My Bass Rocks

It’s been four long years without music’s favorite villain, and it seems that the general public has gotten a little too comfortable in his absence.  Well, Marshall is back in full force with his latest LP Relapse, which means it’s time to get uncomfortable once again.

Continue on for the full review..

Directly following his debut album on Aftermath Records, Eminem quickly became the most talented lyricist in the game, and hands-down the GOAT white rapper ever (sorry Stagga Lee).  The average music listener and MTV fan quickly got used to his persona, which includes a drug-addicted alter ego (Slim Shady), a homosexual pervert (Ken Kaniff), and his more personal side (Marshall Mathers).  After four albums with Dr. Dre and the Aftermath camp, Eminem was a pop music staple, and we became used to his crazy antics, pop culture parodies, and top-notch lyrical abilities.

However, hip-hop has vastly changed in his absence (not necessarily in a good way), with lyrics taking the back burner, and ringtone rappers running rampant on Myspace and iTunes.

Enter Relapse.

After an initial listen of his fifth solo album (6th if you count Infinite), there are no real surprises here.  There’s the lead single that cracks jokes at relevant celebrities (“We Made You”), the emotional tracks that make for a good second single (“Beautiful”), the Dr. Dre collabo (“For Old Times Sake”), and the over-the-top too-much-information tracks that take up a majority of the record (“Insane,” “Same Song and Dance”).  Relapse is the exact same structurally to all of his former full-lengths, which seems to have divided his fans down the middle.  There’s the argument that it’s been said and done before over and over again, while the other side understands it’s Em doing what Em does best…I’m somewhere in between both.

Music-wise, the beats are top notch.  In fact, this might be his most musical entry, which can be attributed to the evolved abilities of his partner (II) in crime.  Dr. Dre really went in on this one (II), and proves once again why he’s one of the best behind the boards.  The strings and heavy drums are still there, but the structure seems to be a little bit more on track..Enough that I was able to notice through the first listen.

Lyrically, Eminem still has it.  While some of the subject matter is a little much for a casual listen (i.e. getting raped by his uncle…seriously.), the way he plays off words and twists them skillfully throughout his verses is unprecedented.  NOBODY is close to Em in 2009 when it comes to rhyming, even if the content makes you scratch your head  every now-and-then.

However, Relapse is far from perfect.  Mainly, the content is not only a little too much at times (see above), but a lot of it has been said several times over the span of his catalog (i.e. mom problems, drug addiction, etc.), and to say it’s stale is a severe understatement.  For someone who is so gifted musically, it’s frustrating to hear Eminem hold himself back like he does.  Where’s the challenge in moaning about your mom again?  We know you have a thing for Mariah Carey and all, but do you really have to mention it again?  Also, the shocking content matter tends to take away from the intricate wordplay that Em uses on some tracks.  As a fan of his lyrical abilities this gets annoying because it takes away from enjoying the songs overall.  Eminem is and will always be about his wordplay, so to water it down with played out content is not a good look…I’ll take Eminem from “Renegade” over Eminem from “We Made You” every day of the week.

Overall, this is a solid EMINEM album.  If you like his past LP’s, and are familiar with what an Eminem album includes, then you will be very satisfied.  The Dr. Dre beats are banging, the memorable comedy is there, the Paul skits are in between tracks, and Eminem is running loose throughout the entire thing with his muzzle off and chainsaw in hand.  If you go into this expecting Illmatic 2, you will be incredibly disappointed.  Maybe dust off your Eminem collection for a refresher, because Relapse is more of the same…Regardless, Marshall is back and ready to slap pop culture in the face once again.

Overall: 7 out of 10