Showing posts with label Eminem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eminem. Show all posts

Wednesday 23 December 2020

Eminem "Music To Be Murdered By Side B" (2020)

 

Another Eminem record already? Technically this is just the "deluxe edition" of Music To Be Murdered By released earlier this year. Labeled as "Side B" we are treated to sixteen cuts, the majority of which are a grade better than the original lineup. With references to Coronavirus and the global pandemic, Its obvious a portion of this was recorded after the original release. Its had me curious as to why these songs where packaged and released this way. One thing I'm sure is, I've officially brought it twice now, the second time to get my hands on these new tracks which I am happy to say a far swab of are pretty fantastic and just fun.

It doesn't need to be iterated that much of Ems topicality revolves around his stature and split from the universal adoration his fans once gave him and the peak of his popularity. Its become a dull hindrance over the years but not so much this time around. It does comes up, as well as media beef but something seems keener in these raps. Book Of Rhymes perhaps embodies this spirit, a track about getting all the words his written off the page an into the music. I remember his struggles on Revival, clearly battling with his output and listeners perception of it.

On Side B he sounds releaved and free of that stress. Much of his material breezes on with a clear concept in mind, manifesting into structure, flow and puns in a variety of ways. He goes off on many narratives with plenty of word play and crafty raps that have you checking the connections as he rattles them off. Not all of its great, one rhyme about "Channeling like the panama canal" is a stretch but this lack of filter balances out Ems talent shines in many spots with strings of fantastic links. At plenty of times he gets into it with swift raps, loading and weaving rhymes and puns together. His talent is still very much there.

The record brings with it a DJ Premier feature and Dr. Dre out from the shadows. He lays a classic piano laden beat on album closer Discombobulated but his rap is mediocre. His name will always spark excitement but the best is in the past. Its mostly Em that makes the record fun. Side B's instrumental production brings a variety of modern beats with hints of auto-tune and Trap influences on a couple song but its mostly unremarkable, run of the mill stuff. Its been a fun handful of spins, no doubt a couple songs will bring me back on occasion but the thing of note is that this material seems better than the first half. It is also fresh in the mind and hasn't have the majority of a year to fade from aswell.

Rating: 6/10

Wednesday 29 January 2020

Eminem "Music To Be Murdered By" (2020)


Arguably raps biggest name, Eminem, has dropped a surprise album on us to kick of the new decade! Inspired by the acclaimed horror movie maker Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 album of the same name, the shock of its release and blood soaked album cover set off a spark in my mind. I yearned for the Detroit talent to be freed of constraints and pursue an interesting concept and avenue for his rhymes. This led to a rather disappointing initial listen as Em dives straight into the fatigued back and forth with his haters on Unaccommodating, continuing to fight his insecurity of the criticism leveled his way again. Its become a tired theme souring his recent string of albums.

There is good news however. With each listen the album grows as the weak spots reveal themselves to be clustered either side a string of decent songs in the middle. The underlying themes emerge, Eminem venting his personal relationships, childhood struggles and tackling the current wave of tragic shooter events in his country. Its articulated with a finesses and attitude only he can do. His technical prowess and wordplay is a splattered mess of gaudy, goofy and genius. I find myself not sure if I should love or cringe at his puns, punch lines and words between the lines. Finding reasons to enjoy is always better than the baggage of critiquing a musical prodigy tho.

Unsurprisingly there is deep well of topicality in his lyrics to get into and its all put together with variety. His slow, steady, purposely directed words on Darkness tells a tale from the narrative of a shooter at a concert, a typically controversial Eminem track but the tone is right to get the message across to those who are open to hear it. Moments before this glum sorrowful song Em is going ham with his chops of lightning spat rhymes as he rivals his own Rap God with Godzilla, perhaps a through line in the name there. The vibes jump from fun to sad with a track switch and so does his flow, as much of the album will move from one idea to the next, Em deploys a healthy variety to engage but consistency is something to be desired.

