It's been a while since Eminem has released an album. At least a solo one. 4-5 years is forever in the music world. When my neighborhood heard about Eminem working on a new album, everyone went crazy. Let me tell you, so did I. Eminem is my favorite artist period. Not just hip hop artist. He's a genius at putting words together, can make me laugh, can make me relate, and pretty much anything else music should do.
When I heard Crack a Bottle I almost puked. I basically gave up on Eminem. Just like when I gave up on him after I heard the Encore record. Then I heard We Made You and I wasn't suprised. Although he had better rhymes, it was poppy which is what I expected. So it gave me some kind of hope that maybe he'll come back a lot better then Encore.
I refused to listen to the album when it leaked. I refused. I wanted to cop the album. Which is exactly what I did. Whether it was going to be horrible or not. I picked it up and listened to it on my way home. I actually had plenty of time to listen to the whole record because I was visiting some relatives. A six hour drive is enough to give it a listen.
I popped in the CD and I had mixed reactions.
Let me start off by saying Eminem hasn't lost his skill at all. When I heard Encore, I was amazing at Eminem's ability to not rhyme. Half the stuff on that record didn't rhyme at all. It was just horrible. So when I heard this record, I was surprised to see him rhyming like crazy again.
So Relapse is about him relapsing into Slim Shady. Not only that but it's also him relapsing on drugs. So basically this is a concept album. A lot of people throw that term around to make an album look better then it actually is. Fact of the matter is though, this is a concept album. A genius one in that aspect.
It starts of with the track Dr. West. You should listen to this because there are a couple of things that are important here. It has the titular character talking to Eminem as he's about to check out of rehab. Dr West starts to pressure him into start drinking and taking pills again. He mentions the 12 steps of rehab. Keep this in mind. So Dr West turns into the devil and an alarm clock rings.
Eminem wakes up at 3 A.M. and flashes back to his manslaughter the night before. This song shows Eminem's skill as he weaves in and out and rhymes excellently. The story telling here is also pretty amazing. No matter if you like this song or not, you can picture this song perfectly in your head which is what Eminem has been known for.
Another flashback occurs in My Mom as he is yet again talking about his mom again. He even says in the song that your probably tired of hearing about her. Although he points it out, it doesn't mean it's ok to talk about her. Although he approaches this song much differently. He doesn't have much hate here, and he's almost questioning her as to why she's done the things she's done. Then confirms that he became what he hated. At the end he even says the he loves her. Surprised? I was. Good story telling again here, and his rhyming was above par. Not as good as 3 A.M. The chorus can also be annoying. Overall a solid track but not much replay value.
Yet again, another flashback in the probably fictious Insane. People are probably thinking he's just saying this stuff for shock value. Although that might be true, he doesn't neccessarily fail here. He did shock me with the first line. There might be a couple of more. He talks about being raped by his step father while his mother encourages it. Also good story telling and yet it's not a story you want to picture in your head. His flow and rhyming in this is his best between his first three songs.
Ah, the infamous Bagpipes from Baghdad that is about Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey. A lot of Mariah fans are really mad at this. When I listen to this, I laugh. I think that's what was meant to be done here. Does he sound serious like his song Superman. Although the Mariah thing is definitely played out, he makes up for it with his flow and the way he rhymes is just amazing. So he got my hopes up from this one. Lyrically I haven't heard anything amazing yet and this is no different. He admits in the songs chorus that he's in fact crazy as hell. Which is why this song shouldn't be taken seriously as a diss to Mariah and Nick. Mariah fans can no rest in peace.
Hello picks up and almost impressed me. Almost. This is his introduction to the world. Again. So he feels like maybe he's been forgotten so he's gonna reintroduce himself. So why not this be the first single? Anyway, this song isn't lyrically amazing. In fact, it's not really even lyrical. It's just full of rhymes and stuff that makes you scratch your head. I don't really understand what the lyrics are supposed to be about. His rhymes aren't as good as Bagpipes but not that bad. This song can be boring and not worth giving it another listen.
We listen in to Tonya and remember one thing. Never get into a car with Eminem. Same Song and Dance makes it clear that Eminem is a genius. The beat itself is laid back and just begging for club play. Eminem dashes those hopes and goes into the killing of Tonya, Lindsay Lohan, and Britney Spears. While any other artist would have taken this and make it a number one hit, Eminem creates an above average serial killer song. No that's not bad. It makes me realize that Em is making HIS music, and not following the pack of today's hip hop. His rhymes are above average, the story telling is great, and his lyrical content isn't really there obviously. Overall an above average song. You will bob your head though, or go to sleep because it's relaxing.
We Made You is something like a lighter version of Same Song and Dance and is annoying to an extent. While Eminem makes it known that all the women celebs want him, it's not something that I really care about musically. I'm pretty sure everyone knows this song so I'll skip it from here.
