave the perfect summary of em career, wouldn’t have said it any better, every album was is growth process and the stage he was in is life
Ayo its nice to see a fan who can break things down and whatever…but you lost me at “the Em we all know and love on Underground”. You missing the point that Em just doesn’t say interesting shit anymore. Dude sounds stale, and that whole Bezerk single was full of lines that were wild corny. You can’t take a line talkin’ bout K-Fed in 2013 seriously, and you can’t take the rapper who spit that seriously either. The new Em joint will have a couple good tracks…but overall its gonna be some dull shit.
Then of course The Re-up still with the addictions an album pretty much for his record label new signings, one released video etc. Bad Meets Evil reunites with Royce again 10+ years, settle their differences became friends again out comes the sequel. But ya exactly always different with him now with Rick and some kind of oldschool approach in which until the album is out we will see whether it was in full effect,
I heard he aint going to do a song with elton john, rihanna and pink but he will now do a song with miley cyrus and justin timberlake
EM TRYIED TO BE THE MR.NICE GUY BUT FUNS WANT THE OLD EMINEM.
THE EMINEM THAT JUGDE THE MAINSTREAM COMMUNITY,BUT ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE US.
BUT I THINK TAHT EMINEM IS A GREAT ENTERTEINER..
I whole-heatedly agree. Only problem is, hoping that we get the same Em almost definitely means he’s still dealing with the same demons, which I hope he’s not. The biggest things that you mentioned that I hope he delivers on is: cutting back on the multi-syllable flows every single verse, and screaming on every track.
Good article, but you missed the thing that has me the most concerned. Every since Recovery, Em has Lil-Waynified his lyrics. He’s become INSANELY corny with his wordplay and double entendres. It’s like he can’t even complete a verse without half a dozen wink-wink-I’m-so-clever corny ass lines.
“Got em on the fence whether to picket”
“Been public enemy since you thought PE was gym”
“They’ll never “ketchup” to the energy I’ve “mustard.”
“or the coner pub and lift the whole liquor counter up, cuz I’m raising the bar…”
“Brain dead rims, yeah stupid wheels”
“David carradine jacking his penis in front of a tripod choking his own neck, what part don’t you get, I’m saying I die hard.”
“I must be allergic to failure, cuz every time I come close to it, I just sneeze, but I just go atchoo (at you) and achieve!”
Like…how many eye-rolling cornball jokes can he squeeze into his rhymes? He used to do it some during his early days, but he matured as an artist, then saw Lil Wayne, Drake and Minaj get super popular with that style and he returned to it. It’s a shame because the shit is painful to listen to.
Well, in the case of “They’ll never “ketchup” to the energy I’ve “mustard.” He did say ”Excuse me for the corny metaphor but…” Haha.
Those are incredibly clever lines, all of those far surpass anything Lil Wayne or any of the artists you’ve mentioned can even comprehend… just because you actually have to think about the lines doesn’t mean they’re wack it means you cant appreciate good lyricism
It’s called metaphors son, and em lines are meaningful
Ayo the stans in full force for this article, no surprise. They gone defend corny trash when its staring them in the face and shit.
Agreed. That’s some corny ass bullshit, yet his sales keep going. He’s the exception to the rule.
You don’t even pull out the worst.
“I’M STANDING ON MY MONOPOLY BOARD. THAT MEANS I’M ON TOP OF MY GAME.”
“FUCK THE WORLD FEED IT BEANS. IT’S GASSED UP IF IT THINKS IT’S STOPPING ME.”
I actually cringed
Good editorial. Considering that much of the album has been recorded, all we can do is hope for the best. Funny thing is, Eminem can do whatever he wants to and people will buy his album. I thought it would be cool if Eminem put his own twist on the essence of classic hip hop production/sounds (whatever happened to the DJ Premier Production), and it sounds like that is what he is doing. We will find out in November. And I agree about the production issues and your assessment of what it takes to make a worthy sequel to MMLP.
Chronicle of em album
Sslp – the intro of slim shady
Mmlp – an in depth of marshal, we gettin to know em and an intro to his story
Eminem show- we gettin to know the full package of him, his past and present, the full eminem, he was most comfortable at this time of his life, his fame and is career.
Encore – he was overwhelmed at this time of his life, he was not comfortable with is fame, his life, the critics, all came crashing down which led to his drug use
Relapse- the most horrible stage of his addiction, this addiction robbed him of his will and hunger to rap, the darkest point in is career.
Recovery – he been sober, this album chronicles is struggle and fight with is demons, this showed is struggle to rap again, the will and fire to rap was lit once again, this album showed is insecurities as a rapper.
haha thanks Stan
You welcome
ACtually, the introduction to slim shady is “The Slim Shady EP” but nice try fag
I’m talkin about debut major albums child
how i think it’ll go down in terms of major label releases:
MMLP
TES/SSLP
Relapse
Recovery/MMLP2
Encore
how can u put MMLP before encore and you havnt even heard it yet? but i mean encore was so shitty that it wont take mucht o beat that so i guess so
My fucking bitch mom’s suing for ten million
She must want a dollar for every pill I’ve been stealing
Shit, where the fuck you think I picked up the habit
All I had to do was go in her room and lift up her mattress
Which is it bitch
Mrs. Briggs or Ms. Mathers
It doesn’t matter your attorney Fred Gibson’s a faggot
Talking about I fabricated my past
He’s just aggravated I won’t ejaculate in his ass
He rhymed “fabricated my past” with “ejaculate in his ass”.
Think about that.
picked up the habit, lift up her mattress. briggs or ms. mathers, gibsons a faggot
He still uses that type of flow in every album, even Encore.
top of my game
not gonna change,
got Dr. Dre
I’ll get away
I’m like O.J .
cochran today
Mark Freman tapes
locked them away
watch what you
thought you were safe
got you on tape
God you was playin’
not do the same
cost you your name
-My 1st Single
Eminem new album is already leaked in private forums.
it’s ready for download.
Get it here: eminemmmlp2leaked.blogspot. c o m (remove links)
F A K E FAKE AS IT GOES.
I feel sorry for you faggot keeping saying everything is fake you fuck homo.
I hope your parents die by aids and cancer
Eminem new album is already leaked in private forums.
it’s ready for download.
Get it here: eminemmmlp2leaked.blogspot. c o m (remove spaces)
F A K E FAKE AS IT GOES
BLONDE EMIN3M REMINDS ME THIS GUY FROM THE 21st JUMP STREET XAAXAAXAXA
My Uncle Easton recently got a year 2013 MINI Cooper Countryman Wagon by work part-time using a laptop. take a look at the site here… http://www.Cafe44.com
Recovery – he been sober, this album chronicles is struggle and fight with is demons, this showed is struggle to rap again, the will and fire to rap was lit once again, this album showed is insecurities as a rapper.
Guci Mane realest rapper outthere:
– this nigga throws bitches out his car
– shoot niggas dead
– beat niggas up.
Gucci aint no fantasy nigga like:
– mobb deep,
– nas escobar lol nigga only had a ticket for parking his car wrong
– 2pac never gangbanged
– rick ross
And that makes me like him more why?
If Eminem is drunk or laced out on multiple drugs during recording sessions for the new album then I will predict a near classic album.
the first single is whatever… however..
eminem showed FLASHES of being the dominant, game changing, lyrical BEAST he was in his prime on the second verse.
the lyrics were whatever, but the delivery is exactly what he’s been missing. the super loud scream rap shit he been doing is grating to listen to, he needs more variety in his delivery. he sounded like he did on bitch please 2 on verse 2. that gave me hope he can deliver a great project. he can still do it, he just needs to do it.
hoping for the best preparing for the worst. eminem good or bad will always be an event to check for though. the hype he has right now is crazy, he doesn’t fade. i just hope he’s going with the traditional goof single leading into an album full of deep dark artistic shit. like the first marshall mathers lp.
eminem when he just raps and kicks lyrics without forcing it or trying to hard will always be one of the best rappers of all time. he needs that soul back in his music.
