Is there really anything left to say about the hip hop enigma that is Marshall Bruce Mathers? I myself have ran out of things of praise to say about him. Since 1999, Eminem has been hip hop's most successful lyrical juggernaut. There aren't many MC's in history who are not only amazingly talented on the mic but have the commercial success to go along with it. Especially in today's hip hop. For someone who musical content is quite...different to say the least, he still managed to become one of music top artists. Everything from drug abuse, killing his baby mother, homophobic and/or gay bashing lyrics, graphic and disturbingly violent lyrics, taking shots at random pop stars and media figures and so on. But throughout it all, throughout all the controversy and protest that surrounded him for majority of his career, Eminem never changed anything and it's got him to where he is now. Among hip hop's elite. For this, you may ask yourself what else does he need to prove? The answer is nothing. But Eminem is a competitor and the battle rapper in him is taking notice that lyricism is starting to become relevant again. He still wants to show that he still has it and will never fall and that he can hang with these new young MC's. That's just one of the many things proven on this anticipated release. The Marshall Mathers LP 2. Album number seven. Now we all know Eminem has quite the impressive discography. My favorite of course being 2000's The Marshall Mathers LP. The prequel to this album. A hip hop classic. But some folks weren't all to thrilled by his last two albums. 2009's Relapse which was filled with a bunch of Em's usual comedic antics but done while under the influence, and 2010's Recovery which many saw as way too mellow and pop-ish sounding. Thought they weren't necessarily "bad" albums, it was enough to cause concern among fans. Which I believe all went away after the release of 2011's Hell: The Sequel. His album with Royce Da 5'9". Taking all of this into account, I thought this album was a major upgrade from those previous two albums. I thought this album was nothing short of terrific. Easily one of the best listens of 2013. However, I gotta admit, I had to listen to it more than once for me to like it. I was a little uneasy after the first listen. On this album, Eminem pretty much gives you a mixture of everything he has ever done as far as his lyrics, content, production style and just overall sound. It pretty much sounds like all his albums rolled into one. In a attempt at what I believe was him trying to reach to multiple different audiences. But the true highlight of this project is, obviously, his lyrics. In short, Em basically snapped. Big time. His word play, metaphors and punchlines on a lot of the tracks on here were so amazingly dope that I found myself rewinding multiple songs to hear certain lyrics again (I'll give you some of my favorite line at the bottom of this review). Again, this is obviously nothing new when it comes to Eminem. Lyricism is his number one weapon. It appears to me that he may have took notice to those fans concerned over Relapse and Recovery and it became a wake up call to him to show that there's no need to be concerned. He still has it even in his 40's. Well now on to all the things I loved about this album. The beginning track "Bad Guy" sets the tone perfectly. A near seven minute track that's basically the sequel to his 2001 classic hit "Stan". He raps a Stan's little brother Matthew who has come back to get revenge on Eminem and kill him. Blaming him for his brother's death for not replying back to his fan mail. It ends with Matthew killing himself as well just as Stan did. Not only was this a dope part two for that song but it also the perfect way to link The Marshall Mathers LP and The Marshall Mathers LP 2 together. Picking up where it left off. By now many of you have already heard "Rap God" and I really don't need to explain much why this song is over the top dope. No hook. Just straight mind bending lyricism as only Eminem can do. If any song on here that proves why Eminem is a king in this rap shit it's this one. "Rhyme Or Reason" is yet another lyrical massacre that had me pressing repeat continuously. He speaks about his anger towards his father a lot for not being there for him and his mom. I loved the Zombies sample too. There was one bar (as there were a few on this album) where he did kinda gets a little corny: "can't even find the page I was writing this rhyme on/oh, it's on the ram-page". Of course Em does that at times purposely just to be funny. "So Much Better" I didn't like at first listen but it grew on me the more I listened to it. Here he snaps on his girlfriend accusing of her of sleeping around with other men, mainly celebrities. I always do enjoy when Em makes songs like this regarding women he's in relationships with and how he just so verbally abusive to them. I know it's not but it's funny when Eminem does it. Cool song. "Love Game" features