Artist: Eminem
Album: The Marshal Mathers LP 2
Release Date: Out Now
Well it’s probably safe to say this is unprecedented. Jay-Z came close, but really your mum only knew who he was when he wifed up Beyonce. 2Pac might be the only rapper with a body of work and strength in hip-hop that can hold a candle to what Marshal Mathers has achieved with his latest album. Big words, but there are no rappers who have managed to maintain a level of popularity, sales, quality and also growth within hip-hop like Eminem has. The “Marshal Mathers LP 2” see’s Eminem surpass all of the wrong footedness of previous comeback albums, and deliver an album that raises the bar of lyricism like none before. This is proof that Eminem is the best rapper ever.
The four years that Eminem disappeared for felt like an eternity concerning the entertainment industry. After about 20 minutes of his hiatus fans were pleading for his return. Interestingly however those that wrote him off as a comedic shock rapper found they actually wanted him back as well. It would seem that Eminem had managed to garner even more fans during his mini retirement. 2009 rolled around with “Relapse” an album where Eminem was little confused and simply gave people what he thought they wanted.“Relapse” turned out to be not quite the return most were expecting. Eminem had already shocked the world enough, and most were unfazed by the tales of rape and murder. What the album did give us however, was the fact that when Eminem was honest it was a pretty moving experience (see “Déjà –vu/Beautiful”) and that Eminem was an even sharper lyricist and easily one of the best in the game. The following year “Recovery” dropped which was better received, and cemented Em’s top 5 position. Not to mention the very same music channel that pulled his Michael Jackson lampooning video crowned him the best rapper of the 21st century. So with all this love we just needed one more fantastic album to truly cement Eminem as the best rapper alive. So what does he do? Creates a sequel to his most beloved album the Marshal Mathers LP. So does it take us back to the wonderland of horrifically violent imagery, incest and mental illness?
Well not quite. This album does give Eminem the crown but not because he manages to strike lightening twice. With this album there is a definite return to a hip-hop centric sound, low on gimmicks and features. The beats hit hard, and are sparse and the themes are simple. Eminem flirts with the media and his perception. With few subjects holding his attention for too long. What he does on this album is take it back to basics. On “Recovery” Eminem had crafted himself into a more than formidable mc, that can pretty much murder anyone. Here, he is a (rap) God. The closet comparison that can be made is his freestyles. Most freestyles tend to be about how great said rapper is, with a few threats. With Eminem he can rap about anything from a sex act that leads to a trip to the hospital, to an argument with his girlfriend then bring it right back to his rap prowess. The verses on this album have a similar feel where a verse can start about the absence his father had in his life to killing rappers. It happens almost everywhere, giving the verses a stream of consciousnesses feel.
Do we really need to talk about how incredible Eminem’s skill is? Yes, because somehow he’s gotten even better. Anything can happen in a verse. Effortless is overused with rappers, but no rhyme feels forced. Every rhyme lines up and falls perfectly into place. And where most rappers find a flow and base an entire song around it to celebrate. Em discovers new flows and dispenses them with little or no ceremony. Much has also been made of “Rap God”, well yes it’s great, but we’ll just use an excerpt from Wikipedia to entice you. “In the verse that begins at 4:26, Eminem raps 97 words in 15 seconds — an average of 6.5 words per second — which he describes as “supersonic speed“: and “sama lamaa du ma lamaa” is not gibberish, and is actually a reference to an 80’s rap song by J.J Fad. song. And we’ll leave it at that. Compound syllables don’t seem special. They seem like necessities. As if every verse doesn’t have at least 50, then it’s not really rapping. And the same can be said for just how long he can carry a rhyme. It’s ridiculous. There’s a few times on the album, where he’ll start a rhyme pattern, finish it. Then starts another, then come right back to the first one just because he can.
So that’s the rap taken care of. Don’t mistake the fluid verses on the album for it lacking focus. Quite the opposite he can tell a coherent story on a whim. “Legacy” tells the story of a young Marshal Mathers growing up bullied, isolated and using hip-hop as a way to grow in confidence. The story is told with meticulous detail, but never to show off, merely to paint a picture. And it is emotive, his description of his struggles places you firmly on his side. And it never forces you to feel something. It’s never a sob story, if anything the angst helps the listener relate to the story being told.
The response to the singles had been lukewarm. “Survival” was first out of the gate, and as strong as the verses were as a whole it was nothing special. Everyone knows that Em can rap well, so we just wanted a great song. Then “Bezerk” was part comedy rap that everyone is sick of, and part b-boy throwback- and was successful but naturally not well received. However when listening to the tracks on the album, they all fit perfectly. You will practically jump out of your seat when they come on due to perfect sequencing. The album starts off mellow and builds from there till to “Rap God” climax of the mid point of the album. 11 tracks in and the album does get a little shaky. The awkward singing on “Stronger Than I Was” is ill judged, and doesn’t really work, despite a decent final verse. Then “Monster”. Again Eminem can rap. Really well, Really really well. So the verses are great. But the instrumental does sound like something that would be too poppy for Lady Gaga. Rihanna adds an ok hook, but honestly if this was a Drake track he’d be crucified for this. It’s designed to sell some records, but really it just reminds you how crazy it was that “Love The Way You Lie” worked so well. Rick Rubin produces three tracks including “Bezerk”. “So Far” which has a country music influence doesn’t really make much sense, but Em manages to ground it with a level of a comedy. And then the highly anticipated “Love Game” featuring the other “best rapper alive” Kendrick Lamar. The song is definitely not what’s expected here. On “Recovery” Em recruited Lil Wayne for the purposes of showing who’s boss on “No Love” and the same is performed here but not quite as easily. A rather nursery rhyme sounding instrumental with a sing- song chorus has Em and Kendrick discussing failed relationships with Kendrick adding a bit of a Silm Shady style to the mix which works brilliantly. Em might have almost lost the battle if it wasn’t for his brutal second verse. Despite all the songs fun times, there’s definitely a grasshopper/master relationship going on here. Eminem once again proving himself the king of the ring.
This essentially proves just why Eminem is the best rapper alive. Simply because he doesn’t need to prove it to you he needs to prove it to himself. He wanted respect from his peers, the media, fans he has it all, yet on “Asshole” he references the time Asher Roth “dissed” him. Which didn’t really happen, but in his head he feels it did, and that just adds more fuel to the fire. Self doubt constantly creeps into his work, and leaves a rabid mc behind.
MMLP2 leaves us with Eminem as an unstoppable mc. No one is rapping like this. Not for this long. Rappers get hot and get too successful and lose the drive. Eminem will only improve as a lyricist till he raps his last bitter breath and he’ll leave a legacy that will intimidate any rapper left behind.
9/10
