Eminem | ||
| Allmusic Biography : To call Eminem hip-hops Elvis is correct to a degree, but its largely inaccurate. Certainly, Eminem was the first white rapper since the Beastie Boys to garner both sales and critical respect, but his impact exceeded this confining distinction. On sheer verbal skills, Eminem was one of the greatest MCs of his generation -- rapid, fluid, dexterous, and unpredictable, as capable of pulling off long-form narratives as he was delivering a withering aside -- and thanks to his mentor Dr. Dre, he had music to match: thick, muscular loops that evoked the terror and paranoia Ems music conjured. And, to be certain, a great deal of the controversy Eminem courted -- and during the turn of the millennium, there was no greater pop cultural bogeyman than Marshall Mathers -- came through in how his violent fantasias, often directed at his mother or his wife, intertwined with flights of absurdity that appealed to listeners too young to absorb the psychodramas Eminem explored on his hit albums, The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP. With hits "My Name Is" and "The Real Slim Shady," he ruled the airwaves, but it wasnt long before some detractors acknowledged his depth, helped in part by singles like the mournful "Stan," written from the perspective of an obsessed fan. Eminem capitalized on this forward momentum by crossing over onto the big screen with 8 Mile, earning acclaim for his performance and an Oscar for the films anthem "Lose Yourself," but a number of demons led him to shut down for the second half of the decade, an absence that proved life was indeed empty without Em, before he returned in 2009 with Relapse. Born Marshall Mathers in the Kansas City, Missouri suburb of St. Joseph, Eminem spent his childhood between Missouri and Michigan, settling in Detroit by his teens. At the age of 14, he began rapping with a high-school friend, the two adopting the names "Manix" and "M&M;," which soon morphed into Eminem. Under this name, Mathers entered battle rapping, a struggle dramatized in the fictionalized 8 Mile. Initially, the predominantly African-American audience didnt embrace Eminem, but soon his skills gained him a reputation, and he was recruited to join several rap groups. The first of these was the New Jacks, and after they disbanded, he joined Soul Intent, who released a single in 1995. This single also featured Proof, and the two rappers broke off on their own to form D-12, a six-member crew that functioned more as a Wu-Tang-styled collective than a regularly performing group. As he was struggling to establish his career, he and his girlfriend Kim had a daughter, Hailey, forcing him to spend less time rapping and more time providing for his family. During this time, he assembled his first album, Infinite, which received some underground attention in 1996, not all of it positive. After its release, Eminem developed his Slim Shady alter ego, a persona that freed him to dig deep into his dark id, something he needed as he faced a number of personal upheavals, beginning with a bad split with Kim, which led him to move in with his mother and increase his use of drugs and alcohol, capped off with an unsuccessful suicide attempt. All this Sturm und Drang was channeled into The Slim Shady EP, which is where he first demonstrated many of the quirks that became his trademark, including his twitchy, nasal rhyming and disturbingly violent imagery. The Slim Shady EP opened many doors, the most notable of them being a contract with Interscope Records. After Eminem came in second at the 1997 Rap Olympics MC Battle in Los Angeles, Interscope head Jimmy Iovine sought out the rapper, giving the EP to Dr. Dre, who proved eager to work with Eminem. They quickly cut Ems Interscope debut in the fall of 1998 -- during which time Marshall reconciled with Kim and married her -- and The Slim Shady LP appeared early in 1999, preceded by the single "My Name Is." Both were instant blockbusters and Eminem turned into a lightning rod for attention, earning praise and disdain for his violent, satirical fantasias. Eminem quickly followed The Slim Shady LP with The Marshall Mathers LP in the summer of 2000. By this point, there was little doubt that Eminem was one of the biggest stars in pop music: the album sold by the truckload, selling almost two million copies within the first two weeks of release, but Mathers felt compelled to tweak other celebrities, provoking pop stars in his lyrics, and Insane Clown Posses entourage in person, providing endless fodder for tabloids. This gossip blended with growing criticism about his violent and homophobic lyrics, and under this fire, he reunited his old crew, D-12, releasing an album in 2001, then touring with the group. During this furor, he had his biggest hit in the form of the moody ballad "Stan." Performed at the Grammys as a duet with Elton John, thereby undercutting some accusations of homophobia, the song helped Eminem