After dropping The Marshall Mathers LP 2 in 2013, then embarking on a record setting stadium tour over the summer, Slim Shady is back again, this time alongside his Shady Records brothers on the label release Shady XV. Em’ appears on the bulk of the tracks, with familiar faces like D12, Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf filling in elsewhere. A two-disc release, Part 1 is new material from the label, while Disc 2 is a nostalgic compilation of earlier hit singles from the Shady/Interscope imprint.
Shady Records dropped The Re-Up, their most recent label compilation in 2006. Since then, things have changed: 50 Cent and the G-Unit crew have moved on elsewhere, while Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf have joined the team. And in comparing both albums, change is most certainly a good thing. G-Unit was as popular as ever in 2006, and since then the game has changed such that the more traditional take on “bars and rhymes” have found a consistent audience within the Rap game hierarchy. Rather than each song being broken down into X number of bars per verse, each artist comes correct with an arsenal of lyrics. Em’, specifically, is the leader and master savant. If MMLP2 was any indication of his changing rap style, Shady XV is a continuation. More often than not, his verses go on for minutes at a time as he throws down a graphic, rhyming stream of consciousness.
Thematically, and brilliantly, Em’ takes an introspective approach to the fame he’s cultivated since “My Name Is.” He spits about the stress being almost too much to handle, yet he is still able to find pleasure in eating the competition alive. It’s a vicious cycle that has to be wearing him thin. On “Guts Over Fear” he raps: “And I’m frozen, cause there’s no more emotion for me to pull from / Just a bunch of playful songs, that I make for fun / So, to the break of dawn, here I go recycling the same old song.” This notion is touched upon on “The Monster,” as well as several of his other more recent hits. Fans are likely more aware of this monotony he speaks of, but he still manages to keep the music fresh and unique. This is a remarkable feat considering his dominance of Hip Hop both commercially and critically over the years. Somehow, the Shady one (who once regaled you with dark tales of explaining to his daughter why her mother will no longer be around) has found a way to convey the pain of success in a genuine way. He even flashes back to his more controversial tendencies, declaring on the album’s title-track, “Goddammit, I AM a misogynist.” Only fitting, considering recent headlines involving he and Iggy Azalea among others.
Aside from Marshall, Shady XV also celebrates the artistry of the rest of the team. Yelawolf and Royce Da 5’9 stand out in particular for their versatility. Fans of both artists will be pleased to hear them deviate for this album. Yela shines on “Down,” while Royce holds his own alongside Em’ on “Psychopath Killer.” In keeping with the theme of nothing but straight bars, the Slaughterhouse track “Y’all Already Know” is particularly down home. Joell Ortiz, Crooked I, Joe Budden and Royce all go in over a DJ Premier beat swollen with nostalgia. The song, with a vintage, Premo sample-based beat, is a throwback of sorts to ‘90s era Hip Hop, and musically represents a break from the rest of the album. Premier obviously leaves his mark here, but Em’s production is nothing to sneeze at either. Shady XV reinforces the notion that he has gone from a student of the “Dr. Dre School” of production to a legitimate rapper/producer.
As previously mentioned, Disc 2 is a nice inclusion for fans that remember the music coming out of the Shady/Interscope camp 10 years ago. With the help of some fine tuning and mastering, the disc is a nice trip down memory lane, with cuts from 50 Cent, Obie Trice, and D12, as well as a few 8 Mile Soundtrack cuts. There is also a demo version of “Lose Yourself,” which is a hell of a lot of fun to listen to back-to-back with the original. The latter artists may not be Shady emcees anymore, but their inclusion on the album speaks to the respect that remains among all parties.
Some songs border on perfection. A few more are just solidly average. Yet, it all balances out, and the rhymes on full display make Shady XV a great compilation release. Fans of Eminem can keep themselves occupied with this one, while also getting a chance to hear what’s new from the Slaughterhouse gang, Yelawolf, and D12. The most important takeaway is the growth of the Shady Records conglomerate since The Re-Up. Times have changed and so has the Rap game, but Eminem and his unit have adapted accordingly and have managed to usher from the deep a compilation album that is a worthwhile addition to the Shady oeuvre.
great white hope!