He just is not very competitive anymore, I know some of that comes with age and being more of a hip-hop diplomat but not having that fire and angst really takes away from his music. It will be like recovery part 2 more than MMLP 2.
Gucci Mane is the realest rapper outthere:
– this nigga throws bitches out his car
– shoot niggas dead
– beat niggas up.
Gucci aint no fantasy nigga like:
– mobb deep were 12/14 years old when they met at the school of arts,
– nas escobar lol nigga only had a ticket for parking his car wrong
– 2pac never gangbanged
– rick ross is a legend but not a streetlegend but a foodlegend
– ice cube was bullied at school and this guy calls himself a G?
– Eminem says he hate gay people but did a song with Elton John???
Gucci aint nothing to fuck with
so sad when they get on that crack, just say no
Roman Cooper,
This is literally one of the best hip hop editorials I have ever read. Well done bro.
Em’s probably my favorite rapper (either him or Lupe), so I’m obviously biased about the topic. But all of your points make a lot of sense – and it is very well written. Plus, the fact that you know Can-I-Bitch well enough to cite it shows the kind of fan you are. I think a lot of us can also relate with hiding his albums from our parents too.
Honestly, my only discrepancy is the opinion on Relapse. If you can accept it for what it is, you can see it’s arguably the best rhyming on an album in recent memory.
yes because his grammar should be applauded LMAO the first sentence of his conclusion (most important sentence) says it all: “dying your hair and adding a 2 to an album title does not a sequel make.” Dude was taught grammar by a fingermonkey
the mufucka writes as if hes YODA haha
Desparado, the sentence is an example of hyperbaton.
wow a good, well written article on HHDX?!?..kendricks verse made everyone step their shit up
shut up fag.
Eminem show
MMLP1
Relapse (concept wise)
SSLP
Recovery
Emcore
the dickriding is strong with this one.
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how can u put MMLP before encore and you havnt even heard it yet? but i mean encore was so shitty that it wont take mucht o beat that so i guess so
Slim Shady Lp – First Eminem album I bought loved everything bout it nice simple catchy production crazy lyrics my fav album from Em
MMLP – Another classic the production went up a notch insane song concepts will not be topped
The Eminem Show – Not as good as the first 2 but a real dope album
Relapse – This is just behing Eminem show because of the annoying accent he uses but apart from that I loved this album production was immense and lyrics were dope.
Encore – Not good couple tracks here and there I liked but yea this shit was bad
Recovery – Hated it pure bullshit pop garbage bout 3 tracks on it I liked
Dope Read.
Relapse will always be tarnished for the accents but lyrics are pure genius
ja rule destroyed em back in 2003
Well-written. Agreed.
Love your article. You seem to be a true eminem fan. I agree dying his hair is not going to cut it.
first off the fact u have a journalist job is a complete joke. Secondly, ur reaching incredibly far when u say MMLP has way too many “posse cuts.” 15 tracks with only 4 having rap features on them. Thats nothing compared to albums nowadays and even in 2000
holy shit big suprise just saw who wrote this n its none other than ROMAN COOPER!! i forgot hhdx was run by elementary schoolchildren. Dude who did u have 2 blow 2 get a hhdx journalist job? cuz u surely didnt get it cuz u can write
Best editorial i’ve read on dx for quite some time now. Classic writing and great facts displayed on this one, 100% agree on the things this author said about making a “spiritual succesor” hige props to whoever wrote this; as a long time eminem fan (not so much now) i’ve enjoyed reading this from start to finish and would like to read more of your different articles on hip-hop in general not just about a particular artist. Much love
We’ll see what happens, interested to see Rick Rubin’s name on this. But Eminem acts like he doesn’t have shit to rap about anymore, he’s too old, rich, calmed down, and sober to bring it like he did 13 years ago. On the one hand, if I was his age where he was at I probably wouldn’t want to spit that goofy crazy SSLP style shit either. On the other, that’s when he was making classic, hilarious, memorable songs. Dude’s a good rapper but he acts like he doesn’t have any real vision for his songs or his style so he just puts some shit out. We’ll see.
I know what you’re saying and agree completely. Everything is good so he don’t have shit to talk about.
Plus he’s been through AA so he’s all born again christian; I’m not sure how it has affected his ego but it definitely shone on Recovery. But at the same time he is very good at motivational songs, which everyday fans of eminem love and everyday fans of hip hop have a different opinion. The record sales show it and the radio plays make it obvious.
With MMLP being very down-to-earth with the subject matters at hand (media attention, the spotlight, family fuckups, beef and hypocrisy), and comparing to the content of relapse, an album focused on the psychopathic serial killer slim shady who’s twice as lethal on the mic and then onto recovery which had uplifting messages of hope in times of struggle or dispair, some braggadocio tracks and a few too many empty relationship love/hate songs (not as serious in real life as the kim days), the only real option he has left is to find the things he hates in the world that he hasn’t yet ripped on or other things he hasn’t let go of yet. He knows how to sniff out people that need to be singled out whilst doing it cleverly.
I’d be interested to how well he could go politically a la zac de la rocha. He’s done it before with Mosh and one or two others that address the state of affairs locally and sometimes abroad – and done well on these tracks too.
All I’m saying is that the angry white boy style can flourish given the right motives.
^^^^ that’s exactly wat he needs to do but not just for one track MAYBE Rick can influence that he has been apart of such in the past
IN other words Berserk SUCKS!
Hope Em takes note on the shouting screamy rap its a bit heavy on the old ear drums
“Eminem is, without a doubt, one of Hip Hops greatest technicians, likely rivaled only by Pharoahe Monch in that respect”.
HAHAHAHA I stopped reading after that.
I absolutely agree with everything in this editorial. By far the best article that I’ve read on DX this year, possibly ever. I really hope Em gets this memo and stops screaming and also rapping rappity-rap shit instead of actual dope lines.
Don’t care what anyone says Berzerk is the SHIT
I agree w some people on here about the “corny” aspect of recovery. However, there are still a lot of great verses on a lot of the songs. Honestly relapse was a much better album. It was just Em spitting and playing around w words, which no one is better at doing right now. The wordplay on relapse rivals a lot of his best work. Recovery on the other hand was more of a reflection of everything he’s been through in his life/career, it just didnt feel like an eminem album to me. I feel like a lot of people are either forgetting about Hell: The Sequel or just haven’t heard it bc he was absolutely on fire on that album.
Hell the ssequel was awesome
While I agree with what most are saying about Eminem’s last great album being Eminem Show, Relapse is criminally underrated and Hell: The Sequel is incredible except for Lighters and maybe one other track
i liked Recovery, he doesn’t need to make the same kind of album all the time.. it was good to see him branch out and work with other producers aswel for a change and he’s very particular so there’s probably things he wasn’t crazy about on that.. Relapse was an album of great lyricism and quality beats but only a couple of worthy songs.. Hell the Sequel was amazing, for an EP with very little promotion aswel, one of the best projects that year..
https://www.facebook.com/DanteRusindo Friend me, just because.
When Roman Cooper mentioned Monch as a hip hop mastermind, that’s what earned him credibility. Good article.
Sim shady lp is his greatest album. Never gets old.
And recovery was a terrible album. Em hasn’t made a good hip hop album since eminem show.
P.s..
AZ would rap rings around eminem. So would the GZA. So would big pun. Or kool g rap Etc
So stop acting like this guy is the greatest rap “technician” or something. He is brilliant and one of the greats. Top 20 maybe of all time. But there are a lot of a better emcees.
if your skills at being a “lyricist” make you a GOAT then 2pac, jay-z, and even nas and biggie cannot be mentioned as top 5. there are guys in the rap game that rap circles around them, and aren’t mentioned. a lyricist does not make someone “the best rapper alive” when it eminem, nas, and jay-z it is their longevity and what they have done for the movement of hip hop that make them GOATS. rakim is rarely mentioned as the best rapper alive even though he is top 3 best lyricists
Relapse was way worse then recovery
No, Nas is one of the greatest lyricists. Technicality does not equal lyricism.