The production initially shook me up, I didn't like a moment of it. Familiarity drew me in on the second spin, Its a constant curiosity of mine how that works. Now I'm loving it. The beats are sharp, snappy and crunky, the percussion pops and provides an aggressive framework of liveliness to compliment the energy of Eminem and his guests. They were for the most part in Em's shadow, a hard place to make an impression from. The likes of Skylar Grey could stand out when she lends her singing. Yah Yah is possibly best of the bunch, bringing on Royce Da 59, Black Thought and Q-Tip for an exceptional song throwing all the hails back to the golden era of Hip Hop.

As a whole it has its peaks but valleys too. Marsh is a self indulged spew of puns and plays on his name, not sure If I like it. Another Little Engine deploys a ridiculous chorus hook and its usually the hooks that are contentious. The sung choruses hailing back to some of his best music doesn't always land. Stepdad is a wound of a song, Em pouring is heart out but the sung chorus... again I just don't know quite how I feel about it. Overall I think Music To Be Murdered By has a lot of quality and Em gets on track with his topics for the most part. A little curation might of served it well but I think the real test is for how long will these songs stick and will I come back too it often? For now though I've enjoyed it plenty and think its a worthy release.

Favorite Tracks: Godzilla, Darkness, Yah Yah, Stepdad
Rating: 6/10

Sunday 2 September 2018

Eminem "Kamikaze" (2018)


Kamikaze may just be the most fitting, self descriptive name for this surprise album. Dropped out of the blue a couple days back by the one and only legendary Eminem, it responds to the general disappointment and fallout of last years Revival. The shock and surprise of this mean, gritty record taking verbal aim at anyone nearby has Em painted like a wounded animal, lashing out as his frustrations with the changing landscape of Hip Hop pin him in the corner. His state of mind manifests before us into a Rap fest of disses and vocal prowess. He's like the deranged tyrant on the throne, no one can deny or challenge his position at the top, yet his verbal trajectory of insults is unlikely to harbor any new fans of friends.

Once again Eminem is stuck in his reactionary mindset. It was once the cutting edge back when he was public enemy one on the Marshall Mathers LP. His position has changed, reputation established and undeniable yet here he is lashing out at Mumble Rappers and artists with different styles. It paints a sour image of an aging artist, out of touch yet one can not deny how wonderful his flows and creative is. The record has its moments of pure brilliance, Em even takes on his despised triplet and choppy flows to flip them over, load them with lyrical substance and spit them back in the face of those he goes after. He does however drown in a plethora of tasteless slurs and swears that weigh down the genius behind the rhyme.

Breaking down the lyrics, which run deep, we find regards to Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, Logic, J Cole, Joyner Lucas, who is featured on the track Lucky You. On the other end of the stick Em goes hard at so many rappers its hard to keep up. Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Pump, Lil Xan, Lil Yatchy, Earl Sweatshirt all get caught in the crossfire. He also takes aim at Tyler The Creator using the word faggot. Given these times and context it really does him no favors and comes off as poor taste. That was disappointing, yet "Not Alive" had me in hysterics as Eminem and Royce Da 5'9" mock the Migos Bad & Boujee flow, its hilarious but simply redundant. Drake also gets accused of relying on ghost writers and Em goes rather pointless into number comparisons, which he also extended to music critics making views off Revival.

Its really just petty, yet delivered through the lens of supreme talent. Behind the lyrics there is another layer of madness as some beats resemble the modern trends Em criticizes himself, however it may all just be playing into the mockery. One notable thing stand against this, Em constantly uses the Drake "Yuh" prompt before rhyming... Its so distinctly alike it just seems strange. Tracks like Nice Guy & the second half of Normal resurrect some classic Eminem vibes. Lucky You is dominated by its features and modern aesthetic, it barely sounds like his own track. To say the least the record tends to go all over the place as his sounds play around with new ideas too.