to cross over to a middlebrow audience, setting the stage for the ultimate crossover of 2001s 8 Mile. Directed by Curtis Hanson, best known as the Oscar-nominated director of L.A. Confidential, the gritty drama fictionalized Eminems pre-fame Detroit days and earned considerable praise, culminating in one of his biggest hits with the theme "Lose Yourself," which won Mathers an Oscar. After all this, he retreated from the spotlight to record his third album, The Eminem Show. Preceded by the single "Without Me," the album turned into another huge hit, albeit not quite as strong as its predecessor, and there were some criticisms suggesting that Eminem wasnt expanding his horizons much. Encore, released late in 2004, did reach into more mature territory, notably on the anti-George W. Bush "Mosh," but most of the controversy generated by the album was for behind-the-scenes events: a bus crash followed by canceled dates and a stint in rehab. Rumors of retirement flew, and the 2005 appearance of Curtain Call: The Hits did nothing to dampen them, nor did the turmoil of 2006, a year that saw Mathers remarrying and divorcing Kim within a matter of four months, as well as the shooting death of Proof at a Detroit club. During all this, Em did some minor studio work, but soon he dropped off the radar completely, retreating to his Detroit home. He popped up here and there, most notably debuting the hip-hop channel Shade 45 for Sirius Satellite Radio in September 2008, but it wasnt until early 2009 that he mounted a comeback with Relapse, an album whose very title alluded to some of Mathers struggles with prescription drugs, but it also announced that after an extended absence, Slim Shady was back. While not quite a blockbuster, the album went platinum, and Eminem followed it at the end of the year with an expanded version of Relapse (dubbed Relapse: Refill) that added outtakes and new recordings. Recovery, initially titled Relapse 2, was issued in June 2010. The album debuted on top of the Billboard 200 chart, where it remained for five consecutive weeks, while its leadoff single, "Not Afraid," debuted on top of the magazines Hot 100 singles chart. The year 2010 also brought Eminem back together with Royce da 59" under the Bad Meets Evil moniker. In turn, June 2011s Hell: The Sequel marked the release of their first EP as a duo and -- barring the previous months release of key EP track "Fastlane" as a single -- was their first batch of new material since a 1999 double A-side. After an intense period of recording, Eminem announced in August 2013 that his next solo album would be a nostalgically themed set of new material entitled The Marshall Mathers LP 2, which landed in early November. The album featured the singles "Berzerk," "Rap God," and "Survival," plus the chart-topping hit "The Monster" with Rihanna. In 2014, new tracks landed on the double-disc set Shady XV, which celebrated the Shady labels 15th birthday. The singles "Phenomenal" and "Kings Never Die" featuring Gwen Stefani arrived a year later, both taken from the Southpaw soundtrack. Eminem resurfaced in October 2017 with a freestyle anti-Trump rap. The track didnt appear on Revival, the December 2017 album that was filled with cameos, including appearances by Beyoncé ("Walk on Water"), Ed Sheeran ("River"), and P!nk ("Need Me"). His seventh straight chart-topper, it ultimately failed to match the sales heights of past efforts, despite the international success of the "River" single. The next year, without warning, Eminem issued his surprise tenth album, Kamikaze. The set featured appearances by Joyner Lucas, Royce da 59", and Jessie Reyez, as well as "Venom," from the film of the same name. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 11 Title: The Slim Shady LP Released: 1999-02-23 Tracks: 20 Duration: 59:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Public Service Announcement (00:33) 2 My Name Is (04:29) 3 Guilty Conscience (03:20) 4 Brain Damage (03:46) 5 Paul (00:15) 6 If I Had (04:05) 7 ’97 Bonnie & Clyde (05:16) 8 Bitch (00:19) 9 Role Model (03:26) 10 Lounge (00:46) 11 My Fault (04:01) 12 Ken Kaniff (01:16) 13 Cum on Everybody (03:39) 14 Rock Bottom (03:34) 15 Just Don’t Give a Fuck (04:02) 16 Soap (00:34) 17 As the World Turns (04:25) 18 I’m Shady (03:32) 19 Bad Meets Evil (04:13) 20 Still Don’t Give a Fuck (04:11) |