And Medicine Ball makes me sigh and thank god. It's almost brutal in a way. The way Eminem brings his rhymes to the table can take you back to his first three albums. Maybe. He says that it's time for the world to hate him again. He also spits a verse from Christopher Reeves point of view which is creative and unique. Medicine Ball will probably make laugh or just smirk depending on your humor level. Overall a worthy track to listen to. Definitely has replay value.
Paul comes in and tells Eminem that he needs to stop with weird rhymes. That's probably what a lot of people are thinking too.
So we go into probably the most skilled song in Stay Wide Awake on the album. Yes it's about murder and rape again but the rhymes here are completely amazing. Yes, amazing. The way he rhymes in each verse should amaze you. One of the better songs on the album. Story telling is there, rhyming is there, lyrically is again obviously not there. If you don't know what I mean by lyrically is I mean it's not something that tackles personal problems or social ones, which is what people expected in the first place for the whole album. Overall a great song.
Old Times Sake bores the hell out of me. Dr Dre is featured on this and I'm just not really feeling it. Eminem comes in and I'm not really interested in what he has to say because Dre messed it up for me. Generic song and just not worth listening to.
Of course a similar song would follow it up in Must Be The Ganja. A song about weed. Yay. Okay, so it's definitely better than the song before, but it's just not above average. It's just sub par. Catchy chorus though. Eminem spits some alright rhymes. This song won't amaze you at all. You'll like it if you're a weed head though.
Interesting skit in Mr Mathers as Eminem is found almost if not completely dead. So they carry him out of his house.
Deja Vu picks up where it left off and I was blown away. This is the story that we've heard in just about every interview and magazine possible. But to hear it from his view in a song is refreshing. Lyrically this is probably his best on this album. His rhymes are very good. His story telling is amazing. Everything is here for him. Not to mention you'll be singing a long to the chorus. Don't let the chorus steal the spotlight for you though. The story is amazing and it's something you'll want to hear. One of his best songs period.
His next song Beautiful reflects upon Deja Vu. Lyrically good, but his rhymes are completely weak. The fact that his first verse and half of his second verse was written while he wasn't sober makes me appreciate his other songs on this album. But that doesn't mean his first and second verse are useless. To hear it from two different Marshalls literally is amazing. He also tells people to just forget what other people think about them and just be yourself. Definitely worth the listen.
Crack A Bottle is horrible. Do not listen to it.
Steve Berman is back and gets a couple of laughs out of me. Thank goodness. I missed him.
What! Already at the last song! Damn! If you listen to the whole album through then Underground will make your jaw drop. It's not expected that's why. This song is him going back to his roots and just rhyming like him and his crew D12 used to do back in the day. It's a breath of fresh air honestly. His rhymes are good, his flow is amazing. Although there is not lyrical stuff on it, it's just great. Especially if you listen to the whole album through. Ken Kaniff is back and does a parody of We Made You.
So I previously mentioned the 12 steps of rehab because it's mentioned in the first track. Reason? From 3 A.M. to Deja Vu is 12 songs. What's the last step of rehab for Eminem? Acceptance. That's what Deja Vu represents. Beautiful is the reflection. Crack a Bottle no matter how horrible it is is the celebration. Underground is him going back to his roots.
A lot of people will give this album a bad review. But if you listen closely, he turns Slim Shady into a character, uses him to tell fictional stories that are apart of the rehab process, then accepts what the drugs did to him, reflects upon it, celebrates that he's beaten the drugs, and goes back to his roots. An eh concept is transformed geniusly.
As for the production. Dr Dre gives hard hitting beats throughout the album. He doesn't dissapoint and you will bob your head to most tracks. Beautiful is the only one produced by Eminem and samples Rock Therapy pretty good.
As for the bonus tracks, My Darling has a genius concept and is a great listen. Careful What You Wish For has a sick first verse, a sort of wacky chorus, and a second verse that doesn't live up to its first one.
So is this the album I was waiting for? Of course not. This is not the Eminem I've been waiting for. But the fact that he's rhyming well again, making good songs gives me hope for Relapse 2. If Eminem can rise above this album and keep elevating his music, he'll be the greatest MC to ever touch a mic. Only if he can elevate.
3 A.M. (***) My Mom (**) Insane (***) Bagpipes From Baghdad (***) Hello (**) Same Song and Dance (***) We Made You (*) Medicine Ball (***) Stay Wide Awake (****) Old Times Sake (*) Must Be The Ganja (**) Deja Vu (*****) Beautiful (****) Crack A Bottle (*) Underground (****)
Anticipation for Relapse has been building since fall 2008, when Eminem first announced the album title and debuted the freestyle, I m Having a Relaps...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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