Beyond the attention grabbing tracks his lyrical content hits and misses with a variety of topics. Hearing him address the D12 situation and run through his thoughts was well executed yet not every song hits that grade. The content fluctuates as does Ems flows, dropping some excellent rhymes and patterns alongside some belly aching cringy lyrics and plain schemes. At other times it loads in so much its difficult to unpack. If one thing is consistent, its a lack of hooks, the best he musters is the Migos own Not Alike flow and groove, ironic of course. Em also lashes out at the new generation not respecting the old guard, his actions will do little to change this.

Ultimately, this record is as described, a kamikaze. Its hard to see Eminem reclaiming his place at the top again, even when working with Dr.Dre. Given his attitude to the state of Hip Hop he comes off like a sinking battleship landing missile strikes as it goes down. Its the best we have heard of him in years from a technical perspective yet when not striking out a fair bit of the topics arn't engaging and with a refusal to change with the times little excitement is stirred unless hes angry and viscous. I can't see him coming back from this unless he finds a new source of inspiration... Also I can't leave this blog without mentioning the Beastie Boys and License To Ill, there it is!

Favorite Tracks: The Ringer, Normal, Not Alike
Rating: 6/10

Tuesday 30 January 2018

Eminem "Soul Intent" (1995)


Although labeled here as an Eminem record, this cassette EP was a self titled release from the Detroit group known as Soul Intent, consisting of Eminem, Proof from D12, plus few others, although on the microphone it is only Em we hear rapping on the two tracks "Fuckin' backstabber" and "Biterphobia". Back in the Napster days this was a godsend to get your hands on this, the earliest recordings known at the time however doing a little research reveals now you can hear recordings of Em rapping as far back as 1988. Astonishing! I thought this was the final piece to cover on Ems roots and although there is more uncovered I will probably not return to writing about them for now...

Comprising of two sets of raps over muddy, dingy beats at cassette quality there may not be much to get excited over here and that is certainly true of the first track. Em still finding his feet shows off his pronunciations skills as he doubles up the consonants of his words in true Das EFX style. The higher pitched voice and vocal inflections are strangely distracting from the flow and strength of his rhymes as they divert attention from the songs narrative. Its a reasonable song but the low fidelity sucks the wind from its sails.

"Biterphobia" is where things get interesting, the beat musters up a lot of atmosphere and urgency in its intro before Em steps to the mic and drops in on a prolific flow. Fast swift and effortless Em breezes through a crafty assemble of tight rhymes that land like knockout blows. Its a moment where his talent comes to fruition in a raw and energetic form as Em raps about spraying spiders with aerosol and lighters. The two songs encapsulate his roots in learning to rap via imitation and where he is heading, finding a voice of his own and defining himself with a brilliant set of rhymes on the second song.

Favorite Track: Biterphobia
Rating: 3/10

Wednesday 24 January 2018

Eminem "The Slim Shady EP" (1997)


My recent dive back into the roots of Rap titan Eminem has left me with one other rare release to talk about beyond this character defining EP. Its an understatement to say it was a flop, shifting only 250 copies it was another step backwards from the failed Infinite album. Thank goodness this found its way to Dr.Dre at Interscope, how this release didn't make waves in the Detroit scene seems absurd retrospectively. The tone of this record indicates it may have been his last attempt at making it in the rap game too, who would of known this struggle would take him so far!

The record name is a direct link to the Slim Shady LP, Eminem fully defining the character that would inhabit his major label debut here on this EP. One cut is identical and two others would have the instrumentals remixed for the LP. With two skits and a pair of radio edits you'll find three songs that didn't make it to the album, "No Ones Iller" a lyrical mic passing, the D12 group upping each other with dark, gritty, offensive lyrics set to shock anyone in sight. "Murder, Murder" a gloomy, downtrodden storytelling Eminem walks us through a crazed loot and murder spree with a tragic tone and vivid, violent lyricism that's got an utterly oozing flow.

