Eminem's "Relapse" Review
Here it is, the review of Eminem's latest effort, Relapse. Reminder, this is my personal opinon on the album, so don't take it as me hating. To take from Common "If I don't like it, I don't like it/that don't mean that I'm hatin'".
3 A.M.: This song really sets the tone for the album. What I mean by this is that, just like this song, Em uses much of his sadistic humor within his rhymes and the voice he uses is pretty much a constant throughout the album. The voice is really irritating and makes the album very difficult to listen to. The song itself is so-so. Nothing really special, but Em's flow is pretty good, as usual. This gets no more than a 3.
My Mom: Many people will probably find this song very repetitive when compared to the rest of Eminem's past collection. However, I think this song is proabably one of the better one's on the album. The irritating voice he usues is restricted to mainly the chorus, making it his verses easier to listen to and more "enjoyable" (that is, if you can enjoy more of the art and appreciation of coming up with the lyrics, rhyme patterns, etc., not necessairly the content). I give this a 4.
Insane: Honestly, this is one of the most, if not the most disturbing song that I've ever listened to. After this review, I think that I'll probably have to skip past this song every time I listen to the album. This is a gruesome description of Em's stepfather sexually molesting him; some real Law and Order: SVU ish. I do have to say, though, I, in some strange way, can appreciate that Em will go where nobody else will go. Although I may have my own feelings toward this song, due to such a personal matter being brought to the public eye, it would not be reasonable for me to give any rating to this song. Rating: n/a.
Bagpipes From Baghdad: The song was alright. There is no denying Em's flow and amazing talent of rhyming, but the humor he he had back in the day with the Marshall Mathers and Slim Shady LPs just don't seem to appear on this album, even though he puts the effort in. This is definitly a song where Em attempts to capture the listening audience with those witty and funny rhymes that made him so successful, but they just don't have the same affect. A 2.5. Dr. Dre is a genius, though. Not only on this song, but the majority of the album, his product is remarkable.
Hello: On this roller coaster of an album, this is a slight up. Em discusses his drug problem in this song, but it is almost disguised as an ode the drugs he is leaving due to the production and more up-beat flow he uses to deliver the song. This song is much easier to listen to than some others on the album. This gets a 3.5.
Same Song & Dance: Here, Em starts to attack some of those stars in the public eye. Attacking both Brittney Spears and Lindsary Lohan, he goes after them in a way only Eminem can do. A little humorous, but not extremely enjoyable, this receives a rating of another 3.5.
We Made You: The verbal harassment of pop stars continues during this single. This song mite be pretty good if it wasn't for the voice that he is using in the song. This song is very reminiscent of Real Slim Shady, when Em takes shots at Brittany Spears, Christina Agulara, boy bands, etc. However, it once again doesn't quite compare to past single put out by Em. This is a 3.
Medicine Ball: In this song, just like in the 3 or 4 song preceding it, Em goes back to the content that had everybody talking about his albums. In this song, he brings up his history with Christopher Reeves once again. This song does very little for the album and doesn't really have too much to look forward to. I'll give it a 3.
Stay Wide Awake: With only a few lines that remind us of the Eminem of old, this is another song that the album probably could have done without. There isn't very much to take away from the song and it still leaves listeners wanting more, looking for that same excitement of the first two albums. This is a 2.5.
Old Time's Sake: It's repetitive at this point, but by this point in the album, Em still hasn't provided any material that would make it seem as if he was back to his old self. This track features Dr. Dre on the vocals and, while it's no The Chronic, it is still good to hear him on a track. Hopefully we get that Detox soon. I have to admit, I am a little skeptical of how good it will be, but I want to see what he has to offer. I give this another 2.5.
Must Be the Ganja: With all of the drug problem Em has had the past few years and the fact that it is public knowledge the struggle he had, it probably wasn't the smartest thing to have a song praising weed. True, it is not the perscription pills that gave him so many problems that he is praising in this song, but co-signing any drug isn't very responsible. He does discuss the lack of focus on lyrics by many artists in the industry very briefly, which I do respect. That said, I still have to give this only a 2.
Deja Vu: Finally, the song we have been waiting to hear. This is a descripiton of what Em had been going through and his mindstate during this dark period in his life. It is cleverly constructed and lyrically subpurb. This is definitely the best song on the album. This is a 5.