Love this album only song I was disappointed in was Bane… I don’t like that hook.
amazing
‘Psycho Killer’ is a very, very good song.
AMAZING ALBUM…
Only songs that were really dope were
Slaughterhouse – Ya’ll Ready Know
Yelawolf – Down
Eminem – Right For Me
The rest were average wack or pop trash.The 2nd cd of hits was pointless why didn’t they give us a cd of unreleased tracks em and dre have vaults full of them
this shit fire 5/5
Best
Great review and happy to see an actual review and not a personal rant .. No other Label could pull this off or it would just be a filler mixtape .. Thank God for Shady Records .. Saving the Hip Hop I Love
Straight doodoo.
Avoid at all cast.
cost
Avoid at all cast. LOL!
straight washed out doodoo 1/5
Great compilation right here. New songs on the first discs and classic tracks on the second. Thumbs up!
Em’s lyrics are starting to be less cringe worthy, but I don’t like his new flow. He’s almost never on beat anymore, like the “Psychopath Killer” joint, Great Beat, Great Hook, Royce and Crooked killed it and then Em comes with that weird off beat flow he’s working with and I automatically hit the skip button.
Shrugs
Also, I never was a fan of Em’s production and that hasn’t changed. It’s serviceable, I can tolerate it when the rhymes work but it’s nothing to right home about.
3/5
yeah your right eminem def had the weakest verse but he still had a nice verse.. its just crooked I and royce had such nice verses it made eminems stand out as not as on point. just a great song.
I like this. Better than i expected. Shady is killin it. I wonder what album he’ll release next
hopefully something like eminem show. normal meaningful songs, no weird shit.
first eminem album i copped since relapse..man this whole album slapped and is what hiphop is supposed to be.. loved every song on here..
top3 songs i liked were
1)physcopathic killers (crooked I just went bananas on that)
2)bane- wish eminem threw on a verse but that song is on repeat d-12 killed it
3)yall ready know (slaughterhouse is that next group)
Bane?!? That was one the worst songs ive ever heard and apart from the really pop sounding tracks was the worst song on the album
terrific. The beats are dirty and the lyrics from all artists are consistently interesting, which is really saying something.
This seems almost like a throw away / mixtape album. Tracks like Shadyxv, Down, Bane, Vegas, Fine Line and Right for me…. WTF??
Not the best body of work Shady/aftermath/interscope whatever/whoever released it has put out
dope
This shit is fire, fire Marshall to be exact. Em the best in the game hands down, for our generation, for their generation, and all future generations. Simply brilliant.. Great compilation as well.
exaggerate much?? smh
Exaggerating? Nah son, no one on this nigga’s level. Name me an emcee..you just can’t..The new songs are dope, the old songs are dope, the whole LP is dope. How am I exaggerating?
this is not dope/fire whatever bullshit you talking. This seems like mixtape/ throw away album…. too many wack tracks on here just my opinion
2014 forrest hills drive will save the day. Big Krit cadillactica now thats fire SON!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL
This album is awesome.Real hiphop and Em and his crew shows that they still run the game. Best song has to be “Vegas”, which Em completely murdered(sick lyrics and flow) and “Psychopath killer”,KXNG Crooked went ham in that. Will play this shit for a long time!
It’s an interesting mix tape not really feeling bane or guts over fear(he has too many songs like that), has a few hot songs and decent amount of dope verses on there. Too much eminem production but at least it has some guest producers/beat smiths. 3.5/5
This album is awesome.Real hiphop and Em and his crew shows that they still run the game. Best song has to be “Vegas”, which Em completely murdered(sick lyrics and flow) and “Psychopath killer”,KXNG Crooked went ham in that. Will play this shit for a long time!
well done kid thats your opinion its nothing special
This is dogshit. Straight up doodoo. Ya’ll be sure to cop that new Wu-tang album out next week #ABetterTomorrow
really hoping its good
kids these days…. hip hop changed for the worse years ago
tupac biggie nas jay-z cube warren g, snoop, old eminem, methodman old jeezy old game, old kanye old obie trice
old ludacris, old g-unit, old 50 cent, old dmx xzibit old busta rymes
now we got wiz khalifa, waka flocka flame, mgk, asher roth, action bronson, drake, 2 chainz, soulja boy. meek mill, wale, rick ross, stalley, big sean, fairy new boy kanye west. the wack list is endless
thank god for big krit, j.cole, rittz, kendrick, schoolboy q or id be done altogher
people over the age of 26/27 will know what im talking about
this is wack
J. Cole and Schoolboy Q both are lame. Krit, Rittz, Kendrick are really good rappers, though.
This is like a sequel to MMLP2 concept in a certain way..