And then there's "Low Down Dirty" which could essentially be the Slim Shady anthem, Em loading his smartest self depreciating lyrics and rhymes, talking of self inflicted gun wounds, molesting himself and getting convicted, his split personality having an identity crisis and the classic line, "Murder murder, red rum, brain size of a bread crumb, which drug will I end up dead from?". Its a brilliant string of rhymes with a cheeky lifted hook, Em instructs to smack anyone who sounds like him, and question the origin of the raps, precisely as Redman did with the same words. Its a brilliant song and it, like the other two, could sweetly fit into the LPs track list.

That brings us on to the production. Working with DJ Head, DJ Rec and the Bass Brothers, Em has the same tone and vibe we would here on the LP, despite being self funded and released on a small indie label there is very little between this and the breakout that would sell millions of records. Everything is essentially fully formed here, the surviving songs would get some polish and reworking on the LP but all of Em's rhymes stay intact, even the recordings are the from the same session I believe. One thing it has over that record is the birth of the Slim Shady character on the cinematic intro, an evil voice birthed into the mind of Eminem who has to confront himself in the mirror, Its a real treat, as is the whole EP.

Favorite Tracks: Low Down Dirty, Just Dont Give A Fuck, Just The Two Of Us, Murder Murder
Rating: 8/10

Monday 22 January 2018

Eminem "The Marshall Mathers LP" (2000)


Having crash landed into the mainstream music world, Eminem swiftly followed up on his brilliant and wildly controversial Slim Shady LP with a prolific and monumental record that would smash sales records and go to ship massive volumes of sales. Commercial success aside it was an artistic statement the world had never heard before, Em dropping his Slim Shady persona, for all but one song, and striking back hard and critics and fans alike. Em didn't take kindly to fame and the heat he came under for his lyrics, in response he mustered this firestorm of emotion lashing out in all in his path.

If the despairing self parody of Slim Shady, drenched in drug abuse and self harm, wasn't enough, Em stepping back from his character and coming from his heart proved to be an even more violent and troubled affair. His emotional expression manifested to new extremities with alarming tracks like "Kill You" about raping his mother and the wildly theatrical "Kim" where he in-acts a frightening argument between the two and eventual torturous murders of his wife. The enormity of his struggles channeled through his raw talent makes for a level of involving song writing unheard of before.

At the time it was Em's make or break record, unsure if his fate would be that of a one hit wonder, the pressures funneled into a wildly reactionary record that would fuel the flames of controversy higher than ever, to the extent that protest groups brought it federal courts to discuss if it would be banned. Of course freedom of speech protected, all this would do is aid sales as it brought more and more attention to the rapper. With memorable MTV Award performances and a duet with Elton John at the grammys Em had forever solidified his place in music history in just a couple of years after many more as a struggling artist no one would take seriously.

Controversy and sales aside, The Marshall Mathers LP is a frozen slice of time spent inside the mind of an artist thrusted to the forefront of the worlds attention. Its reactionary nature is genius and from the keenest mind with cutting edge rhyming schemes and an undeniable flow comes a slew of consciousness that crushes all in its path. Em also brings on more guests voices, the likes of RBX and D12 upping the anti with equally vile and destructive lyricism who can never have the last laugh with Em dropping classics like "When I go out, I'm a go out shooting, not when I die, when I go to the club stupid" and "We don't do drive bys, we park in front of houses and shoot", his verses crush, its pure menace.

The record has a couple of "sequels" with Dr.Dre and Snoop teaming up to reinvent Xzibit's Bitch Please. Its a masterclass production from Dre and Mel-Man who could of easily snuck it in Dre's 2001 record. Drug Ballad is admittedly a weaker song in a string of classics but one can't help but notice the similar beat and flow to "Cum On Everybody", both are the 13th track and this song feels like a bridge between the two records. While we are talking on specific tracks I couldn't pass up on "The Way I Am" and "Stan". Two dark and harrowing songs of lyrical genius, both singles that would thrust dark subject matter to the top of the charts. The first a vivid, animated, passonate response to his critics and memorably defending Marylin Manson in a couple of lines. "Stan" is a work of art, rapped from the perspective of Em and a deranged fan exchanging letters. The scribbling of pencils and cinematic sound design but wholly the back and forth story telling has solidified it forever as a truely timeless song.