Beautiful: Here is another track that goes into the mind of Marshall Mathers. This is a warning to everybody that things aren't always the way they seem. There is also a message to everybody that they should just be proud of who they are, no matter what their circumstances may be. This is another solid song that most should enjoy. I think it deserves a 4.5.
Crack A Bottle: This is another songs that I'm a little on the fence about. Just giving it a casual listen, you might miss and not be able to fuly appreciate Em's verse (I know I didn't when the song first came out). It is actually a pretty good verse, but the voice just throws everything off for me. Dre's verse was decent as well, but 50 Cent's half singing, half rapping was a low point of the song. I have to give this only a 2.5.
Underground: "Deja Vu" was the track we were waiting to hear in the sense of wanting to know what actually happened with Eminem. "Underground" was the song we wanted to hear that proved Em still had it in him to deliver songs as he did on his first two projects. It is very weak content wise as Em just uses all of his psychotic and twisted humor/storytelling/imagination, but his rhyme scheme and pattern are unbelievable. There are very few that could deliver a song the way he did. Due to lack of content, this falls just short of a 5 and gets a 4.5.
Overall, the album is very difficult to listen to. It doesn't really pick up until the very end with 3 of the last 4 songs being very strong. You can tell that with the theme of relapsing, Em tried a little to hard to get back to the days of his first two LPs, which took away from the album. There is a sign of hope with "Underground" and it is clear with songs like "Deja Vu" and "Beautiful" that Em is still one of the elite. It is just unfortunate that the rest of the album could not do what these three songs did. Maybe they are a sign for Relapse 2, though. Only time will tell. Until then, I have to give this album only a 3.
That's my take, but what about ya'll? What did you think about the album? Were you feeling it or was it not really for you? Let me hear it. Either leave a comment or hit me at straightouttahiphop@gmail.com.
Peace.
3 A.M.: This song really sets the tone for the album. What I mean by this is that, just like this song, Em uses much of his sadistic humor within his rhymes and the voice he uses is pretty much a constant throughout the album. The voice is really irritating and makes the album very difficult to listen to. The song itself is so-so. Nothing really special, but Em's flow is pretty good, as usual. This gets no more than a 3.
My Mom: Many people will probably find this song very repetitive when compared to the rest of Eminem's past collection. However, I think this song is proabably one of the better one's on the album. The irritating voice he usues is restricted to mainly the chorus, making it his verses easier to listen to and more "enjoyable" (that is, if you can enjoy more of the art and appreciation of coming up with the lyrics, rhyme patterns, etc., not necessairly the content). I give this a 4.
Insane: Honestly, this is one of the most, if not the most disturbing song that I've ever listened to. After this review, I think that I'll probably have to skip past this song every time I listen to the album. This is a gruesome description of Em's stepfather sexually molesting him; some real Law and Order: SVU ish. I do have to say, though, I, in some strange way, can appreciate that Em will go where nobody else will go. Although I may have my own feelings toward this song, due to such a personal matter being brought to the public eye, it would not be reasonable for me to give any rating to this song. Rating: n/a.
Bagpipes From Baghdad: The song was alright. There is no denying Em's flow and amazing talent of rhyming, but the humor he he had back in the day with the Marshall Mathers and Slim Shady LPs just don't seem to appear on this album, even though he puts the effort in. This is definitly a song where Em attempts to capture the listening audience with those witty and funny rhymes that made him so successful, but they just don't have the same affect. A 2.5. Dr. Dre is a genius, though. Not only on this song, but the majority of the album, his product is remarkable.
Hello: On this roller coaster of an album, this is a slight up. Em discusses his drug problem in this song, but it is almost disguised as an ode the drugs he is leaving due to the production and more up-beat flow he uses to deliver the song. This song is much easier to listen to than some others on the album. This gets a 3.5.
Same Song & Dance: Here, Em starts to attack some of those stars in the public eye. Attacking both Brittney Spears and Lindsary Lohan, he goes after them in a way only Eminem can do. A little humorous, but not extremely enjoyable, this receives a rating of another 3.5.