| The Slim Shady LP : Allmusic album Review : Given his subsequent superstardom, culminating in no less than an Academy Award, it may be easy to overlook exactly how demonized Eminem was once his mainstream debut album, The Slim Shady LP, grabbed the attention of pop music upon its release in 1999. Then, it wasnt clear to every listener that Eminem was, as they say, an unreliable narrator, somebody who slung satire, lies, uncomfortable truths, and lacerating insights with vigor and venom, blurring the line between reality and parody, all seemingly without effort. The Slim Shady LP bristles with this tension, since its never always clear when Marshall Mathers is joking and when hes dead serious. This was unsettling in 1999, when nobody knew his back-story, and years later, when his personal turmoil is public knowledge, it still can be unsettling, because his words and delivery are that powerful. Of course, nowhere is this more true than on "97 Bonnie and Clyde," a notorious track where he imagines killing his wife and then disposing of the body with his baby daughter in tow. There have been more violent songs in rap, but few more disturbing, and its not because of what it describes, its how he describes it -- how the perfectly modulated phrasing enhances the horror and black humor of his words. Eminems supreme gifts are an expansive vocabulary and vivid imagination, which he unleashes with wicked humor and unsparing anger in equal measure. The production -- masterminded by Dr. Dre but also helmed in large doses by Marky and Jeff Bass, along with Marshall himself -- mirrors his rhymes, with their spare, intricately layered arrangements enhancing his narratives, which are always at the forefront. As well they should be -- there are few rappers as wildly gifted verbally as Eminem. At a time when many rappers were stuck in the stultifying swamp of gangsta clichés, Eminem broke through the hardcore murk by abandoning the genres familiar themes and flaunting a style with more verbal muscle and imagination than any of his contemporaries. Years later, as the shock has faded, its those lyrical skills and the subtle mastery of the music that still resonate, and theyre what make The Slim Shady LP one of the great debuts in both hip-hop and modern pop music. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 11 Title: The Marshall Mathers LP Released: 2000-05-22 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:12:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Public Service Announcement 2000 (00:25) 2 Kill You (04:24) 3 Stan (06:43) 4 Paul (skit) (00:10) 5 Who Knew (03:47) 6 Steve Berman (00:53) 7 The Way I Am (04:50) 8 The Real Slim Shady (04:44) 9 Remember Me? (03:38) 10 I’m Back (05:10) 11 Marshall Mathers (05:20) 12 Ken Kaniff (skit) (01:01) 13 Drug Ballad (05:00) 14 Amityville (04:14) 15 Bitch Please II (04:48) 16 Kim (06:17) 17 Under the Influence (05:22) 18 Criminal (05:19) |
| The Marshall Mathers LP : Allmusic album Review : Its hard to know what to make of Eminem, even if you know that half of what he says is sincere and half is a put-on; the trick is realizing that theres truth in the joke, and vice versa. Many dismissed his considerable skills as a rapper and social satirist because the vulgarity and gross-out humor on The Slim Shady LP were too detailed for some to believe that it was anything but real. To Eminems credit, he decided to exploit that confusion on his masterful second record, The Marshall Mathers LP. Eminem is all about blurring the distinction between reality and fiction, humor and horror, satire and documentary, so it makes perfect sense that The Marshall Mathers LP is no more or no less "real" than The Slim Shady LP. It is, however, a fairly brilliant expansion of his debut, turning his spare, menacing hip-hop into a hyper-surreal, wittily disturbing thrill ride. Its both funnier and darker than his debut, and Eminems writing is so sharp and clever that the jokes cut as deeply as the explorations of his ruptured psyche. The production is nearly as evocative as the raps, with liquid basslines, stuttering rhythms, slight sound effects, and spacious soundscapes. There may not be overpowering hooks on every track, but the album works as a whole, always drawing the listener in. But, once youre in, Eminem doesnt care if you understand exactly where hes at, and he doesnt offer any apologies if you cant sort the fact from the fiction. As an artist, hes supposed to create his own world, and with this terrific second effort, he certainly has. It may be a world that is as infuriating as it is intriguing, but it is without question his own, which is far more than most of his peers are able to accomplish at the dawn of a new millennium. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 11 Title: The Eminem Show Released: 2002-05-27 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:17:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Curtains Up (skit) (00:29) 2 White America (05:24) 3 Business (04:13) 4 Cleanin Out My Closet (04:58) 5 Square Dance (05:23) 6 The Kiss (skit) (01:15) 7 Soldier (03:46) 8 Say Goodbye Hollywood (04:32) 9 Drips (04:45) 10 Without Me (04:51) 11 Paul Rosenberg (skit) (00:22) 12 Sing for the Moment (05:40) 13 Superman (05:50) 14 Hailie’s Song (05:20) 15 Steve Berman (skit) (00:33) 16 When the Music Stops (04:29) 17 Say What You Say (05:09) 18 ’Till I Collapse (04:57) 19 My Dad’s Gone Crazy (04:27) 20 Curtains Close (skit) (01:01) |