Its all been said before and it will be talked about for time to come. For me It all happened at the beginning of my love for music and every time you turned on MTV this guy was killing it. Fond memories but listening to it back all these years later its as air tight as it was then. The level of profanity and alarming lyrics that went over my head as a kid is a curiosity of sorts, especially the amount of Columbine references with Em rapping of stolen trench coats and machine guns reaching kids... There is certainly more to this record than I realized at the time but its brilliance has never been in question. A must listen for anyone who's curious.

Favorite Tracks: Stan, Remember Me, Amtyvile, Bitch Please II, Criminal
Rating: 10/10

Saturday 20 January 2018

Eminem "Infinite" (1996)


Back at the turn of the millennium during the infancy of the Internet, Eminem's debut LP "Infinite" was somewhat of an urban myth, listed on underground websites yet not acknowledged by the rapper himself. Thanks to the emergence of peer to peer sharing, this record could reach many curious fans, surpassing the reach of its limited print. With only a thousand vinyl copies produced it has become a collectors relic, with many bootlegs appearing for sale on auction websites. Of course today you can probably just jump onto youtube and hear it within seconds compared to the days of MP3 sharing on Napster I had endured to hear this gem of a record.

There's a novelty factor to hearing the prolific rapper at a younger age, noticeable in the higher pitch of his voice. At twenty four his talent was already a bright star shining and so swiftly does that novelty wear off as his flows and rhyme schemes lock you in for a smooth ride along his effortless raps that can change pace and switch rhythm mid sentence. At this stage in his career Em had yet to birth the Slim Shady character and so the rhymes drop with a lack of swearing, violence and vile energy. Its endearing of his natural ability as he spits clever, witty instances of rhyme and wordplay with an expansive vocabulary. It may require a dictionary to keep up with the word meanings he swiftly stacks on top of one another. Its almost a crutch at times, frequently using this double rhyming in practically every verse. Otherwise its an impressive performance with Em infrequently cursing.
 
Infinite is an intentionally friendly, accessible record and that may ultimately seem as its downfall but the reality is its final stretch of songs from, "Never 2 Far" to "Jelousy Woes II" tend to drop off from the strong opening tracks. The albums production also falls a couple years behind the trend curb, aiming for those warm fuzzy Hip Hop vibes the likes of Nas's Illmatic peaked with in the early nineties. Em even samples and references rhymes from Illamtic and sounds a fair bit like rapper AZ who backed up Nas on that classic record. Its a clear inspiration for Infinite and the first few songs get the vibe just right with Jazzy samples and tight grooves however the quality is sub par. Instrumentally everything is a little muddy and gloomy despite having an uplifting mood. It doesn't hold back Em, or the songs themselves but by the time the last four tracks roll around its outstayed its welcome.

Its obvious now why this record didn't launch Eminem's career, for all the technical prowess and undeniable talent, he had yet to carve a character, a niche that would stand him apart in a crowd. Attempting to get radio play on a flawed production it ultimately ended up in this being a complete flop but now its an absolutely treat for Eminem fans to enjoy the world over. If your a fan, give it a listen, Ems rhymes are dynamite and carry it far, there arn't many rappers that could make a flawed concept sound so good.