We Made You: The verbal harassment of pop stars continues during this single. This song mite be pretty good if it wasn't for the voice that he is using in the song. This song is very reminiscent of Real Slim Shady, when Em takes shots at Brittany Spears, Christina Agulara, boy bands, etc. However, it once again doesn't quite compare to past single put out by Em. This is a 3.
Medicine Ball: In this song, just like in the 3 or 4 song preceding it, Em goes back to the content that had everybody talking about his albums. In this song, he brings up his history with Christopher Reeves once again. This song does very little for the album and doesn't really have too much to look forward to. I'll give it a 3.
Stay Wide Awake: With only a few lines that remind us of the Eminem of old, this is another song that the album probably could have done without. There isn't very much to take away from the song and it still leaves listeners wanting more, looking for that same excitement of the first two albums. This is a 2.5.
Old Time's Sake: It's repetitive at this point, but by this point in the album, Em still hasn't provided any material that would make it seem as if he was back to his old self. This track features Dr. Dre on the vocals and, while it's no The Chronic, it is still good to hear him on a track. Hopefully we get that Detox soon. I have to admit, I am a little skeptical of how good it will be, but I want to see what he has to offer. I give this another 2.5.
Must Be the Ganja: With all of the drug problem Em has had the past few years and the fact that it is public knowledge the struggle he had, it probably wasn't the smartest thing to have a song praising weed. True, it is not the perscription pills that gave him so many problems that he is praising in this song, but co-signing any drug isn't very responsible. He does discuss the lack of focus on lyrics by many artists in the industry very briefly, which I do respect. That said, I still have to give this only a 2.
Deja Vu: Finally, the song we have been waiting to hear. This is a descripiton of what Em had been going through and his mindstate during this dark period in his life. It is cleverly constructed and lyrically subpurb. This is definitely the best song on the album. This is a 5.
Beautiful: Here is another track that goes into the mind of Marshall Mathers. This is a warning to everybody that things aren't always the way they seem. There is also a message to everybody that they should just be proud of who they are, no matter what their circumstances may be. This is another solid song that most should enjoy. I think it deserves a 4.5.
Crack A Bottle: This is another songs that I'm a little on the fence about. Just giving it a casual listen, you might miss and not be able to fuly appreciate Em's verse (I know I didn't when the song first came out). It is actually a pretty good verse, but the voice just throws everything off for me. Dre's verse was decent as well, but 50 Cent's half singing, half rapping was a low point of the song. I have to give this only a 2.5.
Underground: "Deja Vu" was the track we were waiting to hear in the sense of wanting to know what actually happened with Eminem. "Underground" was the song we wanted to hear that proved Em still had it in him to deliver songs as he did on his first two projects. It is very weak content wise as Em just uses all of his psychotic and twisted humor/storytelling/imagination, but his rhyme scheme and pattern are unbelievable. There are very few that could deliver a song the way he did. Due to lack of content, this falls just short of a 5 and gets a 4.5.
Overall, the album is very difficult to listen to. It doesn't really pick up until the very end with 3 of the last 4 songs being very strong. You can tell that with the theme of relapsing, Em tried a little to hard to get back to the days of his first two LPs, which took away from the album. There is a sign of hope with "Underground" and it is clear with songs like "Deja Vu" and "Beautiful" that Em is still one of the elite. It is just unfortunate that the rest of the album could not do what these three songs did. Maybe they are a sign for Relapse 2, though. Only time will tell. Until then, I have to give this album only a 3.
That's my take, but what about ya'll? What did you think about the album? Were you feeling it or was it not really for you? Let me hear it. Either leave a comment or hit me at straightouttahiphop@gmail.com.
Peace.
as disgusting as it sounds i think you have to give it more than a 1 because ems lyrical ability is still up there and hes talking bout somethin that, as nasty as it is, a lotta kids go thru. I think music should talk about things that make us uncomfortable sometimes. If hip hop is a place that brings the harsh truth to the attention of the masses then this song is, in essence, as tru as it gets. The song is gross but it is something that happens in our society and that type of description may sometimes be necessary to have ppl fully understand the seriousness of this crime. Just because its uncomfortable doesnt mean its a bad song. the content is good because hes talking about something thas real and hes able to do it in a lyrically clever manner. Music is suppose to creatively address a lot of different issues and em did that with this song. He deserves a higher grade than a 1.
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