Eminem - Relapse Review [2]

Posted by Fred Richani on 05.22.2009

Where the hell has Eminem been? Well, seemingly to hell and back since we last heard of him. Click here to find out if his newest album measures up to his past work!

When a person suffers from a severe addiction, usually the last thing that person and his or her inner circle would wish for is a relapse. That is not the case with Marshall “Eminem” Mathers and his record labels Shady/Aftermath/Interscope....

HIStory: Well, what is there NOT to say about the man they call Eminem?

The man has had several multi-platinum albums, countless hits, and cemented his place as one of the greatest rappers of all-time. The man has also been through a hell of a lot during his five-year hiatus since releasing a new album (his last was Encore, excluding Curtain Call: The Hits, which was a “greatest hits” compilation). For starters, Em lost his best friend and fellow D12 member Proof in 2006 via a gunshot wound during an altercation at a club, ironically on 8 Mile Road (where much of Eminem's biographical film 8 Mile was shot).

On top of that, his mom was going through medical problems and despite him paying for her medical expenses, she still later badmouthed him through several media outlets. He also remarried his now-infamous wife Kim in 2006, but the couple divorced less than three months later. Above all else, Eminem relapsed in his addiction to drugs, eventually going to rehab for his dependency of sleeping pills. Some hiatus, huh? Well, after years of not rapping full-time and NOT being involved in any controversies for his lyrics and actions (for once), I guess Eminem got that itch again. He relapsed. Yet, that newly rekindled addiction is not due to his desire for drugs, but his love for rap.

The Album:

Relapse



Tracks
1. Dr. West (Skit)
2. 3 A.M.
3. My Mom
4. Insane
5. Bagpipes From Baghdad
6. Hello
7. Tonya (Skit)
8. Same Song & Dance
9. We Made You
10. Medicine Ball
11. Paul (Skit)
12. Stay Wide Awake
13. Old Time's Sake - (featuring Dr. Dre)
14. Must Be The Ganja
15. Mr. Mathers
16. Deja Vu
17. Beautiful
18. Crack A Bottle - (featuring Dr. Dre/50 Cent)
19. Steve Berman (Skit)
20. Underground/Ken Kaniff

We start out Relapse with the skit “Dr. West”, which depicts Eminem being told by his doctor to practically, well, “relapse.” This segues to the first track of the album “3 A.M.”. The track does not set the world on fire, but the Dr. Dre beat and hot, yet sadistic flow of Marshall Mathers are a nice reintroduction to arguably the most controversial rapper since Ice-T (infamous for the song “Cop Killer”) and quite possibly—the most controversial artist in recent memory. Yes, Em does mention a celebrity in the song, who happens to be Kim Kardashian. Apparently, Eminem could not get enough of the most famous Kardashian and her “assets” (I can understand. Believe me..), mentioning her later in the album.

“My Mom” is an introspectively-told tale of Eminem and his mom, regarding their relationship and drug use. It is nothing long-time Em fans do not already know, but this is an interesting set of lyrics:

My mom love Valium and lots of drugs,
That why I am like I am cause I’m like her,
Because my mom love Valium and lots of drugs,
That why I’m on what I’m on cause I’m my mom..

I think it's safe to say the rapper and his mother still do not see eye to eye. Just a hunch.

The song “Insane” is one that re-enforces the perception that Eminem has gone apes***. Believe me, he does later in the album. “Bagpipes From Baghdad” is a song with an instrumental that features a surprisingly-excellent combination of bagpipes and Middle Eastern music, courtesy of Beats by Dre. Eminem goes crazy on the track lyrically, as he laments about what made his “love” for Nick Cannon's wife Mariah Carey deteriorate. Let's just say, he did not have some not-so-kind words the aforementioned couple. If you think that is Eminem being his craziest in the album, you are sadly mistaken. The skit “Tonya” gives listeners the impression that he kidnapped the woman featured in the audio and was going to kill her. It is very reminiscent of his old track “Kim”, where he talked about killing his now ex-wife.

“Tonya” was followed by “Same Song & Dance”, a track that has the rapper spitting from the point of the view of an apparent abductor and killer. This channels Eminem's inner insanity, in conjunction with his lyrical prowess. The hits from Relapse include the feel-good song and number-one-hit “Crack a Bottle”, featuring 50 Cent and Dr. Dre (giving rap fans hope that Detox is not too far upon us). “We Made You” is a hilarious song that has “Jessica Simpson” singing the chorus. It is Eminem at arguably his most humorous in awhile, poking fun at Tony Romo, Jessica Simpson, Kim Kardashian, her ass, and Lindsay Lohan, as well as Sarah Palin (shown in the official music video). He also manages to tell John Mayer to back off and let his girlfriend Jeniffer Aniston date him. Fun stuff!

The only time this reviewer personally cringed was during the song “Medicine Ball”, where Eminem rapped while simultaneously impersonating former actor, famous for his role in the early Superman films and battle with paralysis, the now-deceased Christopher Reeve. Some may find the last verse on the track humorous, others tasteless. This reviewer tends to look at it as Eminem's version of humor that may have finally crossed the line. It does not hurt the overall quality of the album, but could (and probably should) have been omitted.

So, this album is definitely a nice comeback from Eminem. Not perfect, but certainly not bad AT ALL. In fact, this album is the better than most of the stuff that has come out of the rap genre in years, outside Jay-Z, Nas, Lil Wayne, and only a handful of others. Eminem has lost it, but that “it” is his mind, not ability.

The 411: Relapse includes great lyricism, humor, and top-notch production by Dr. Dre that fans of Eminem have grown accustomed to. The album brings Eminem back to the forefront of the hip-hop spectrum and media circus. It's not just a comeback, it's a very good to great album that any rap fan, who is or is not familiar with Eminem should absolutely check out. Easy recommendation.

Final Score:  9.0   [  Amazing ]