Favorite Tracks: Infinite, Its Ok, Tonite, Open Mic
Rating: 6/10

Thursday 18 January 2018

Eminem "The Slim Shady LP" (1999)


My affinity for this record has never faded, back when I was a troubled teenager, as most teens typically are, this albums excessive out pour of frustration, anger and hopelessness was comforting as an emotional outlet. It was Eminem's major label debut and it broke through with a ton of controversy over its lyrical content loaded with vile language, violence and rape. Em's Slim Shady character took the musical world by the scruff of its neck as a breakout mainstream artist with alarming content. Although his Marshal Mathers persona would go on to take this even further, I have always adored this moment in his career for being closest to his troubled upbringing and failure as a rapper, which lead to a very unique form of inspiration.

This record is Em at his breaking point. Haunted by his past and unable to forge a future in his adored Hip Hop world, the Slim Shady character is a persona unable to take anything seriously, a self parody born of despair and frustration in his dreams to make it as a rapper. In the 90s no lables would take him seriously but thanks to the EP released two years prior, he caught the ear of Dr.Dre which landed him on Interscope Records. And so this record marks a moment we will never hear again, a young, desperately ambitious and energetic Em, foaming at the mouth with his opertunity to flip the middle finger back at the world that rejected him.

 Obviously all the passion in the world would fall short without a sharp set of skills to express it and Em arrives unexpected as one of the keenest rhymers with an unrivaled technical prowess. With topics of self hatred, bullying and mental illness he turns Rap on its head, rhyming from the perspective of the victim as opposed to the all to common self affirming braggadocio the genre is drowning in. It was massively refreshing at the time yet smothered in controversy as Em expressed in through vivid violent lyricism striking out at almost everyone around, including himself of course.

That ability to turn it in on himself gives the record a subtle undercurrent of comedy rooted in self loathing that crops up all over the verses in brilliantly executed lines, one of my favorites "My mind wont work if my spine don't jerk". His talent is raw and powerful, illuminated by his use of conversational characters in songs like "Brain Damage" where his genius story telling walks us through the troubled tales of his bullied youth, intersecting the rhymes with sound affects and the voices of the people in his rhymes. It brings the words to life, the jump out of the song and paint a picture. His back and forth with Dr.Dre on "Guilty Conscience" another illuminated example of his brilliance and Em plays a devils voice whispering into the ears of characters in testing situations. "Just Don't Give A Fuck" gets a merit for its slew of disgusting rhymes taking aim at just about everyone. It includes the records best hook "So when you see me on block with two glocks, screaming fuck the world like 2Pac". Its loaded with smart rhyme schemes and tantalizing word play, including Em dissing the white rappers that came before him, he gets the names in so quick it can pass you by. Pete Nice, MC Serch, Milkbone, Everlast and Vanilla Ice get dropped in a couple of lines that flow swiftly from the talented delivery and unrivaled flow of Em.

Knowing every word of this record I could waffle on for hours about the topical schemes that come with every song on this record but to mention my favorites, "Role Model" has Em saying just about everything he shouldn't say as a potential role model for young people, of course its drenched in a critical, cynical sarcasm. "97' Bonnie & Clyde" tells a tale of Em taking his daughter in the car to dump his murdered wife in the lake. Its truly haunting, the sorrowful, gloomy instrumental paints an uncomfortable setting for Em talking to his infant daughter as they throw her body in the water for to nap in her "bed at the bottom of the lake". He is obviously venting his relationship troubles with Kim but the fantasy of him and his daughter disposing the body is alarming. Beyond the rhymes Em has the Bass Brothers at his side again, providing crisp and bold instrumentals with tight drum grooves that still sound ship sturdy to this day. The capture the mood and tone of Em perfectly with melodies that reflect the gloomy anger in his lyrics.

This record has undoubtedly been eclipsed by his follow up and Ive heard it talked about as a raw and unpolished precursor but Id have to disagree. I think this raw, of the moment Slim Shady is what makes this record everything it is, the frustrations and anger manifest into an endless string of genius rhymes draped in controversy and approaching a twenty year anniversary its rhymes still sound sharp, witty and potent. It has a few songs that fall behind the mark and sound a little aged but those are fantastic tracks among classics, which are mostly carried by Em alone who only has two guest rappers across the whole record. One of my all time favorites from the era where we form the strongest bonds with music.