Just like MMLP1 to Devil’s Night or Encore to Re-Up
this shit is NOTHING like mmlp2..mmlp2 was a bunch of pop shit and corny rhymes and fucked up beats..this one is rap thru and thru with 1-2 sung chorus’s.,
^a rapper is not pop because there is a pop chorus. otherwise, tupac, biggie, nas, and jay are all pop stars and not rappers
Shit is too sick some of the tracks are definitely weird and definitely have to grow on you over time though 4/5
yep
Very nice. Smooth and relaxing yet energetic.
so sickkkkk!!!
Ayo this ya boy Tyrone.. This album straight doodoo yall best avoid this doodoo here. If it was possible i would rate this doodoo 0/5 but i cant seem to go lower than 1/5 so i think imma roll wit dat yall.. straight doodoo i say
wrote the same shit like 10 posts on here..get a life.
Really?Shit like Big K.R.I.T and Azaealia have the same or more than Eminem?
Bought the ShadyXV today. I have been listening to music again. Okay it good therapy. I also have Spotify. I love Rap and a new fan of Shady’s music. I am really enjoying just wearing my headset. Who cares what my grandkids say or my 39 year old daughter or anyone else. I have a right to be crazy. Not!!! Although my granddaughter who is 17 says he is out to her generation. I know I like her music. Mostly rap. Everyone is sorta rap now. Please don’t hate on me.♥♥♥♥
just gave your whole life story. noone gives a fuck enjoy some eminem
Dope new material and also great old songs from the past that I love!
GREAT
Dope album
Lyrically untouched by anyone completely insane and I love how he’s back to his old ways of disses these crap artists who are out now!
Disagree about the production, it is choppy & generally all over the place, most of Em’s verses sound like he did acapella versions & tried to line them up with the beat afterwards. It really comes off as off beat, other than that everything is dope. Also not digging this review, it hardly mentions any of the tracks at all but merely states generalizations about the artists.
It’s hilarious how people complain about him being offbeat when offbeat has been a rap style for a long time.
shit was nice! ofcourse Eminem was leading. once again another motherfucking masterpiece. the legend has spoke. not just a rap god, he is a fucking god! bow the fuck down to this shit, its spiritual.
Real simple. Eminem has degraded this album with his childish raps and offbeat flows. This new Em is wack. He got bars! but they’re stupid like he wrote his raps in 2 minutes. Slaughter and D12 came with it. You ‘Stans’ should stop sucking Em’s weenie. There was 1 Stan and he is dead.
what the fuck? did you even listen to the songs? shit man you just some troll who think’s he’s cool, when he tries to talk eminem down.
offbeat flows? haha… em has one of the sickest wordplay & rhymes.
but go and listen to iggy azalea, you dumb motherfucker
Shady/Aftermath are the kings in the rap game!!
em came back to god. everyone seems to be missing this. fuckin incredible album. now get ready for the space storms in december people. real talk. em knows the end is now.. which is shy shady is his e”X” “V”alentine. ya’ll dont get lmao
Ems seemingly purposeful off beat verses ruined it all 4 me. Im a stan too
nice compilation
disappointing
The production was awful barring a couple of tracks. I was very disappointed in this album especially after hearing tracks like Detroit vs. Everybody and Psychopathic Killer which really got my hopes up for this album.