Recovery was definetly a step up from Relapse, so no, i don’t think he is over.
If he had released something worse than relapse, no i would of been worried. But you can see how he changed his style up in just a year. His albums usually never sounds the same. So I don’t expect his new album to sound like Recovery or Relapse or any of his other albums.
I don’t know which album recovery or relapse is. But the really bad one was the one with I’m not afraid. And other corny tracks. The one with lil Wayne and the one with rihanna.
Which ever album that was that was terrible. The only good track was seduction. That reminded me of the eminem I became a fan of.
@ anonymous2
Biggie, jay and Nas are lyricists. So I don’t know what crack your on. For example I don’t rate jay z that highly as a rapper. But his wordplay is second to none. His use of Ebonics and code words and double meanings are second only to biggie in my opinion.
2-pac is the only one mentioned, that is not a lyricist and longevity wise 2pac and biggie have been dead for 16-17 years.
1)NAS- lyrics and longevity
2) 2-Pac, greatest rapper of all-time
3) Jay-z- jack of all trades
4) Biggie- Made huge impact in the short time he was here
5) Eminem- lyrics,sales,could use an infusion though
6) Rakim
Could have been- Big Pun & Big L
“While the album wasnt perfect, with too many posse cuts”
Fuck is you talking about? The album had 18 tracks; only 3 had features
Usually, there’s a few features in an album but 1 or no posse cuts, but Em had 3 features, and he stuffed quite a few rappers into it. Bitch Please II, Remember Me, Under The Influence. Which puts 10 rappers on his album, even if it was three songs
u missed the point moron. he said 2 many posse “cuts.” which means songs n yes only 3. Roman Cooper is a terrible journalist. The fact so many praise him on here, truly displays how retarded our society has become.
Wow. This is a terrific article. I thought the art of hip hop journalism was dead. This reminds me of a great piece I’d read in The Source back when The Source was relevant. Bravo to the writer.
i agree writing was great breath of fresh air finally from HHDX
Incredible article. Hit every point accurately. I think em’s time is done. He’s lacked innovation which artists like Kanye have so thoroughly perfected.
Have you not listened to Berzek he sounds like he does on the original MMLP
Kanye West? Are you serious? he had 1 good album.. college drop out
I don’t care how “innovative” you claim Yeezus was, the album is terrible.
I thought this was an incredibly cynical review of what is going on. Recovery has had multiple hits, probably more then any of his other albums yet people continue to underrate it. It is probably one of his best albums. I think Eminem is more then capable of dropping a very good follow up to Marshall Mathers LP. Bezerk is a great song, and it will sell like hotcakes.. as will the album.. despite what your review says
Revovery is far from being his best album. I do agree people underate it very much and bash the album too often. It wasn’t his best work but it was superior to Encore and Relapse in my opinion. I’m not a fan of the features and the more popish style the album had, but it’s an all in all great album and showed an evolution and another aspect of Eminem. When Relapse came out i figured he was almost over but then Recovery came out and it actually gave me hope.
So i’m not that worried about his upcoming album. You can see from Relapse to Recovery the big change in sound, so i wouldn’t worry too much.
But i got to disagree on Berzerk. I think it was wack. But it doesn’t worry me too much about the album.
He played his whole technique very well, Recovery was a good vent for him, to get all that shit out together, even if the true fans didn’t love it so much. The thing is, it had poppy production, but the lyrics were as on point as ever. It is definitely underrated though, it takes it’s place as fourth after his first three albums (commercial albums exc. Infinite)
and we know sales don’t matter, but what he did with Recovery really helped his sales, which was a tactic well played, since Relapse didn’t sell as much as Em would’ve liked, selling over 10 million worldwide with your 7th LP after a decade of being in the game is a big fucking achievement.
I can’t believe how many times I have to say this to people: I respect your opinion, but don’t bring up record sales as if it shows how good an artist is. There are artists who sell ridiculously well who are very untalented, and then there are artists who barely sell at all who have an incredible amount of talent.
I think Relapse is a decent 7/10, Recovery is a great 7.5/10, and HTS is outstanding 8.5/10 but I’m worried about the MMLP2. I’m ok with one or two songs like Berzerk but if he tries to overdo the slim shady persona it will turn into Encore 2. Let’s face it, he isn’t nearly as funny anymore, and he’s far more likely to say something corny now. He should just stick to the slim shady that was on HTS: very technical and didn’t try to be too crazy, but still had some of that old shady vibe.
Bad Meets Evil EP was good but could of been so much better if EM wasn’t screaming in every sentence. His voice got very annoying at some points. Nevertheless, it was a great EP and i liked the style he went for.
But he wasn’t screaming on every track? It wasn’t nearly as bad as Recovery.
1. Welcome 2 Hell (no)
2. Fastlane (no and yes)
3. The Reunion (no)
4. Above the Law (Yes)
5. Im On Everything (No)
6. A Kiss (no)
7. Lighters Feat. Bruno Mars (no)
8. Take from Me (No)
9. Loud Noises (yes and no)
He really didn’t scream that much, and songs like A Kiss and The Reunion and Welcome 2 Hell were brilliant.
#TrustShady Let’s appreciate his art exactly how he wants to deliver it to us — he’s earned the right and frankly he’s the last of a dying breed of Artists that are Great … Yelawolf being another and coming up next #TrustShady
Tried that a few times and wasn’t impressed, although the bad meets evil ep was a pleasant surprise. He’s not just the last of a dying breed, he seems to be dying off.
your right. eminem is the last one. the torch must be passed. I SHALL BECOME A RAPPER TO DEBUT ON SHADY/AFTERMATH NEXT.
fuck shady records there fucking around
Shady /Aftermath are just fucking around and still the only ones with two of their rappers going platinum lol. Kendrick went platinum, Eminem will no doubt go platinum
hopefully there’s a track explaining the screaming and how pple hate it with him mocking himself that could be funny
hahaha
What is with people saying Eminem yells on every track??
1. Cold Wind Blows (no)
2. Talkin 2 Myself Feat. Kobe (no)
3. On Fire (no)
4. Wont Back Down Feat. Pink (yes)
5. W.T.P. (no)
6. Going Through Changes (no)
7. Not Afraid (both)
8. Seduction (no)
9. No Love Feat. Lil Wayne (no)
10. Space Bound (no)
11. Cinderella Man (yes and no)
12. 25 to Life (no)
13. So Bad (no)
14. Almost Famous (yes)
15. Love the Way You Lie Feat. Rihanna (no)
16. Youre Never Over (yes)
That’s 3 songs with 2 of them being versatile.
THAT’S THREE SONGS OUT OF 16.
You’re an idiot. No point in explaining.
^ faggot
1. Cold Wind Blows (yes)
2. Talkin 2 Myself Feat. Kobe (no)
3. On Fire (no and yes)
4. Wont Back Down Feat. Pink (yes)
5. W.T.P. (no and yes)
6. Going Through Changes (no)
7. Not Afraid (yes)
8. Seduction (no)
9. No Love Feat. Lil Wayne (yes)
10. Space Bound (no)
11. Cinderella Man (yes)
12. 25 to Life (yes)
13. So Bad (no)
14. Almost Famous (yes)
15. Love the Way You Lie Feat. Rihanna (no)
16. Youre Never Over (yes)
does it matter if he yells or not. turn the volume down if you people dont like it. DAMN YALL BITCH ABOUT EVRYTHING.
Thats more than half the album screaming. Evenif it it was like 5 songs. Yelling on songs is supposed to be an exception no on most songs
yeah, that was the point I was trying to make with the second list, whoever wrote the first list was just bullshitting. You really think he wasn’t screaming on Cold Wind Blows?
The Eminem Show >>> MMLP
no.