| The Eminem Show : Allmusic album Review : Its all about the title. First time around, Eminem established his alter ego, Slim Shady -- the character who deliberately shocked and offended millions, turning Eminem into a star. Second time at bat, he turned out The Marshall Mathers LP, delving deeper into his past while revealing complexity as an artist and a personality that helped bring him an even greater audience and much, much more controversy. Third time around, its The Eminem Show -- a title that signals that Eminems public persona is front and center, for the very first time. And it is, as he spends much of the album commenting on the media circus that dominated on his life ever since the release of Marshall Mathers. This, of course, encompasses many, many familiar subjects -- his troubled childhood; his hatred of his parents; his turbulent relationship with his ex-wife, Kim (including the notorious incident when he assaulted a guy who allegedly kissed her -- the event that led to their divorce); his love of his daughter, Hailie; and, of course, all the controversy he generated, notably the furor over his alleged homophobia and his scolding from Lynne Cheney, which leads to furious criticism about the hypocrisy of America and its government. All this is married to a production very similar to that of its predecessor -- spare, funky, fluid, and vibrant, punctuated with a couple of ballads along the way. So, that means The Eminem Show is essentially a holding pattern, but its a glorious one -- one that proves Eminem is the gold standard in pop music in 2002, delivering stylish, catchy, dense, funny, political music that rarely panders (apart from a power ballad "Dream On" rewrite on "Sing for the Moment" and maybe the sex rap "Drips," that is). Even if there is little new ground broken, the presentation is exceptional -- Dre never sounds better as a producer than when Eminem pushes him forward (witness the stunning oddity "Square Dance," a left-field classic with an ominous waltz beat) and, with three albums under his belt, Eminem has proven himself to be one of the all-time classic MCs, surprising as much with his delivery as with what he says. Plus, the undercurrent of political anger -- not just attacking Lynne Cheney, but raising questions about the Bush administration -- gives depth to his typical topics, adding a new, spirited dimension to his shock tactics as notable as the deep sentimental streak he reveals on his odes to his daughter. Perhaps the album runs a little too long at 20 songs and 80 minutes and would have flowed better if trimmed by 25 minutes, but thats a typical complaint about modern hip-hop records. Fact is, it still delivers more great music than most of its peers in rock or rap, and is further proof that Eminem is an artist of considerable range and dimension. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 11 Title: Encore Released: 2004-11-12 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:17:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Curtains Up (00:46) 2 Evil Deeds (04:19) 3 Never Enough (02:39) 4 Yellow Brick Road (05:46) 5 Like Toy Soldiers (04:56) 6 Mosh (05:17) 7 Puke (04:07) 8 My 1st Single (05:02) 9 Paul (skit) (00:32) 10 Rain Man (05:13) 11 Big Weenie (04:26) 12 Em Calls Paul (skit) (01:11) 13 Just Lose It (04:08) 14 Ass Like That (04:25) 15 Spend Some Time (05:10) 16 Mockingbird (04:11) 17 Crazy in Love (04:02) 18 One Shot 2 Shot (04:26) 19 Final Thought (skit) (00:30) 20 Encore / (Curtains) (05:48) |
| Encore : Allmusic album Review : Eminem took a hiatus after the release of his first motion picture, 8 Mile, in late 2002, but it never seemed like he went away. Part of that is the nature of celebrity culture, where every star cycles through gossip columns regardless of whether they have a project in the stores or theaters, and part of it is that Marshall Mathers kept busy, producing records by his protégés D12, Obie Trice, and 50 Cent -- all hit albums -- with the latter turning into the biggest new hip-hop star of 2003. All this activity tended to obscure the fact that Eminem hadnt released a full-length album of new material since The Eminem Show in early summer 2002, and that two and a half years separated that album and its highly anticipated sequel, Encore. As the title suggests, Encore is a companion piece to The Eminem Show the way that The Marshall Mathers LP mirrored The Slim Shady LP, offering a different spin on familiar subjects. Where his first two records dealt primarily with personas and characters, his second two records deal with what those personas have wrought, which tends to be intrinsically less interesting than the characters themselves, since its dissecting the aftermath instead of causing the drama. On The Eminem Show that kind of self-analysis was perfectly acceptable, since Eminem was on the top of his game as both a lyricist and rapper; his insights were vibrant and his music was urgent. Unfortunately, Encore is not the flipside of The Eminem Show as much as it is its negative image, where everything