May 23rd, 2009
|
|
| Release Date: May 19, 2009 |
| Genre(s): Hip-Hop |
| Runtime: 76 minutes, 6 seconds |
| Record Label: Aftermath, Interscope, Shady, Web |
|
Myspace Page: Click Here
|
|
|
 Marshall Mathers' last studio album, "Encore," was released in the later half of 2004 on his parent label, Aftermath. But after listening to it, they really should have changed the name of the imprint to "Aftertaste Records" due to it's luke warm reception from the hip-hop faithful.
Don't take it the wrong way, "Encore" definitely had it's moments; the minimalistic and emotional "Like Toy Soldiers," the yo-rewind-that-again nonsense known as "Rain Man," political diatribe "Mosh," and the touching track "Mockingbird" immediately spring to mind when reminiscing on the release.
The album didn't suck in the traditional sense, but by Eminem's standards, it was a major let down. Although to be fair, following up three classic albums is not an easy task for any artist. I've said many times on paq-land when passingly discussing Em that his main problem is that he seems to have run out of fresh subjects to talk about. If it's not about his mom, his on-again-off-again gal pal Kim, his daughter Hailie, violent outbursts, or any combination of the four, it's hard to get the man motivated to spit anything of substance.
Let's face it, he's not the type of rapper to rap about material matters such as clothes, cars, and jewelry like a Kanye West or Lil' Wayne. This is why when he has in the past, it seems incredibly out of place and contrived (see "Touchdown" on 2007's "T.I. vs. T.I.P."). If Eminem isn't talking about something of substance or doing dark comedy on the mic, it hurts his material -- and that's what we've been getting for the last four-a-half years in his numerous, seemingly random guest appearances. In a way, Eminem is two dimensional, but it's in the best way possible and it behooves him to stick with what originally brought him to the dance.
In my eyes, the Shady one was fallin' off pretty hard. I went from being a fan who bought "The Marshall Mathers LP" on the first day it was available in stores to not even caring about hearing anything new from him. Music had moved on; there isn't a pop genre for him to mock anymore as the boy bands and bubble gum teen queens he used to beef with have faded into obscurity. Hell, his protegé 50 Cent even worked with former *N Sync front man Justin Timberlake ("Ayo Technology") and so did Dr. Dre ("Bounce" off of Timbaland's "Shock Value"). Times have changed as well; the internet has given music fans a notoriously short attention span and we are jaded when it comes to the frequency we hear new music (notice how artists release like four singles at a time these days?).
In an era where ringtone artists like Soulja Boy unfortunately capture the newer generation and people my age (23) have grown up over the last decade or been burned by his mediocre bridge-gap material, the question of whether or not Marshall still even has an actual audience left after his hiatus has to be asked.
"I started looking around my house to see if I had a stash box of Vicodin.I'm ransacking my house, finally find something in the basement, in a little napkin, seven and a half Vicodin -- the big extra strength ones -- and a few Valium. It never once hit me that drug addiction runs in my family," Em says in the May 2009 issue of Vibe Magazine, "Now that I understand that I'm an addict, I definitely have compassion for my mother. I get it."
It's nothing new.
Drugs have always been a prevalent topic in Eminem's rhyme book, but never before have they been discussed at the length displayed in 2009's "Relapse" -- his unprecedented sixth studio album. For the past few years, the world's most famous angry White rapper has been battling a nasty addiction problem -- one he said he almost died from. I don't wish a bout with personal demons on anyone, so don't take this the wrong way, but thank the rap gods he almost overdosed, because now he finally has something interesting to write about again!
The entire disc revolves around substance abuse in some form, so if that offends you, you really shouldn't listen to the rest of the material because you'll get your soul crushed by the unapologetic one liners, sharp metaphors, and intense violent imagery. "Relapse" definitely is a throwback to the sadistic and deliciously twisted ways of 1999's "The Slim Shady LP" ("'97 Bonnie & Clyde" is still chilling) and is a welcome departure from the overall lighter (I'm using that term loosely) nature of "Encore". The curtain has been pulled back and now we can all see what mental train wreck Marhsall has become since his last effort, and it's hard to stop listening once started due to sheer morbid curiosity.
From being "raped" by his step-father numerous times in "Insane," describing going on a mass murdering spree (with great detail, mind you) in the opener "3 a.m.," or even directly comparing his drug habit to his mother's in "My Mom," -- where he jokes about her sprinkling crushed up Valium on his mashed potatoes or feeding him paint thinner for dinner -- there are some truly disturbing tracks to be found here.
|