It’s close, but I agree. Here’s my favorites
1. The College Dropout
2. Eminem Show
3. Illmatic
4. Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool
5. Be
6. Marshall Mathers LP
7. Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor
8. Below the Heavens
9. Late Registration
10. When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
11. The Minstrel Show
nice list.
1: The College Dropout
2: Reasonable Doubt
3: Ready to Die
4: Illmatic
5: 2001 Chronic
Honorable Mentions: Above the Clouds, Be, Marshall Mathers LP, ATLiens, Slim Shady LP, Blueprint, Late Registration, 36 Chambers, All Eyez on Me
rapingest rappity? what are these even words…good grief.
eminem is the best kanye lil wayne all the other fucking pop rapping gay boys haven’t got shit on eminem never had never will
The idea about 2000’s slim shady traveling to the present day because of a shroom trip or something and reacting to today’s hip hop culture and the rest of his discography after MMLP is a dope concept for a song.
I never comment on anything, ever.
But to even consider he would choose an album’s name in order to “capitalize off the success of a past success” makes you a fucking retard .
^AUTHOR
You’re not on salary, are you?
Why wouldn’t he? Do you think rihanna, pink and lil wayne were on his last album because he thought they’d actually add something worthwhile to the album, or because they’d help it sell? Face it, even though eminem is making perfectly good sales, in comparison to his older material his newer albums have dropped the ball and em seems to be effected by it.
Rick Rubin is on some other shit. Let’s just hope this album isn’t a piece of shit like the rushed projects Yeezus and MCHG were. Considering the hype these three albums had (have in the case of MMLP2), it seems like these are all marketing moves by the illuminati or some other shit. Still, as a fan of hip hop, I hope shady can deliver.
me too…me too
THE KING SINCE PAC PASSED. HANDS DOWN. MY NUMBER 1 LYRICAL MC. ALBUM IS GOING TO BE STUPID. AFTERMATH SHADY UNIT *3HEADEDMONSTAH*
@Killanonymus:
THIS GUY POST SOMETHING ABOUT MY FAMILY.HE WANTS MY FAMILY DEAD (FROM HIV)HE SAID.
HE IS JUST A FOOL KID BUT I HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING.
HIPHOPDX HAS DELETED MY COMMENT ABOUT ILLUMINAITT(THEY’VE FIND IT OFFENSIVE)BUT DX DOES NOT DELETE CMOMMENTS WITH CURSES..
i hope they get HIV.
I thought the third Kill Bill film was meant to be about the little girl whose mom Beatrix kills in the first film coming after her wanting revenge…
This article was written very well #GigoloBloodline
love how Eminem haters try to act like Hell the Sequel didn’t happen..
He’s the boss.. Get over it already. He can do whatever the fuck he wants.
They pretend Lighters was the only song on that entire album (and it was in fact put in the album on Royce’s request), when really the rest of the album was dope, I’d love to hear him use some of that style, like in ‘The Reunion’ it reminded me somewhat of his old style.
Hell the sequel. i love that shit man!!!!!!!! Em should rap like how he did i a kiss.
*in a kiss
Indeed, i liked the way he rapped on kiss
An interesting editorial. If Em does any of the ideas suggested in the last section i’d be over the moon.
I wish he would release a special CD some time, having redone Relapse without the fucking accents, and try to scream less and just basically redo the Relapse verses in a normal voice. That would be dope, because Relapse had fucking great lyrics and the production was brilliant
This verse makes a fucking good point for that:
So dark and so cold, my friends don’t know this other side of me
There’s a monster inside of me, it’s quite ugly and it frightens me
But they can’t see what I can see, there’s a vacancy in my tummy
It’s making me play hide-and-seek, like Jason I’m so hungry
She’s naked, see, no privacy but I can see she wants me
So patient, see, I try to be but gee, why does she taunt me?
Pulls the drapes and she goes right to sleep, I creep right through the front
See, so blatantly but silently cause I know that she’s sound sleep
“Who’s waking me so violently and why’s he on top of me?
He’s raping me,” she tries to scream, “Somebody please get him off me
He’s taping me, he’s biting me, he’s laughing like it’s funny”
She’s scraping me, she’s fighting me, she’s scratching like some dumb freak
Escaping me, no dice, you see, I might just be Ted Bundy
Or Satan, gee what a sight to see, I’m dancing in my red panties
I’m crazy but it’s all right with me, man life can be so empty
Stay away from me cause I’m dancing to quite a different drumbeat
I agree, Relapse was brilliant. And I didnt mind the accents, I thought the use of the accent was creative, and way less annoying than all that shouting he did on Recovery.
That verse you posted, hell, that whole song, is one of the most underrated lyrical tracks of the past few years, look at that fucking verse, everything pretty much rhymes with everything. The verse before was great too.
Relapse had some really dope songs, and it was lyrically and production-wise better than Recovery, and the whole track-by track relapse storyline type concept of the album was brilliant. It was just the accents that let it down
Relapse is my favorite Em album and I do like the accent
I posted it earlier, Relapse is the best rhyming on an album – probably every.
In that verse of Stay Wide Awake, divide the bars into three sections. The first (they can’t see, naked see, drapes and she), second (I can see, hide-and-seek, privacy), and third (tummy, hungry, wants me) rhyme all the way down. Absolutely incredible.
Yeah, it is a fucking incredible verse.
By the way, the verse before that is brilliant as well, if noone noticed:
I see my target, put my car in park and approach a tender
Young girl by the name of Brenda and I pretend to befriend her
Sit down beside her like a spider, hi there girl, you mighta
Heard of me before, see whore, you’re the kind of girl that I’d assault
And rape then figure why not try not to make your pussy wider?
Fuck you with an umbrella, then open it up while the shit’s inside ya
I’m the kinda guy that’s mild but I might flip and get a little bit wilder
Impregnate a lesbian, yeah, now let’s see her have triplets and I’ll di-
-sintegrate them babies as soon as they’re out her with formalde-
-hyde and cyanide, girl you can try and hide, you can try to scream louder
No need for no gunpowder, that only takes all the fun outta
Murder and I’d rather go “vinn-vinn!” and now you see just how the
Fuck I do just what I do when I cut right through your scalp
Shit, wait a minute I mean skull, my knife seems dull, pull another one out
”approach a tender
Young girl by the name of Brenda and I pretend to befriend her” Haha, it’s Slim Shady’s own very twisted version of Brenda’s Got A Baby. Fucking brilliant.
my opinion on Relapse wouldn’t fly well on these boards. these boards are filled with Relapse haters.
A relapse hater is different to an accent hater, I hated the accent, it might have worked if he put it on 2 or 3 tracks, where it worked, I thought it worked on Stay Wide Awake, Same Song and Dance, maybe 3AM. But the fact he had to use that odd accent in nearly every song fucked the album up.
The album had dope lyrics, better than Recovery, and better production too.
HEY GUYS ITS ME…THE REAL EMINEM *COUGHS* I MEANT SLIM SHADY!!!!!!!!! I ONLY HAVE 2 SCREAMING TRACKS AND I WILL BE DISSING THE WHOLE YMCMB, MAYBACH AND MANY MORE, YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED. hahahaha im bored. some of you might be disappointed i honestly dont know.
Eminem is top 5 for sure and im starting to hate when ppl start talking about eminem screaming in his songs…..rly???? Thats the problem? I think they mixed up between screaming and being energetic. Its much better than hearing to lil wayne rapping or rick ross monotonous voice with the same flow over and over and over again. Please just listen to Hell the sequel with royce and see how beast he is on the mic! That album was lyrically insane, it killed watch the throne for me
Good article and an enjoyable read, kudos to the writer!