that was a strength has been turned into a handicap this time around. Musically, Show didnt innovate, but it didnt need to: Eminem and his mentor, Dr. Dre, had achieved cruising altitude, and even if they werent offering much that was new, the music sounded fresh and alive. Here, the music is staid and spartan, built on simple unadorned beats and keyboard loops. While some songs use this sound to its advantage and a few others break free -- "Yellow Brick Road" is a tense, cinematic production -- the overall effect of these stark, black-and-white productions it to make Encore seem hermetically sealed, to make Eminem sound isolated from the outside world. This impression is only enhanced by Ems choice of lyrical subjects throughout the album. Instead of documenting his life, or the shifts in his psyche, hes decided to chronicle whats happened to him over the past the two years and refute every charge thats made it into the papers. This is quite a bit different than his earlier albums, when he embellished and exaggerated his life, when his relationship with his estranged wife, Kim, turned into an outlaw ballad, when his frenetic insults, cheap shots, and celeb baiting had a surreal, hilarious impact. Here, Eminem is plainspoken and literal, intent on refuting every critic from Benzino at The Source to Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, who gets an entire song ("Ass Like That") devoted to him. Its a bizarre move that seems all the more humorless when you realize that the loosest, funniest song -- the first single, "Just Lose It" -- is a sideswipe at Michael Jackson, the easiest target Em has yet hit. And thats the major problem with Encore: it sounds as if Eminem is coasting, resting on his laurels, and never pushing himself into interesting territory. Since hes a talented artist, there are moments scattered across the record that do work, whether its full songs or flights of phrase in otherwise limp tracks, and thats enough to make it worth a spin, but Encore never resonates the way his first three endlessly fascinating albums do. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 11 Title: Curtain Call: The Hits Released: 2005-12-02 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:17:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Intro (Curtain Call) (00:33) 2 FACK (03:25) 3 The Way I Am (04:50) 4 My Name Is (04:29) 5 Stan (06:43) 6 Lose Yourself (05:26) 7 Shake That (04:34) 8 Sing for the Moment (05:40) 9 Without Me (04:51) 10 Like Toy Soldiers (04:56) 11 The Real Slim Shady (04:44) 12 Mockingbird (04:11) 13 Guilty Conscience (03:20) 14 Cleanin Out My Closet (04:58) 15 Just Lose It (04:08) 16 When Im Gone (04:41) 17 Stan (live) (06:20) |
| Curtain Call: The Hits : Allmusic album Review : If Eminems Curtain Call: The Hits really is his final bow and not merely a clever denouement to his series of Eminem Show and Encore albums, its a worthy way to retire. And even if he stages a comeback years from now, theres little question that the first five years of his career, spanning four albums plus a soundtrack, will be his popular and creative peak, meaning that the time is right for Curtain Call -- it has all the songs upon which his legend lies. Which isnt necessarily the same things as all the hits. There are a few odds and ends missing -- most notably one of his first hip-hop hits, "Just Dont Give a F***," plus 2003s "Superman" and 2005s "Ass Like That" -- but all the big songs are here: "Guilty Conscience," "My Name Is," "Stan," "The Real Slim Shady," "The Way I Am," "Cleanin Out My Closet," "Lose Yourself," "Without Me" and "Just Lose It." Theyre not presented in chronological order, which by and large isnt a problem, since the sequencing here not only has a good, logical momentum, alternating between faster and slower tracks, but theyre all part of a body of work thats one of the liveliest, most inventive in pop music in the 21st century. The only exception to the rule are the three new songs here, all finding Shady sounding somewhat thin. Theres the closing "When Im Gone," a sentimental chapter in the Eminem domestic psychodrama that bears the unmistakable suggestion that Em is going away for a while. While its not up to the standard of "Mockingbird," it is more fully realized than the two other new cuts here, both sex songs that find Shady sounding as if hes drifting along in his own orbit. "Shake That" has an incongruous Nate Dogg crooning the chorus, while the wildly weird "Fack" finds Eminem spending the entire track fighting off an orgasm; it seems tired, a little too close to vulgar Weird Al territory, and it doesnt help that his Jenna Jameson reference seems a little old (everybody knows that the busty porno "It" girl of 2005 is Jesse Jane; after all, she even was in Entourage). Even if these three cuts suggest why Eminem is, if not retiring, at least taking a long break, thats fine: theyre reasonably good and are bolstered by the rest of the songs here, which dont just capture him at his best, but retain their energy, humor, weirdness, and vitality even after theyve long become overly familiar. And that means Curtain Call isnt just a good way to bow out, but its a great greatest-hits album by any measure. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 11 Title: Raw & Uncut Released: 2006-10 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:04:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Intro (00:36) 2 Rape Game (Bump Heads) (05:52) 3 We as Americans (04:33) 4 I Love You More (04:47) 5 Can I Bitch (04:56) 6 Bully (05:06) 7 Doe Rae Me (05:10) 8 Say My Name (04:30) 9 Stimulate (04:36) 10 911 (03:45) 11 These Drugs (04:07) 12 Monkey See Monkey Do (03:28) 13 Nail in the Coffin (04:48) 14 The Sauce (03:32) 15 Kids (05:04) |
 | Album: 7 of 11 Title: Relapse Released: 2009-05-15 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:16:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dr. West (skit) (01:29) 2 3 a.m. (05:19) 3 My Mom (05:19) 4 Insane (03:01) 5 Bagpipes From Baghdad (04:43) 6 Hello (04:08) 7 Tonya (skit) (00:42) 8 Same Song & Dance (04:06) 9 We Made You (04:29) 10 Medicine Ball (03:57) 11 Paul (skit) (00:19) 12 Stay Wide Awake (05:19) 13 Old Time’s Sake (04:38) 14 Must Be the Ganja (04:02) 15 Mr. Mathers (skit) (00:42) 16 Déjà vu (04:43) 17 Beautiful (06:32) 18 Crack a Bottle (04:57) 19 Steve Berman (skit) (01:29) 20 Underground (06:11) |
| Relapse : Allmusic album Review : Eminem placed himself in exile shortly after Encore wound down, a seclusion initially designed as creative down-time but which soon descended into darkness fueled by another failed marriage to his wife Kim and the death of his best friend Proof, culminating in years of drug addiction. Em none too subtly refers to that addiction with the title of Relapse, his first album in five years, but that relapse also refers to Marshall Mathers reviving Slim Shady and returning to rap. Relapse is designed to grab attention, to stand as evidence that Eminem remains a musical force and, of course, a provocateur spinning out violent fantasies and baiting celebrities, occasionally merging the two as when he needles one-time girlfriend Mariah Carey and her new husband Nick Cannon. Strive as he might to make an impact in the world at large -- and succeeding in many respects -- Relapse is the sound of severe isolation, the product of too many years of Eminem playing king in his castle in a dilapidated Detroit, subsisting on pills, nachos, torture porn, and E! Daily News. As he sifted through junk culture, he also tweaked his rhyming, crafting an elongated elastic flow that contrasts startlingly with Dr. Dres intensified beats, ominous magnifications of his thud-and-stutter signature. Musically, this is white-hot, dense, and dramatic not just in the production but in Eminems delivery; he stammers and slides, slipping into an accent that resembles Paul Rudds Rastafarian leprechaun from I Love You Man and then back again. His flow is so good, his wordplay so sharp, it seems churlish to wish that he addressed something other than his long-standing obsessions and demons. True, he spends a fair amount of the album exorcising his addiction -- smartly tying it to his never-abating mother issues on "My Mom" -- but most of Relapse finds Eminem rhyming twitchily about his old standbys: homosexuals, starlets, and violent fantasies, weaving all of them together on "Same Song and Dance" where he abducts and murders Lindsay Lohan, suggesting more than a passing familiarity with I Know Who Killed Me. The many, many references to Kim Kardashians big ass and minutely detailed sadism can get a wee bit tiring, Relapse isnt really about what Eminem says, its about how he says it. Hes emerged from his exile musically re-energized and the best way to illustrate that is to go through the same old song and dance again, the familiarity of the words drawing focus on his insane, inspired flow and Dres production. That might not quite make Relapse culturally relevant -- recycled Christopher Reeve jokes arent exactly fresh -- but it is musically vital, which is all Eminem really needs to be at this point. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 11 Title: Recovery Released: 2010-06-18 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:17:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Cold Wind Blows (05:03) 2 Talkin’ 2 Myself (05:00) 3 On Fire (03:33) 4 Won’t Back Down (04:25) 5 W.T.P. (03:58) 6 Going Through Changes (04:58) 7 Not Afraid (04:08) 8 Seduction (04:35) 9 No Love (04:59) 10 Space Bound (04:38) 11 Cinderella Man (04:38) 12 25 to Life (04:01) 13 So Bad (05:25) 14 Almost Famous (04:52) 15 Love the Way You Lie (04:23) 16 You’re Never Over (05:05) 17 [untitled] (03:14) |