Favorite Tracks: 97' Bonnie & Clyde, Role Model, My Fault, Ken Kaniff, Rock Bottom, Just Don't Give A Fuck, Still Don't Give A Fuck.
Rating: 10/10

Thursday 21 December 2017

Eminem "Revival" (2017)


It feels crazy that I've never written before about Eminem on this blog before. He is pretty much thee musical name of my generation. Making his break around the millennium with Dr.Dre at his side, the Detroit rapper rose to phenomenal levels of success no thanks to his unrivaled talent and unique persona. I fondly miss the self loathing days of Slim Shady, the adopted rap personality of a desperate individual, framing his suffering on stage to the point of self mockery in an unwavering drive to make it in the Rap game. We've come along way since those early days, I checked out after Relapse, Em's reinvented self not quite to my taste. With sparks like Rap God on his previous record I found myself very keen on hearing this next chapter in his story.

Opening with an intrinsic string of words to set tone, Em's mission statement raises the bar high for a musician who constantly doubts himself in a pursuit of perfectionism. The sounds of paper ripping between his words of anguish paints him as a failure in his mind, perhaps disconnected from the reality that his name like his will always feel relevant in music. It gives way to more self indulged lyrics that come off sharp as snappy the snare which he rides with a jolted flow. Moving into Chloraseptic he hits the mark, turning to fiery spiteful battle raps over a viscous slick beat but after a tight, witty opening verse that swiftly subsides to a string of crude, sleazy rhymes.

Tracks like Untouchable and Like Home go in hard and political, Em getting fired up in defense of Black Americans living in institutional racism. He makes no mystery of his liberal leanings here, his rage and anger fueling strings of rhymes to serve his message as he takes shots at president Trump and republicans. Hes frank and blunt, spelling out the situation as he sees it raps that seek with others to take side with him. These topical track are far more meaningful and relevant with much food for thought however that probably depends on if you agree with how he sees the situation.

The focus shifts around through the track listing, Remind Me and Heat stick out as throwaway rump tracks with spews of crude and lewd lyrics that border on childish at times. Em jumps from topic to topic with old themes cropping up, revisiting his struggles with Kim. The three closing tracks are rather endearing, they play like another chapter in a chronology of songs about the unique relationship he has with his daughter Hailey, always fueling a deep passion he can't help but put to the microphone. His regrets and conflicts culminate in a musical suicide attempt he raps his way through the consequences as he perishes away in hospital, a very Eminem therapy style of song, ending with a hint this is his last album as they throwback the beat.

 There are flashes of his brilliance littered and his talent props up a lot of lack luster topical schemes. The first listen through felt fresh and exciting, a lot of his throwbacks to themes from his roots really drew in a distanced fan. His loose mouth and shots at Trump felt like the rebellion I expected to hear from Marilyn Manson who dropped the ball on relevancy. Unfortunately a lot of the tracks fell through on the second and third spins before much of the record felt tired and spent. A lot of this could be down to the weak production which is in all fairness well put together but behind the curb of excitement with dated ideas, even more so with the inclusion of his collaborations.

Eminem had so much to say and prove in the naughties but now he sounds trapped in the same internal struggles, the difference is he believes its now all his too loose. The irony is the albums best comes from the most personal themes we've heard before. There's an EP's worth of good here but this material is loosely stapled together with sub par songs, fluff and seemingly name sake features to bolster his reputation, I think only Beyonce and Skylar Grey made a positive impact on the music. Other features like Ed Sheeran felt very positional. Mildly disappointing, some good things to take away, I just hope that Em doesn't give up on trying to hit the mark again.

Rating: 4/10
Favorite Tracks: Walk On Water, Untouchable, In Your Head, Castle, Arose