I love the berzerk song it doesnt get boring to listen to over and over, I really hope its not between the best songs on the album because if it isnt then the album will be great, the beat is really good but i wouldn’t like more than two of rundmc styled beats the best beats are on forgot about dre and guilty conscience and under the influence and real slim shady though they do get easy bored unlike berzerk
Eminem should just take four weeks and listen to himself (sslp, mmlp, infinite, and the soul intent songs) if he wants to make songs like he made when he was younger
love the blond hair em fits you well! looks much better than black hair on eminem, also glad eminem dresses again like he did when he was younger
fuck the age
Eminem should make more songs like “Seduction” from Recovery or go that route on MMLP2. That song is the Eminem of today with a lot less screaming and great lyrics.
thx u songs like seduction and stay wide awake
drop the bomb on em
3AM are songs i like n wanna hear on the album
i think 3am was a fail. I would of rather seen “My Darling” instead.
I think the “Survival” single, is much better than “bezerk” and the revolutionary at his core. Hopefully the remainder of the CD mirror that!
get the bass brothers back in the studio… that’s my ultimate fantasy for MMLP2. too bad it’ll never happen.
what Marjorie replied I am dazzled that anybody able to get paid $5697 in four weeks on the computer. Read Full Report… http://www.Cafe44.com
the last song on his first album mentions how big of a wu-tang fan he is…just saying. the song’s called thank me now – probably my favorite joint on that album
I really like “Berzerk”, I think it needed a better hook, but who am I? Recovery was a great album that could have easily been titled MMLP2 or the SSLP2. Part 2 of a project shouldn’t be meant to mirror the success of the predecessor, it should either pick up where the previous left off or show progress. I think MMLP2 will be DOPE!!
Recovery was trash. Eminems worst album
You ain’t never listened to Recovery if you can say it was his worst album.
haha have you ever listened to Recovery? “Going Through Changes” and “So Bad” are not trash.
unless this cat get some dilla beatz i wast your two cents!
Eminem new album is already leaked
http://www.goo.gl/9m9lJb
Great article and couldn’t agree more. Em BETTER be back on his bullshit, or this album is gonna be bullshit. You’re walking on thin ice, Slim.
SSLP is by far the funniest, lyrical album ive heard
I’ve ever seen so many people support one rapper ever…guess it’s because
He’s dope
Not necessarily hip hop fan just millions of stans who will jump on his shit whether it sounds good or not will act like its an instant classic. These turds don’t support real rap just situations that are set up like the way eminem managed to blow up.
yeah millions of stans who do crazy shit like in that song. sure. fuck outta here with your bullshit.
hopes and fears for MM2:
fears:
-emotional slow song
-weak guests (like that singing chick skylar gray or drake)
-not enough Dr Dre production
-watered down content/lack of intensity
-less passable multi’s (we will see if his mastery of the multi syllabilic rhyming has weakened.
Hopes:
-he shows growth but still has intensity and is controversial
-is rhyme skills are still really tight
-just rapping from em-no singing
-dre production! and/or really tight production.
_he brings out the humor but not too much of that crazy accent voice
-he takes his sound(beats) back closer to MM1 production and less recovery!
it would be dumb to assume it aint gonna be dope when we know he can and has delivered all along since theslim shadyLP. that silly lead single thing has always been part of his approach.MM2 will be dope…I hope.
if it doesn’t live ur to YOUR EXPECTATIONS considering going back to the first one
Very insightful and on point article. Songs like “Criminal”, “White America”, and “Yellow Brick Road” are some of Eminem’s best work because his emotion is genuine and his flow is innovative. I am still really entertained by his current flow where he tries fit as many syllables into a bar as possible, but those songs do not truly demonstrate what makes Eminem’s career great. I really don’t think that “Survival” and “Berzerk” have a dignified place anywhere near the title Marshall Mathers LP. This norm of epic beats was fun while it lasted, but Yeezus and MCGH have proven that it is pretty stale.
Somebody shot me, and I was just checking the male. Get it… “Checking-the-mail”
*checking the male
Why is hip-hop the only genre of music, where people feel their opinion means so much?
Because Hip Hop is the world’s most competitive genre, been that way since Kool Herc figured out how to make his Shure speakers blast louder than his neighbor’s.
listen to Kendrick’s verse
Still doesn’t explain why fans seem like less of a fan and more of a critic or sometimes even come off as they had some type of involvement with the project.
Kendrick got washed by drake twice #facts
“I remember may it perfectly” you are dillusional ‘my name is’ came out a whole cd before the MM lp >.
very good read buddy
While most of what you said is really important in the process of making a legitimate successor to MMLP2, I honestly think the most important factor of them all is production. After all, it is music. If the music behind the words doesn’t sound good, why would you want to listen to it? Why are there a lot of shitty rappers out there that are popular? It’s because if the beats. As long as he can get production at or similar to the quality of his earlier albums he’ll be fine. SSLP and MMLP had some of the best production out of any albums I’ve ever heard.
I really just hope this album isn’t a disappointment.
this is why bass brothers need to get back in the studio with Em.
but who am i kidding… the music will never matter more than the money.
Until making music for free puts food in your mouth you mothertuckers can pay….
Also if it is a disappointment what you gonna do? Did you ghost write? Or do anything?
I think his music and ability to connect and tell stories changed because his life changed. He became a superstar! Heartache and struggle as we know it and probably how he once knew it, no longer is relevant for him. His stories are now different and how they relate to his life. Everybody changes man, obviously his life is is no longer giving him the inspiration to write lieu a as he once did. The shit that he deals with us not interesting to his listeners anymore because they can’t relate. But you gotta still love him! He’s a genius !!!
Stop analyzing the facking guy and just enjoy the music
WHAT STORIES DOES EM TELL? In msot of his songs he throws together garbage metaphors that amount to nothing but a good chuckle
people over sensationalize certain things about the last 3 eminem albums. 1st, encore as an album was below par, but some of the songs in the album are topnotch like, yellow brick road, toy soldier, mosh, mockinbird, spend sometime, encore, crazy in love, never enough and evil deeds and bonus tracks like we as americans and one of my personal fav, love you more. the rest were bullshit. 2nd relapse was ruined by the accents, but some of the songs, the accent made them great, like stay wide awake and 3am. he just over did the accent. 3rd recovery was a great album:it was popish but, the aim of the album was not to sound insane or angry(which is the main reason i love em’s music),but to show that he is grown. his 1st 4 albums are bettter than the last 3,but the sslp,mmlp,were near perfection and tes imo is perfection, so comparing is just unfair
can you please write and record an album so we can hear what Eminem’s albums that were “below par” should sound like?
Anybody else thinks Relapse was better than Recovery when it comes to lyrics? To me it felt more like a classic Eminem album more than Recov.
Oh hell yes I absolutely agree. I understand that Em NEEDED to make an album like Recovery (especially with tracks like “Talkin’ 2 Myself,” “Going Through Changes,” and, yes, even “Not Afraid”). The problem is that too much of that album, as well as most his work since then, has focused on corny forced puns and needless aggression (seriously, who is Em so mad at these days?).
Relapse wasn’t without it’s own problems (namely that god-awful accent), but it saw Eminem back to rapping about that Slim Shady stuff he does so well and having a good time doing it (“Underground” was CLASSIC). It’s not like there wasn’t any introspection there either (as “Beautiful” and the underrated “Deja Vu” will attest to).
So yeah, if MMLP2 can have that Shady stuff like Relapse with some of Recovery’s more serious stuff (it’s called MMLP2, not SSLP2, after all) then we will have a hot album.
Or he and Royce could just make another Bad Meets Evil album. Seriously, Hell: The Sequel was FIRE. Royce really helped Em get back to that Shady space after Recovery. Hell, a couple of BME records on MMLP2 would be dope. (NO. NOT SLAUGHTERHOUSE. JUST ROYCE.)
Go judge some Pop lyrics and tell the world what’s better.
Both Relaspe and Recovery were fucking terrible.