Eminem flow is boring now
Honestly fire
EMINEM ALA THE RAP GOD !!!! SHADY/AFTERMATH NEVER DISAPPOINTS. OVERALL THE NEW MATERIAL IS DOPE, COULD HAVE CHOSEN BETTER BEATS AND LET YELAWOLF AND SLAUGHTERHOUSE SHINE A BIT MORE, BUT IT IS SHADY’S LABEL AND HE IS STILL RUNNING THE RAP GAME AND AFTER THAT SHADY CYPHER WHICH WAS THE BEST FLOW WE ALL HAVE HEARD SO WHY NOT HAVE THE MOST SONGS ON THE ALBUM. ALL YOU HATERZ OUT THERE OH EM FLOW IS OFF BEAT OR HE IS JUST RAMBLING, YOU DUMB FUCKS HE IS DOING THIS SHIT FOR A HOBBY HE HAS NOTHING TO PROVE , 80 + MILLION ALBUMS SOLD AND STILL DOESN’T GIVE A FUCK. NOBODY IS AND NOBODY WILL EVER BE ON EM’S LEVEL PERIOD PEOPLE HE WILL ALWAYS BE #1…. YELA LOVE STORY UP NEXT …. STILL SHADY / AFTERMATH!
EM is just on another level
this is a great album
awesome
Technically, in terms of rhyme schemes, the best album of the year. But there have been better overall albums
its not an album, its a compilation, it shouldnt be rated at all
better than The Re-up
You are crazy. Go to sleep!
Lyrically, this is a great album. All of the solo Eminem songs have some crazy rhyme schemes.
..oh and premo. I just wish Em spat over a premo beat already!
Lets put it this way…Im a huge Em fan. Ive probably heard every track hes ever done. This cd is ASS. All these fake hip hop fans on here talking “rhyme schemes” and “wordplay”….shut the fuck up! This cd is ass. Its called music, what em is doing right now is making me fucking cringe. He lost his ability to flow, and nothing is original. Guess what people, if you listened to MMLP2, this is the same exact style, same exact flows, same ass lame creativity. He’s done, hes out of touch, im tired of hearing about the same shit song after song. Fuck “guts over fear” that corny ass industry song that sucks and pretty much every other song on this album. There are 2 songs worth listening on the whole album
Penski, I agree with you all the way! Em just messed this Album up. Em is confused and confusing the rest of Shady.
Dude.. totally agree with you.. I am probably the second biggest Stan in the world. Eminem’s presence on the album is the worst thing about it..
Slaughterhouse did their thing for Psychopath Killer and then Eminem just came with the same cringe worthy delivery.
100% agree bruh. Anytime you try and call this dude out people want to hide behind his rhyme schemes and technical ability. I don’t care how many syllables you can rhyme together in a 4 bar measure when your doing it on song number 25,000 about how much you hate women, or song number 80,000 about your miserable ass life. Dude has been rapping about those topics since he started and it is wack as fuck now.
The album grows on you, it feels a little too much to take in initially but a few more listens feels like musical gold, great lyrical acrobatics by Eminem, love the album
Album whack
you forced yourself to like this album Stan
On straight loop since Momday. Em had me laughing through Shady XV using his throwback nasal rapping voice, then taking me a range of other emotions with Psychopath Kiiller, Right For Me, and Detroit vs Everybody. His most personal is Fine Line, and it was enough to bring me to tears. So much emotion in that song. And he’ll surprise you with his pretty good singing voice on Twisted, while Yelawolf just blows his verse out of the water! Royce is stellar on everything he touches. This album will likely make any Eminem/ hip hop fan happy and satisfied.
Psychopath Killer is most likely the song of the year. Very dope track!
The rating is generous. Ever since Em started screaming on rock-infused tracks and going hard with bars minutes on end trying to out rap everyone, he’s fallen off. This album sucks. Can’t he just take it easy and not try so hard? Cut the screaming, put some swag in your raps and flow and choose some real boom bap hip hop beats, then I might just get interested again. Until then Shady XV sucks even psychopath killer couldn’t save it.
I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE! You hit the nail on the head when you said ” Can’t he just take it easy and not try so hard?” So true. Eminem no longer raps effortlessly like he did in such A classic song as ‘Sing For The Moment’ nor does he ride the beat anymore like he did on a classic such as ‘Kill You’. Dude is all over the place now and he’s too consumed with being some “super technical rapper”. Seriously, when did we ever ask for that? We supported this dude for years because he stayed in his own lane and made three back to back classic studio LP’s and two good but not great albums with Encore and Relapse. In retrospect, Recovery, MMLP2 and Shady XV make Encore and Relapse sound like SSLP and MMLP1.