| Recovery : Allmusic album Review : With Recovery it becomes obvious that Eminems richest albums arent necessarily his most structurally sound, which isnt much of a surprise when considering the rappers full-on embrace of flaws and contradictions. This lean, mean bipolar machine began life as Relapse 2, but when Shady decided he wasnt really Shady at the moment and that he was no longer keen on Relapse -- or the last two albums as he states on “Talkin 2 Myself” -- it became Marshall Mathers time again, so damn any 11th hour issues. This results in an album where a shameless but killer Michael J. Fox punch line (“The world will stop spinnin’ and Michael J. Fox‘ll come to a standstill” from “Cold Wind”) is followed by a song with another, less effective MJF joke (“Make like Michael J. Fox in your drawers, playin with an Etch-A-Sketch”), although that song is the lurching heavy metal monster “Wont Back Down” with P!nk, and it could be used as the lead-in to “Lose Yourself” on any ego-boosting mixtape. Following an apology for your recent work with a damnation of critics and haters is just sloppy; taking off the skits and then overstuffing your album by a track or two is undermining whats good; and the beats here are collectively just a B+ with only one production (the so good “So Bad”) coming from Dr. Dre. Add to that the detractor idea that being privy to the mans therapy sessions just isnt compelling anymore and the only persuasive moments remaining are the highlights, but fans can feed on the energy, the renewed sense of purpose, and Marshall doing whatever the hell he wants, up to and including shoehorning a grand D12-like comedy number ("W.T.P.," which stands for "White Trash Party") into this emotionally heavy album. It’s fascinating when Em admits “Hatred was flowin’ through my veins, on the verge of goin’ insane/I almost made a song dissin’ Lil Wayne” and then “Thank God I didn’t do it/I’da had my ass handed to me, and I knew it” before sparring with said Weezy on the Haddaway-sampling “No Love.” When the recovery-minded “Going Through Changes” gets back on the wagon by sampling Black Sabbath’s very druggy “Changes” it’s a brilliant and layered idea that’s executed with poignant lyrics on top. Add the man at his most profound (the gigantic hit “Not Afraid”) and his most profane (“You wanna get graphic? We can go the scenic route/You couldn’t make a bulimic puke on a piece of corn and peanut poop” from “On Fire”) plus one of thickest lyric booklets out of any of his albums and the fans who really listen are instantly on board. It may be flawed and the rapper’s attitude is sometimes one step ahead of his output, but he hasn’t sounded this unfiltered and proud since The Marshall Mathers LP, so to hell with refinement -- bring on the hunger and spirit of 8 Mile. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 11 Title: The Marshall Mathers LP 2 Released: 2013-09-20 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:18:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bad Guy (07:14) 2 Parking Lot (skit) (00:55) 3 Rhyme or Reason (05:01) 4 So Much Better (04:21) 5 Survival (04:32) 6 Legacy (04:56) 7 Asshole (04:48) 8 Berzerk (03:58) 1 Rap God (06:03) 2 Brainless (04:46) 3 Stronger Than I Was (05:36) 4 The Monster (04:10) 5 So Far… (05:17) 6 Love Game (04:56) 7 Headlights (05:43) 8 Evil Twin (05:56) |
| The Marshall Mathers LP 2 : Allmusic album Review : After centering himself with the confessional 2010 release Recovery, Eminem entered his forties while watching his beloved city of Detroit literally go bankrupt. The cover here displays this descent with an updated picture of the rappers teenage home, first featured on the MM LP of 2000 but now boarded up, and yet this 8 Mile child cares much more about the present than the past, as this vicious, infectious, hilarious triumph is no nostalgia trip, just the 2013 version of Marshall the experienced maverick on a tear, dealing with the current state of events and kicking up dust with his trademark maniac attack while effortlessly juggling his over-40 wisdom with stuff youd slap a teenager for saying. Key cut "Rap God" is the quintessential track as it blasts out homophobic cut-downs and other inexcusable lyrics, because Marshalls the "Dale Earnhardt of the trailer park," but "I still rap like Im on my Pharoahe Monch grind," and suddenly his Stan Lee-like origin story begins to take shape. Marshall is a super villain so familiar with hate and depression, hes powered by all shades of anger. Be it pissing off the neighbors (rocking the house with a some Beastie Boys and Billy Squier samples on the Rick Rubin-produced party starter "Bezerk") or being threatened by critics (and his biggest ever, too, as "Bad Guy" revisits the MM LP character "Stan" via his revenge-obsessed brother Matthew), it all feeds into his super nova, and it’s a unique spectacle when it explodes. It does so gloriously on the stately arena rap anthem "Survival," which injects the listener with martial beats and a pre-game pep talk worth hearing. "Asshole" takes the decidedly low road to destruction, slapping girls "off the mechanical bull, at