That album and the events that surrounded its release (em’s appearances with legit MC’s) changed everything. I remember thinking this guy was one of my recent favorites… but when everything started falling into place he went from certified to the top dog all at the same time. Its still hard to believe.
drake has
1)Drake has the most number 1 hits at the age of 26
2) No other artist from the new wave of rappers goes double platinum like drake does
3) Drake is breaking a lot of records and he hasn’t even reached 30 yet
4) Drake is the face of rap everyone listens to rap for drake
5)Drake is the only 1 capable to go platinum first weak these days and drake will go down as the greatest of all time when its all said and done
6)Drakes tours are the highest selling out of all rappers drake runs rap its a fact stop denying.
what does the M&M have compared to drake he aint shit but irrelevent old man that the hiphop nerds that get no pussy jack off too. People who have swag, get pussy and arent a bunch of internet nerds listen to drake.
Peace
lol. Drake has a longgggggg way to go before he reaches Eminem status. he’s young and he’s doing his thing, but he’s not even in the discussion when it comes to the greatest rapper. maybe one day Drake will be the top selling artist of all time. Or maybe two of his albums will be certified diamond. until then, Eminem is the king of rap
god that was hilarious to read, drakes not even a rapper hes a damn pop singer
eminem and kendrick lamar are the best rappers in the game right now
right now? eminem and kendrick. basically, it goes like this: Aftermath runnin this bitch
What about Jay Z is he not the King of Rap? Hasn’t Em even stated he has fallen off?
Drake doesn’t write his own lyrics, his lyrics are shitty anyway, he only gets money from kids who lissen to the beat or the gay singing, and pretend to listen to the lyrics of songs like “the motto” Drake is also Canadian
haha Jay-Z does not run rap. he makes a lot of money that’s his job.
thats why eminem has two diamond records and is the highest selling artist ever in hip hop drake is gay
ummm drake said himself that eminem is the greatest of all time you fucking dumb bitch
At the age of 16 Lil Wayne was thuggin in the deadly streets of New Orleans
At the age of 16 Tupac was dancing like a faggot in a tight ass tu-tu
‘Nuff said
YMCMB!
Whether or not you think drake is the best, drake pays respect to eminem along with every other rapper that you listen too. No rapper will diss on eminem, back in the day they did, but all rappers know that eminem is untouchable right now. Tech N9ne says eminems the best emcee, Lil wayne says it, the whole slaughterhouse crew, and even if he isnt “the best”, he is the most respected.
@boy you’re retarded, lil wayne wasn’t thuggin the closest thing to being in the streets he was is shooting himself like he’s some G, 2pac was the in the streets he got shot by other thugs because they were threatened by how great he was and the only way to be on top is to take whoever is on top, off.
educate yourself you useless sack of vaginal discharge
Jay-Z is easily GOAT.
i suck tons of cock and am a proud faggot. i love being a faggot and trolling on dx.
we already knew that
Looked factual to me those things listed aren’t opinionated
Here is an attempt of a formula for Marshall Mathers 2.
1. Full out Dr. Dre producttion. (check)
2. Controversial lyrics.
3. Just a lil bit of beef. Not much but a lil shit talkin’ from Em would make it interesting.
4. A better single.
Here is an attempt of a formula for Marshall Mathers 2.
Please no not too much Dre… Some old Pioneers like Premier or Q-tip , Havoc
Real Lyrics, relatable Lyrics
No beef, i dont care about miley cyruss or some other pop diva who cant respond and is a easy diss
Fuck a single keep it real, radio will play it anyway
Great article, and bang on the money. Hope the album is like this!!!!!!
Articles like these are the reason I keep coming back to this site, good job!
only reason why i liked relapse so much was cuz DRE
produce the WHOLE album
it was good seeing those 2 back together!!!
i like more tracks on that than recovery
yes ppl recovery was to popish but he changed
thats what u do when u grow old n mature u changed
u cant be mad at eminem for writing about the same stuff like he use to like cutting balls off n throwing them in britney spears mouth or something like that…lol
hes old now his stories are going to change n i think thats why ppl dont like him as much now cuz he doesnt rap like that
im glad he doesnt he is the only rapper that can change up a story in his songs n not write about the same damn thing
jay z is a perfect example
his new album is great but all he really talks about now is how much money he got etc..
i think that he would benefit the most if he produced the majority of the album like he did for the eminem show
Very true. He’s such a slept on producer.
the album will be the greates album ever, it will change the world, everybody who listen to jazz or rock will now listen to eminems mmlp2, and then to other hip hop artists, this is gonna be the best thing ever
real talk
ahahahhahah time for some rest
Cant wait to see how he sequels to tracks like criminal, im back, marhsall mathers, and drug ballad. And why does everyone hate on recovery? I thought the only weak shit was most of the beats..he had such emotional depth and good wordplay and dedicated the shit to his dead boy and his fans. He put the emotion back into it and millions of ppl with drug and relationship problems can realte like a motherfucka. relapse was great but he was rappin fuckin nonsense like cmon medicine ball? bagpipes? underground? like wtf was this dude sayin in those random ass tracks
People hate on Recovery because they are underground elitists who think that every single rap song needs to sound like New York State of Mind.
people hated on recovery because songs like not afraid and no love were so commercially successful, so a lot of people who don’t usually listen to rap said they liked it. after that, people who were already listening to eminem before recovery thought it would be too mainstream to like something that was doing well on the radio. since people didn’t want to say that they didn’t like it, they made up a bunch of reasons, for example, “the new eminem sucks”, “he sounds like he’s shouting”, “he’s gone soft” and so on.
Ultimately, there are dozens of ways Eminem could go with The Marshall Mathers LP 2, but theres one thing thats for sure: dying your hair and adding a 2 to an album title does not a sequel make.
Buy hot rap beats 2 for $20. We have worked with Field Mob, Bobby Valentino, Little Brother and more..
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Impressive article! You touched on damn near every issue I’ve had with Eminem’s transformation since ‘The Eminem Show.’ and gave me some food for thought about the production he’s assembled throughout his career.
If I had only 1 wish for Eminem, and I’ve been saying this for years…stop yelling on every damn track and saying you’re the best all the time. Old Eminem had substance to his music. I miss that.
He’s never said he’s the best of all time lol.
You misread the comment, he said ”saying you’re the best all the time” not ”best of all time”
G.O.A.T yes he does say hes the best of all time and i suppose it depends on your individual opinion of rap. Personally i think he is, lyrics delivery and song writing ability are untouchable and he also works on a lot of his beats too. How u gonna call him the angry blonde, n moan about his shouting?? Thats his style, thats how enjoys rap, how we all know him, as the angry rapper
Big L would wash eminem on lyrical delivery
you might got more cash than me, but you aint got the skill to eat a wiggas ass like me
You have to understand, when MMLP first came out, he wasn’t in a position where he could do what he wanted. Now he owns his own record label. You have to be able to adapt to an artists change. If we stood “true” to what original hip-hop was, we’d still be rocking Adidas Track suits with Reebok Hi-Tops doing the real-fast-high-pitch-slow-down flow. You have to be receptive to change otherwise, you’re going to end up pushing your Reeboks tops too much and end up with powder in your face.
Whatever he releases at this point in his career is what he wants to release. He doesn’t have the same attitude he did then, it’s changed. He’s been through drug addiction, death of Proof, relapsing but fighting his way out of it. If you’re scared about it being different, let me tell you one thing, It’s GOING to be DIFFERENT. Either grow with the artist or part ways with them. You not wanting to listen to it is really not going to make a big impact because true fans grow with an artist, not expect them to continue delivering the same style pizza over and over and over again because one thing’s for certain, that pizza is going to get stale.
Anyways, I liked Berzerk and if it’s any indication how the rest of the album will be, I cannot wait.