Kendrick Lamar, a much anticipated collaboration. This song really caught me by surprise by how far left it was. I thought this was just gonna be pure lyrical bar for bar spitting from the two. There was that...just with some comedic wittiness. Kendrick got on Em's level and spit with a style that we've never heard from him. It was kinda weird hearing Kendrick being funny and silly but it worked so well. Great song. "Berzerk" is another song many of you are already familiar with that grew on me after some time. I just love that throwback beat that sounds like a blend of 80's hip hop and 80's rock. It's that beat that truly makes the song in my opinion. "Headlights" was a song that I totally did not expect to be on this album. After all the years we've heard Em lash out at his mother, this time around he realizes that it's his father who's the problem and not his mom. Apologizing to her basically in the song. It's apparent that Em has grown up now and realizes mistakes that he has made in the past and regrets doing it. "Evil Twin" was a dope concept about him and his twin who I'm assuming is Slim Shady. The whole spit personality thing is what's showing here. The song is cool but there was one line that made me cling to that song: "fuck top five bitch I'm top four/and that includes Biggie and Pac whore/and I got a evil twin so who you think third and fourth spot is for?" Brilliant. I love Skylar Grey's hook on "Asshole". I also like how Em is kinda mocking those that call him that and how he admits that he is. I love the country music influenced beat on "So Far...". Again his lyrics were superb and I even like how he reference some of his older lyrics like the "spitting on onion rings" line from "The Real Slim Shady". My issues with this album are nothing serious at all. There were two songs that we're ruined by bad hooks. The first was "Legacy". I really was not feeling this hook at all. Thank God Em's rapping saved it. The other was "Survival" which had this really dope clapping beat but the hook was not good at all. He really should have sang these hooks himself instead of getting pop singers again. But it continues. After some success with "Love The Way You Lie" in 2010, he brought Rihanna back again for "The Monster". Personally, I think this song killed the albums vibe big time. It's not necessarily bad but it was just to pop friendly and happy. I understand he needs at least one radio song on here but man I wish it wasn't done like this. Rihanna sounded better before then on this song. The only song that I can say I truly disliked was" Stronger Than I Was". I really don't understand what he was trying to do here but it totally didn't work. His singing was terrible and even the rapping at the end didn't make it any better. A major album buzz kill. Well overall, I enjoyed this entire album front to back. Eminem delivered time and shows that there is no stopping him. I give this a final grade of an A. As I stated in the beginning of this, Eminem has nothing else to prove to hip hop or anyone else. His legacy as a immortal hip hop legend has already been cemented. But in making this album he still shows you why he is considered by many as the world's most notorious lyrical assassin. One thing this album did show was his growth. From the out of control white boy from the Detroit trailer park, to the madman out to kill his baby mom, to the battle rapping machine that backed down from no beef, to the pill popping addict, to where he is now. A hip hop lyrical legend. Or in this case, a "rap god". End.
Final Grade: A
Some notable dope lyrics:
-"maybe that's why I'm so bananas/I a-ppealed to all those walks"
-"cause a woman broke my he-art/I say he-art cause she ripped in into two pa-arts"
"too busy getting stoned in your glass house to kick rocks"
-"I'm swinging at these chicks on sight/long as I got a bat and two balls it's foul but my dick's on strike"
-"you fags think it's all game til I walk-a-flock of flames"
-"I might be about to busta, bust her, the thought is scary yo, though and it hurts--brace/hope it 'here we go yo' cause my head already goes to worst case scenario, thpugh in the first place/but you confirmed my low end theory though..."
-"fuck top five bitch I'm top four/and that includes Biggie and Pac whore/and I got a evil twin so who you think third and fourth spot is for?"
-"you done called every woman a slut but you're forgetting Sarah, Marshall"
CREDITS
Executive Producer
Andre Young
Rick Rubin
Lead Artist
Marshall Mathers, III
Production
Marshall Mathers III
Larry Griffin, Jr.
Mark Landon
Nicholas Warwar
Rick Rubin
Luis Resto
Emile Haynie
Alexander Grant
Bigram Zayas
Bryan Fryzel
Jeff Bhasker
Tavish Graham
Joey Chavez
Carl McCormick
Collaboration
Sarah Jaffe
Holly Hafermann
Liz Rodrigues
Polina Goudieva
Robyn Fenty
Kendrick Duckworth
Nathaniel Reuss
Jamie Commons
Sia Furler
Label
Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Records
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