Good album, great production overall, a lot of interesting concepts and flows. Too bad it’s only 13 songs and the fact that this is not his solo, because I find other SR artists inferior. For me, only bad song is “Bane”. Well, it’s not bad, it’s awful. D12 is really done. “Y’all ready know” is really boring, even though the beat is amazing. Vegas is really fun, both Em and Royce were good on it. Eminem’s rhyming on this album is quite impressive and complex. His production skills are awesome, he doesn’t really need other producers on his projects, except for maybe Sid Roams or Emile. SHADYXV is the standout track for me. A cappella part of that song is great. He should do more of that. Eminem is funny as fuck again and his wordplay is subtle and quite clever. Too bad his flows are not always perfect or fitting for a beat.
#BARSOFTHEYEAR
3/5 stars for half ass effort. HipHopDX needs to get of Em’s dick. The compilation is a throwaway for already established fans and are a weak representation of the label. The new songs are hit and miss, which is sadly the new norm for Em. His new flow is like reading a text book — sometimes paralyzingly hard to follow and harder to enjoy — versus his old style, which was more pop culture magazine — hip and cool and goes down easy. Since “Recovery” Em has had a boner for pop-tinged beats and hooks because it means sales to the female demographic. Which explains “Twisted”. I mean what the fuck, really, someone said “This is good, let’s make THIS and THEN put it on the anniversary album”? “Twisted” is the “Fack” of collection. For always bragging about being a student of hip-hop and saying he’s obsessed with hip-hop he sure enjoys giving us the middle finger when it comes to actually delivering hip-hop. Obie Trice got the shaft and it’s unforgivable he wasn’t on any new tracks, specifically “Detroit vs Everybody”. Em could’ve mastered his diss tracks from his beefing days and made an amazing anniversary album but instead he said “Fuck that” and gave us something half-baked.
The rhyme schemes are just on another level
Ya’ll really gave this 4/5 and Joe Budden 3.5/5. Damn DX yall are tripping. This is more Em trash either spitting million bars a second talking about nothing or vulnerable but POP sounding songs. 2/5 at very best
Yeah that joey deserves a 4/5 I agree.
FLOWS ARE DOPE… BEATS ARE STRAIGHT ASS JUICE AND WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL DEJ LOAF TO STOP
FLOWS ARE DOPE….BEATS ARE STRAIGHT ASS JUICE. AND WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL DEJ LOAF TO STOP.
FLOWS ARE DOPE….BEATS ARE STRAIGHT ASS JUICE
Shit is dope.. Fuck the slow process brain thinking listeners that want lyrics spoon-fed to them. That’s how music is these days. abc raps.. Ya’ll want that shit then go watch Sesame Street.. I admit it was hard to grasp the lyrics at first but the more I listened the easier it got. It’s like when you heard rap for the first time as a kid. You had no idea what they saying till you listened more. How can you be a hip hop head and not appreciate the work Em put behind these bars? Like forreal..? Most of ya’ll hating on this were the same mufuckas that thought Em’s verse from the Shady Cypher was dope. Nothing changed here. It’s just over a beat now. I get it..Ya’ll minds are too slow to keep up with Em over a beat but could when it was a capella. Take ya ADHD pills kids. On some of these tracks Em is spittin’ better than he ever has like on “Shady XV” and “Right For Me”.. He’s back in rare form. Took him a while. He was corny as fuck,(besides a few tracks), on Relapse and Recovery, but was gettin’ in rhythm on MMLP2,( even though some of the beats were corn). A lot of fresh sounds on here too as well as beats at slow tempos that you can rock too like they were trap beats but not. You gotta just take a second and digest the lyrics. Once you do you’ll be aight. I still catch a line I didn’t catch to this day and I been bumping this since it dropped. I don’t get why mufuckas hate on this so bad. I guess its just a new era. Nobody wanna hear inventive lyrics no more. Nobody wanna hear mufuckas set standards lyrically fuckin’ sum shit up. I guess the older heads who grew up in the 80’s/90’s can feel this more. Not little playschool kids who don’t remember when there was a time when phones weren’t mini-computers and hard chords attatched to them. It’s just a new era I guess.