I’ve got tracklist, but it’s not official:(
1. White Hair/Black Hair feat. Kylie Minogue (prod by. RZA)
2. White House In Da House feat. Bubba Sparxxx & Brother Ali (Alchemist)
3. Stan 2 – The Reality Tour (feat. HHDX members) (Trackmasters)
4. Rock The…Bless (feat. DMX) (Swizz Beatz)
5. We Believe in Detox (feat. 50 Cent, Hitman, Snoop Lion & Lindsay Lohan) (prod. by Mel-Man)
6. Manifesto feat. Elton John & George Michael (prod. by Dr Dre)
7. Now On Top (We sell now) – feat. Drake, Lil Wayne, Rihanna Kendrick Lamar) (prod. DJ Khaled)
8. Conspiracy Terrorists feat. Immortal Technique (prod by. Puff Daddy)
9. Shadyland (prod. by Dj Tomekk)
10. Superman pt2 (prod. by Clark Kent)
11. Visiting NY feat. Mobb Deep & Wu-Tang Clan (prod by. Puff Daddy
12. Shady vs. Shaggy feat. Lil Scrappy (prod. by Hanna Barbera)
i smell hip hop revolution
Not the track list… Like em would have khaled production and multiple songs produced by diddy on an album? Are you high man?
Bubba sparx… Good one.
Bubba Sparxx? Immortal Technique? on an Em album LOL
Em feat. Drake, Kanye or Kylie would be pretty slick.
Another Rihanna feature as well.
LOL it’s a troll ”Stan 2 ft. HHDX members” hahaha
Yo, i just got rest of the unnoficial traclist. It will be somethin’ else…
13. I’m Real Rapper Again (The Anthem) feat. Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Dolly Parton & Ja Rule (prod. by Pete Rock
14. Drug Ballad 2 (Higher Learning) feat. Dr Dre, Keith Richards & Courtney Love (prod. Puff Daddy)
15. Big White Sausages feat. Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, Ricky Martin & Ricky Rubin (prod. by Ricky Rubin)
16. From Hood To the Neighborhood feat. Mos Def, Andre 3000, Scarface & Ice Cube (prod. by Puff Daddy)
17. Sophisticated Lyrics feat. Mike Jones, Birdman, GZA & Lil Romeo (prod. by Afrika Bambaataa)
WOW!
that would actually be cool and the album will not
that’s a very white person thing to say. eminem clearly (by his own admission), like miley cyrus, like macklemore, used black culture and made it “safer” for white people to relate to. before miley was twerking, strippers the same age with no money were and no one cared. nicki did and no one cared. white people would look and think “that’s trash” until now…every no ass chicks mom is tryna twerk it out with her feet on the wall.
think about it for more than 10 seconds. all of the biggest entertainers of the last 2 centuries at least have been white people who took black music and made it their own…or there was that ONE black guy who looked and sounded “white.” from blues to rock to now. black people support black people because all we see is white people supporting white people and white support means A LOT more in America. tay swift, miley, both justins (yes even boyfriend has it’s roots in black music), robin thicke, elvis, the beatles, i could go on all day, but im sure you’ll argue that lets say…the beatles…are not black music. some of it is not (when I’m 64), but others are clearly ethnic (michelle, hard days night) and all the black people i know love eminem anyway. this song is still some cut.
that being said…it’s all been done before. at this point white people have learned to imitate well enough that it should almost just be a human thing and not a black thing. it stems from the fact that white people used to have no rhythm at all. many even today cant dance to a syncopated beat, it’s so ugly. you’re getting better though. now you can take lots of offense to my true statements.
Problem is… Most of the shit the white peeps made was better than anythin one of us niggas made and thats truth hard to belive but its true.
Wow that’s fucking dumb. That’s like saying Jimi Hendrix shouldn’t have picked up a guitar or Tiger Woods shouldn’t have golfed. What ignorant shit are you going to say next? Sorry to say this, but Em is along the lines with the greats. Like it or not, he’s a big influence in hip hop.
I love some man meat in my mouth. But only if he looks like Aubrey.
2PAC is and always will be the greatest rapper of all time by far
Lyrical Content – 2PAC beats any other rapper, his music was so meaningful, the themes of most of Tupac’s songs are the violence and hardship in inner cities, racism, other social problems – PAC WINS
Voice – 2PAC had the greatest voice is rap, it was perfect, he can be angry and agressive in Hit Em Up and Changes, then soft in Dear Mama. MTV voted him 09 of the best voices in music ever, michael jackson was 10th – PAC was ahead of every other rapper
Lyrical Skill – Yeah pac didnt have the greatest metaphors, it’s easy to have skillful lyrics when your rapping about cars, sex, money, sex , cars, PAC told stories and rapped about real important topics, and he didnt try to have skillful lyrics, also the greatest rapper for lyrical skill is nas. and 2pac beats him on every other catogary
Greatest Lyricist – Pac haands down, other than his lyrics having great meaning, PAC made 400 songs in one year, he writ and recorded the songs in The Don Kiluminati in 7 days, people will great metaphors in there lyrics take YEARS TO MAKE THEIR ‘CLASSIC’ Albums
Greatest Person – PAC
your entire argument collapsed on itself when u said he wasnt the best lyricist the had a catagory of best lyricist and said 2 Pac read what u write before u post and wait to see what comes with the new album before u talk sh!t
i get your point but why the fuck would you post this here
Good points. I’m glad you said Nas is the greatest lyricist of all time, because that’s without saying.
One other point you could of said, is that Pac arguable got better with every album he put out. There is some back and forth to if All Eyez on Me is better then 7 day theory, but if you look at his progression from his first album to 7days is crazy, especially when you consider there was only a 5 year window between his five albums. No other rapper has had that progression (with maybe the exception of Wayne from 99-09) ever.
@2Pac4Life to support your claim, the 7 day theory was actually supposed to be The 3 Day Theory, because he recorded the original album in 3 days, and he did. However majority of the instrumentals at the time were very stripped down and rough. Death Row eventually mixed and a mastered the now post humous album, followed by redoing the song list and changing the concept to the 7 Day Theory. its a shame Pac never got to see his final vision come to fruition. IMO best album.
from the song “Krazy”, Pac on the outro sayin >>>>
“[2Pac]
I feel fucked up in this bitch
I smoked half a ounce to the head
Chocolate tye, indo, Hawaiian, lambsbread, buddha, all that shit
I’m fucked up in this motherfucker, and Hennesey don’t help
And Hennesey don’t help – Thug Passion in this muh’fucker
Makaveli the Don puttin it down to the fullest, maximum overload
3 Day Theory – Killuminati to your body
With the impact of a 12 gauge shotty
Double-I slugs, no love, straight thugs”
Em is the biggest phony in the rap game
fuck Em
he aint bout that life he a bitch
ill piss in his grave while his bitch ass mom gives me brain
SUR 13
Its niggas like this ^^^^^^ who cause all of rap’s problems. You’s a fuck nigga my dude get off that Pitbull shit “Sureno” and listen to some real shit. If you didn’t have a vagina and had no ears I’m sure you could do that.
fuck yu dawg
this is SUR SIDE gang to the fullest
Eminem a bitch he aint real at all just another fake
mr criminal mr capone-e
and them hi power gangster those are real ass dudes
SUR x3
dude your just jealous of ems talent because you could never spit like he does no one could and um the gang sur 13 are just a bunch of dumb as bitches
Just sayin, I think Em is too smart to phuck this up too badly. “Berzerk” has grown on me and I expect the rest of the album to be significantly better as well.
Just for reference, my favorites:
nice list.
1: The College Dropout
2: Reasonable Doubt
3: Ready to Die
4: Illmatic
5: 2001 Chronic
Honorable Mentions: Above the Clouds, Be, Marshall Mathers LP, ATLiens, Slim Shady LP, Blueprint, Late Registration, 36 Chambers, All Eyez on Me
The College Dropout over Illmatic? 2001 over 36 Chambers and MMLP? Really? eh
you r obviously misinformed on what is a good album
1. yo mamma
2. yo cuzin
3. your fucked up crackhead uncle
4. your real daddy
5. and your first girlfriend your sister
I’d put American Gangster over reasonable doubt on any list, all due respect
my neighbor’s step-mother makes $69 hourly on the laptop. She has been out of work for 6 months but last month her pay was $19099 just working on the laptop for a few hours. this article… http://www.Cafe44.com
Caressing Pac’s back? Wtf? Are you didn’t confuse that with the picture of Birdman and Lil Wayne giving each other mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?
