Eminem has come off his 4 year hiatus of drug problems, drug rehab, severe depression, the loss of a close friend and family problems to release his 5th album Relapse.
Here’s how I am going to review this; Eminem has a deep catalog, and I will pick what album this would have been on if it wasn’t Relapse because each of his albums tell a different story, and this album is like a compilation of them. Then I will make observations on the song (beat, verses, what it is about, flow and rhymes scheme), then I will rate it between 1-10; 1-3= Terrible, 4-5= Mediocre/Average, 6-7= Decent/Good, 8-9.5= Great, 9.5-10= Classic
Ok let’s get it going
2) 3 A.M. – This song would be a song on the Slim Shady LP. It uses very dark imagery with a dark beat, and dark story. The song is basically follow up to the intro where Eminem is forced to take some pill and hallucinates, and is trying to figure out what he did. This is an above average beat from Dr. Dre and Eminem uses clever rhyme schemes and complicated wordplay to paint a vivid picture in your mind. This is most evident by the first verse. The problems I have with it are the hook is lack luster compared to the verses and his change of voice get annoying by the end of the song. 6.5/10
3) My Mom- This is a dig on his mother and the comparison of them and how she made him an addict. In the 1st verse he states “I know you’re probably tired of hearing about my mom.” This is true. I get it she sucked as a mother but dude at some point you have to let it go and stop worrying about it. Like most tracks Eminem has ever made he has clever rhymes but this is definitely a track from Encore because it shows lack of direction and maturity. The beat is underachieving by Dre, and it seems like it has been done a million times by any beat makers. Also there is a few seconds where Em uses auto tune (WTF) 5/10
4) Insane- Most awkward story by far. It is about a boy (him in the story) being sexual assaulted by his step dad. All around I like this song even though the story is f’d up. The hook and verses are catchy, and the beat is able to pull off being dark and fast pace which is hard to do. Marshall Mathers LP based off amount of humor. The 3rd verse is the best verse but hook is by far the best part. This is not meant to be a wow track it is just meant to make you laugh. 8.5/10
5) Bagpipes From Baghdad- This beat will definitely make you nod your head. Not a type of beat Dre would typically make. This reminds me of Square Dance from The Eminem Show. It is basic Eminem going at pop culture. He needs to move off making fun of Mariah Carey like his mom, enough is enough. But it is still funny (best verse), and whenever you can make Nick Cannon mad it is a good thing (He is not HI-larious). He has somewhat clever wordplay but a weak hook. 6.5/10
6) Hello- Beat is not too good, and Em clearly over powers the beat. The hook is very catchy and it gives you a good vibe for being derogatory about woman. It is like Cum on Everybody from SSLP. The second verse is the best and rhymes words you would never think of. 8/10
8) Same Song & Dance- This song is about pop culture and going after Lindsey Lohan and Britney Spears. Beat is weak and seems to mess up his flow and it basically suffers from there. This is Encore status, lack of direction and lack of cohesion. Verse 2 is the best because it shows hypocrisy of a child star (Lohan) 5.5/10
9) We Made You- Just Like All his other smash hits (My Name Is, Real Slim Shady...). Anti-pop culture song and will give you a laugh. But it is not as good as his past top hits. Shows he has lost a step. Ok beat, flows well, plenty of wack lines. Hook is best part it is highly catchy. 5.5/10
10) Medicine Ball- A song about random thoughts to show he is crazy. Good beat, First verse will open your eyes a few times it brings you back to 2000 Eminem. The hook is weird, decent and bad at the same time (that makes sense, don’t worry bout it) I can see all of his first three albums in this song. Great Eminem track though 8.5/10
12) Stay Wide Awake- Very good hook, and a nice beat. He rides the beat perfectly. I like each verse equally, and like how he switches back and forth to slow and faster pace. This is just a random song. 7.5/10
13) Old Time’s Sake feat. Dr. Dre- One of my favorite songs from the album. You go in expecting a lot from this collabo based on their past collabos. This is not Guilty Conscience or What’s The Difference but it is like Business. The hook is true hip hop at its finest. Dre/Em first verse is best “I’m Dre from back in the day…” is crazy. This is a typical Dre beat but it is a little plain but the verses are not effected by that. 9/10
14) Must Be The Ganja- Crazy rhyme scheme, but his voice f’s it up, and its randomness is aggravating at points but it is a song about Weed so it kind of fits. Great hook but a very lazy beat. 6.5/10
16) Déjà Vu- About things repeating itself. Mediocre beat but gives you a MMLP feel to it. The hook is terrible and is way too lazy. Verses are ok, verse 3 is most catchy. 6/10
17) Beautiful- Best song on the album. And the only beat not produced by Dr. Dre, The sample is chilling when you realize the whole song is completely different in terms of vibe. Very reflective of his life (Eminem’s best type of songs), very chilling perspective. Beat is good and the hook is good, great message. If you've been through depression it will be hard to listen to. 10/10 (Put this in some of his best songs)
18) Crack A Bottle feat. Dr. Dre, 50 Cent- The 3 headed monster is back again, but comes off looking wounded. OK beat but you expect more from Dr. Dre. Hook is catchy but you expect more from these 3. In terms of verses; 1-Eminem (OK) 2- 50 Cent OK but disappointing 3- Dre- average.
20) Underground- Talks about his hiatus being underground and having Dre and himself rebuild him. The hook is terrible but perfect for the beat. The beat is awful and it is very hard to flow to and in a rare instance where Em doesn’t. It is hard to catch the words because the beat is distracting. Worst song on the cd 2/10
Final Thoughts-I really like this album. I was expecting a lot less from this after a 4 year hiatus and a mediocre album in Encore. It makes me want more and I am anticipating Relapse 2. He still has rust in his game right now and looks like he has lost a huge step from the top 10 Dead or Alive Eminem we all love. But he still shows he can rhyme circles around competition and is a good breathe away from the snapping music that the south has given us, and the new uninspired NY rappers. The only problem is Eminem needs more songs like Old Time’s Sake & Beautiful because while we like the crazy songs , we love these songs better. And how many of these crazy songs can you make. Way better than Encore but not as good as his other albums.
Flow- 8/10 (Eminem will always have this, but he has understandable rust)
Wordplay- 8/10 (Always has crazy rhyme scheme but rust factor is still considered)
Production- 7/10 (Dre comes with some good beats here. Lately he has been lazy, Em came with a good beat also)
Content- 7/10 (At times content is great but other times it is terrible and you wish he would start in a new direction at some point)
Overall- 7.5/10 (Compared with all today’s artists and his past work. Eminem is a top stable in rap but has lost a step)
Replay Value- 6/10
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