Yes. Thank you. Haters straight can’t comprehend…
Ha! It ain’t even that. Comparing Em’s new shit to 80s rap is like comparing soup with steak: not even similar. You can compare them but they’re not even the same food group. He can try and set the bar high lyrically but doesn’t mean they’re enjoyable, doesn’t mean people want to bump them in their car. His evolution of taste in beats is completely whack now and he freely admits to selling out on some pop shit. These are the reasons people are saying they’re not feeling him no more. And you’re gonna defend XV but turn around and call Relapse corny?? Damn dude at least he didn’t try and sing on Relapse.
@Coup
Finally a guy who gets it. Em has transcended to a whole new level on this album lyrically and the beats bang hard. Lots of kids are hating just because the beats are different from the repetitive bullshit out these days. These beats are original. Others are crying because the rhymes are too complex.
I guess you gotta be a hip hop head to get it.
You…you heard shit like Vegas….right? He wasn’t even on beat. I don’t care how dope your lyrics are. If you can’t do the most important thing, then what the fuck is the point. Guts Over Fear is that same old shit he’s been on since Recovery. Detroit Vs Everybody….Everybody won. Wtf was that Bane shit? Wtf happened to D12? Psychopath Killer was dope. Until Shady tried to rap too fast for the beat and sounded like he was vocally falling over. And if you’re getting singing chicks on the track WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SINGING? You know what was good about this album? Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf. Those guys have bars for days, great flows and stay on beat. Then again, we all got an opinion.
4 stars for two mediocre tracks. Rest are great
Amazing album
Best release since a while
Dope album…i love it
Super lyrical album…..Eminem is the dopest
No he’s not.
average, nothing special. Funny thing is with Eminem lovers they’ll bang out his album for a week then that’s the last you’ll hear of it.
This album is straight booty lol…look an artist can say a lot of words and clever rhyme schemes but if it doesnt flow with the beat or have any harmony, what the fuck good is it? Anyone can say 19,875 words a minute in a song but making it flow nicely…to a beat…thats difficult to do and thats music. Eminem is garbage now…Accept it, shut the fuck up and take it like fan…stan…man…bitches lolol!
A rapper that has fallen from grace so badly it’s becoming pathetic! Eminem is deprived of ideas where to steer his career. He wants to be a lyrical god, but for what? This senseless pursuit has left him in a rut and he won’t be coming out of it soon until he starts focusing on making music again instead of chasing something that will add no value whatsoever to his career once achieved. 1/5 stars, lyrical garbage!!
Lyrical masterpiece. Not much else though tbh.
i like this, not bad!
Full of great punchlines. Disappointed by some of the beats though
Lyrical masterpiece as usual. Beats were average. Some of the choruses were annoying. But I am a lyric guy so I gave this album 5. “If we gotta dumb down our music and ABC it then so be it” Syllables Eminem
Trash, yall dickriders.
I know how to listen for punch lines and metaphores but this album is not a good one. It has a couple good tracks by Eminem but the singles are terrible. I am a heavy Eminem listener and this brought nothing to my ears that I haven’t heard before by another rapper. The few good songs on this album were either featuring YelaWolf or Staring Yelawolf. Eminem messed up. Why on earth would you put music from many years ago onto an album with new music? It’s almost as if Eminem and the Shady Records company are trying to show all the listeners that Eminem from the past is much better than the Eminem of today. It baffles me and many others on why Shady Records and Eminem have placed legendary music from 10+ years ago onto an album of today which seems to have no theme or even style.
FIIIIRE!
Apart from Eminem’s verses, this entire album was pathetic. Curtain Calls had Em’s greatest hits, and half the songs on Disc 2 aren’t worthy of even being called “Greatest Hits”
The beats are really crappy, and the tunes and choruses are horrible. Vegas and Shady XV is the only song that gives some relief when it comes to rapping properly
Eminem groupies out in full force. This thing isn’t trash but it ain’t all that either. It’s aight.