MMLP2 Tracklist!!! http://themichaelshowpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/elephant-republican-sex.jpg
elephant republican sex? I don’t think so
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FUCK M & M’S
If your not from our state… Snoop actually drives around by himself in a low rider. If you drive around long enough you will seem him around most hoods in So Cal. I dont know of any other famous person who goes around with that much respect. Don’t get Pimp slapped!
This wack asshole needs to retire. No one wants to hear this cocksucker screaming over hip hop beats.
ready for that vanilla ice tour yet shoulda stayed gone after your encore
great isn’t he tired of ruining records lately
now he’s gonna tarnish a great almost classic
years after the fact
sure fire piece of crap
my little cousin skittles will out rap this peanut mnm
All you young n!gga are idiots. Eminem is one of the greatest MC’s of all time… period! His last cd was classic material. Yaw stick to Lil Wayne, Gucci, and the rest of the recylced bum rappers
so will my ol uncle mike and ike
Em needs to take more of a risk and get back to that White America/Mosh political rap trip heck record one better than those two more than one
Recovery is one of EMinem’s finest moments #period
#fail
You want to know how I know this site is run by white suburban kids ? Everytime anything with Eminem comes up it’s an Editorial! Recieves TONS of high ratings, and tons of comments!. It’s like ” OMG MY PANTIES GET SO SOAKED WHEN I HEAR EM’s VOICE I MELT “. Same with the demographics on this site too, they listen to all that corny rap shit that Mac Miller, Kid Cudi , Mackelmore bullshit all the real street rap never gets any talk in online community, but yet on the streets every real bumpin it. Em’s last joint that came out as a single was TRASH somehow it has 8 mill views so far, and a high rating, and for what? Because he is white man’s Hip hop God? Em fell off hard long long time ago, people exaggerate him to be way more than he really was in the hip hop world. Just because you can rhyme complex words people can’t understand doesn’t make you a dope rapper. White suburban kids cannot relate to the hustle and struggle but they want to be “cool” and listen to “hip hop too” instead they substitute the real shit for complex rap and turn around and say “they know REAL hip hop” fuck outta here with that vanilla ice cream shit yo..
cosign, but it’s up to us to keep our foot on their necks, not just on eminem postings, although with an album coming we will have the forums to practice on.
“Just because you can rhyme complex words people can’t understand doesn’t make you a dope rapper.”
Just because YOU can’t understand the complex words (and really the words themselves aren’t complex, it’s the arrangement of them), doesn’t make him “corny rap shit”.
It’s crazy how many people claim “real hip hop” but hate on Eminem. It’s either true hate, or ignorance of true lyricism. The dude’s the BEST. Hands down, and the OGs have vouched for him on that! Kool G Rap, Rakim, even the Game said ‘I aint fuckin with the white dude, he ruins careers’… regardless of his look, or the majority of his fan base, Eminem is one of, if not THEE, best fuckin spitters of all time.
And it’s not all about the SPEED of his current rhyming style. Plenty of dudes rap fast. But his techniques, his style, his word play and sentence structure is fuckin outta this world.
AND, ya he said he almost made a song dissing Lil Wayne… well INSTEAD of dissing Kanye and Wayne and Drake.. he gets on a RECORD with them instead, MURDERS ’em all, then lets the world decide and lets the world say “Em killed it”. He’s fuckin genius… he didnt do songs with Wayne for acceptance, he did songs with Wayne to prove how wack Wayne is.
What is this real shit the streets listen to then? All you ever do is talk about it without ever really being specific, which, to us educated white folk, can be hard to follow. Fuck outta here with those racist generalizations.
Start naming names of who I’m missing out on or get the fuck out.
That’s because the “street rap” produces shit like this…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI0gk2KJeho
And this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5w21_Vphbg
Lyrically, Marshall needs to come up with mature themes on this album. Talk about raising his kids, being a father. Talk about (presumably) being sober now and maintaining the discipline to stay that way. Talk about local, regional, national and international events. Detroit is bankrupt. It is over one-third vacant. City services barely work. City employees are overwhelmed. City residents can’t find jobs. Public education is broken. Talk about real substantive issues, in other words. He has nothing left to prove at this point.
Another album full of drug-fueled fantasy violence and bizarre sexual preoccupations is not where it’s at, now.
lyrically hes fine
he just needs to find his old delivery and stop screamin
lose yourself his best single
till i collapse one of the best rap songs ever
dont think ill like this album
He was screaming his ass off on Till I Collapse
I think it’s kind of crazy to suggest what an artist should do with his music. The whole point of art is to put what you feel is the best work you can do at the time and see what type of response it receives. Otherwise, Em would have taken a poll and had the fans dictate THEY like. But like Em said himself “I made songs for myself, f*ck what you like”….
why all the hate??? You can’t expect an emcee like Eminem to not go crazy with rhymes. Compare him to today’s rappers and emcees…..can even 80% of these people hold a candle to Em?
agreed
The entire mainstream community stans Eminem, not just suburban white kids. And what a great mindset to be spreading in a culture rooted in people being denied credibility and attention based on their race. “It doesn’t matter how great an influence hip-hop was on you as a person, because you have NO RIGHT to any sort of opinion or voice in hip-hop if your skin is white.”
Fuck. You.
my classmate’s mother-in-law makes $77 hourly on the internet. She has been without work for seven months but last month her pay check was $13602 just working on the internet for a few hours. my link… www cafe44.com
Wayne has really been on a decline to the point now where he’s become a joke. People just laugh at him now. He thinks he’s coming with dope lines but he’s not. You just laugh at him. He really needs to hang it up.
dudes hes eminem hes always gonna be a beast and be one of the best rappers in history the thing is if people are still listening to him and talking about him…his music obv still effects us
I really like this article, it pretty much sums up how em fans feel, even though I’ve stopped listening to him for a while now, I’ll never forget that he was the reason I got into rap. After hearing berserk though, I’m not optimistic. Listen to cage or eyedea and you will see the light…….
Eyedea has been dead for 3 years, he has seen the light.
I grew up on Eminem. Key words being “grew up”. When I was younger, I wanted a rap idol to rap unconsciously about drugs, violence, bashing mainstream celebrities, and flip off everyone during the process. However, as I matured, I wanted my rap to evolve and meet me where I am. Nothing says lame like the guy in his 50’s rocking a ponytail and a Def Leopard Jacket that hasn’t fit him in 30 odd years. I don’t want Eminem to be that person…stuck in his past. If you don’t like the music, I suggest you don’t listen to the new stuff and revel in the old “classics”. Personally, I love sequels. I am a nostalgic person and view sequels as a chance to relive the “characters” with a new plot. Is it the same? No, because then it would be…well, the same. I loved the Blueprint; 1, 2, and 3. Why are we stuck in the past comparing 2013 Eminem, who has battled addiction, raised 3 girls, and overcome an unhealthy relationship to 2000 Eminem who was angry, new to fame, and not at all the same person. Love the classics, I do. But, if you don’t love the new stuff, do not bash it, unreasonably, and then act like you are doing the Hip Hop world a favor. The fans stand by and watch/listen while Eminem, Dre, and Aftermath work to create art. I guess though, those who can’t do…criticize. Unless you have a Hip Hop classic that I am not aware of.
This article points out everything. Sequels are scary to think of because you don’t want the iconic image of the first to be tainted. But this guy is a genius, he knows that. I have faith that it’ll be a good album. It won’t be the same, and he knows it. It won’t compare, and he knows it. But If he can create an entire new playing field, then he’ll do it. I’m not fond of Berzerk either. but it’s a single.. and as hes mentioned and the article mentions, he doesnt even like singles. *Fingers crossed* Let’s ride it out though..