a tractor pull" while using controversy to make the front page, then offering the idea that hes "white Americas mirror, so dont feel awkward or weird," because theres no sense in leaving the sewer if you dont crawl out enlightened. Love it or hate it, nourishing his same old murder fantasies is what drives Eminem to make the vital music found here, and yet theres room for polished and clever frivolity on the album. The grand "Love Game" with Kendrick Lamar whips a Wayne Fontana "Game of Love"-sample into a thrilling swagger cut, while "So Far…" re-edits Joe Walshs "Lifes Been Good" so the Madden and MP3 generation can also understand the sweet irony of mansions filled with Kool-Aid-stained couches. Silly, manipulated voices and all, "The Monster" with Rihanna offers insight with its "I get along with the voices inside my head" attitude, then "Headlights" ups the game and offers mom an apology, referencing his earlier hit "Cleaning Out My Closet" and explaining it as an angry and irresponsible moment. Funny thing is, most of the best moments on MM LP2 are just as angry, and just as irresponsible, but like "Closet," this is the tortured soul and self-reliance ninja known as Eminem at his very best. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 11 Title: Revival Released: 2017-12-15 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:17:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Walk on Water (05:03) 2 Believe (05:15) 3 Chloraseptic (05:01) 4 Untouchable (06:10) 5 River (03:41) 6 Remind Me (intro) (00:26) 7 Remind Me (03:45) 8 Revival (interlude) (00:52) 9 Like Home (04:05) 10 Bad Husband (04:47) 11 Tragic Endings (04:12) 12 Framed (04:13) 13 Nowhere Fast (04:24) 14 Heat (04:10) 15 Offended (05:20) 16 Need Me (04:25) 17 In Your Head (03:02) 18 Castle (04:14) 19 Arose (04:34) |
| Revival : Allmusic album Review : "Am I lucky to be around this long?" Eminem wonders this on "Walk on Water," the first track on his 2017 album, Revival, which arrives when the 20th anniversary of his 1999 debut, The Slim Shady LP, is just 14 months away. Aging is never easy for a star but it may be harder for Marshall Mathers, since his earliest records were equal parts rage and pranks -- emotions that tend to mellow as the years stack up. Underneath all that attention-grabbing bluster lay Eminems boundless technical proficiency, which was the real reason he scored a monumental breakthrough in 1999 and sustained a career. Put it simply, he didnt sound like anybody else when he started, and now that hes conceivably halfway through his journey he doesnt sound like anybody else either, a quality that can make Revival compelling, albeit only intermittently. Provocative and muddled, Revival percolates with ambition but doesnt lack in laziness either: not only can Eminem not resist recycling the templates for "Stan" and "Love the Way You Lie," he stumbles through a loop as dull as Joan Jetts "I Love Rock & Roll" on "Remind Me," a sample that not only plays as leaden but is laden in nostalgia. Then again, the past isnt far from Ems mind, particularly his long, tortured relationship with his on-and-off love Kim, who is the subject of "Remind Me" and "Bad Husband." The latter finds Eminem holding himself accountable for his past misdeeds, an emotional candidness that finds a counterpart in his increased political consciousness, a shift sparked by his deep disgust for President Donald J. Trump. Reckoning with Trump has the same effect as grappling with his own middle age: it forces Eminem out of his comfort zone, pushing him to sharpen his lyrics. When he sticks to familiar territory, he shifts his focus to his flow and the results can still startle, whether hes playing with legato shifts of phrase or speeding through "Offended." Listening to Eminem challenge himself on a sheer technical level -- and the absence of any major guest rappers suggests he thinks hes in a class of his own -- can still be a wonder but the overall effect of Revival can be a bit grim, and that cant be chalked up to the dark currents sweeping through America in 2017. No, Revival feels like a slog because the music is heavy-footed, reliant on obvious samples (the Cranberries "Zombie" for "In Your Head"), and doused in minor keys, and most importantly, the beats are never in competition with Eminem. And thats to be expected: he has a gift that deserves a showcase. Its just that the gift might be better served if it were complemented by music as worthy and deft as the rhymes. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 11 Title: Kamikaze Released: 2018-08-31 Tracks: 13 Duration: 45:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Ringer (05:37) 2 Greatest (03:46) 3 Lucky You (04:04) 4 Paul (skit) (00:35) 5 Normal (03:42) 6 Em Calls Paul (skit) (00:49) 7 Stepping Stone (05:09) 8 Not Alike (04:48) 9 Kamikaze (03:36) 10 Fall (04:22) 11 Nice Guy (02:30) 12 Good Guy (02:22) 13 Venom (music from the motion picture) (04:29) |