Eminem is trying to flow like Kool G Rap now with the multi syllable rhyming and it’s cool but it sounds really forced and he just doesn’t pull it off nearly as well as G Rap did.
Do you have any fucking idea what you’re talking about? Eminent is JUST NOW using multi syllabic rhymes? Allow me to reference his FIRST GODDAMN ALBUM EVER: “My pen and paper causing chain reactions/to get your brain relaxing/the zany acting maniac in action/a brainiac in fact son/ you mainly lack attraction/you looking crazy whack when just a fraction of my tracks run.”
Then the rhyme scheme gets even more complex. So you are wrong.
em dosent disapoint
this was highly disappointing. eminem seems to force stuff to fit into a certain amount of bars when it clearly doesn’t.. that’s something an amateur rapper would do but a veteran like eminem just doesn’t have any excuse for that. the beats are weak as fack too. overall just trash i deleted it already, not even worth keeping for the few good tracks.
second disc is ok, takes u back to some good times lol
fuck you
nigga, u was listning to Drake the whole time…wash ur ass and stay in school
Audio syphilis. 0/5
This shit is really average at best. You Eminem groupies are shameless the way y’all throw this shit in people’s face. Em’s bars sound forced as hell these days. It’s like he’s trying too hard to be Kool G Rap or something. Doesn’t come off natural at all and the beats are just atrocious.
Very good album. Enjoyed thoroughly. Very good lyrics, beats and interesting wordplay. Excellent album overall. Probably one of the best of 2014. Going platinum in one day is a very amazing thing.
It amazes me how much undue criticism this album has received since release. It seems all anyone can focus on is “Em doesn’t spit like he did in 2003!”. I find that a contradiction when people criticize him for covering familiar subject matter then bitch about him not rhyming like he did ten years ago. If you like his old shit, listen to his old shit. Personally I find Em a challenge to listen to and it’s almost tiring to keep up with his flows but I like that. You really have to pay attention and that keeps things interesting. There is a hell of a lot of A-B-C rap out there for you to switch your brain off to in the car why complain because some rappers buck the trend? The rhyming patterns, dexterity and word play was absolutely nuts on this album and if it was any other MC putting out those bars, they would get lauded with praise. I hear a lot about MCs being stuck in a rut, personally I think the fans are. They have gotten so used to fast food music that they are intimidated by anything showing even a little complexity. Em isn’t even alone in this style of rhyming; Chino XL, Tech N9ne and Hopsin among others are still burning mics.
As for the album itself, I thought everyone brought it except D-12. “Bane” was horrible all round and it was annoying not to see Eminem collaborate with his group. Slaughterhouse killed it though as did Yelawolf. “Twisted” was also a misstep and a bit of an oddity; Why have two lyricists crooning over a track featuring an actual singer? Although “Guts Over Fear” gets kudos for the honesty on display, it loses points for feeling like a retread of “Not Afraid” (the irony isn’t lost on me).
In the end, a good compilation with a couple of throwaway tracks that shows the transition from Shady 1.0 to 2.0.
Fav songs, Guts Over Fear , Fine Line, Detroit vs everybody,Psychopath Killer and some D12 ,50Cent songs
eminem is trash now
Replay value has gone down for me on this. Psychopath Killer was dope, but Eminem is really trying too hard.
I am digging it right now and that is all that matters…
7/10
Dope album. Psychopath Killer and Vegas = Best Tracks
Not bad but lacks the magic and does feel forced at times. I really don’t care for his beats these days either, what happened to his old beats?
Wish he would let dre produce his album’s again,lyrically on point but not sure he’s a rapper/pproducer!!
Liked the majority of the album though!
Dope album all in all. It’s just a record company compilation w/ some new tracks. Vegas is the clear stand out on the whole album. Royce and Em just murder it.
Oh fuck, and Detroit VS Everybody. That ties Vegas as the standout.
6.5-7/10
There were lots of good tracks, but some bad tracks too.
Best Songs: Shady XV, Psychopath Killer, Right For Me, Detroit Vs Everybody
Worst Songs: Vegas, Twisted