EMINEM. Irresistible hooks and impeccable wordplay.
Eminem debuts at No. 1 in record-breaking fashion on the Billboard 200 this week with his eighth studio album, “The Marshall Mathers LP 2”—the year’s second-biggest bow, after Justin Timberlake’s “The 20/20 Experience.”
The 41-year-old rap luminary is on top of his game as he weaves a series of revealing stories (related to his dysfunctional family and illustrious career) that plays out like narrative vignettes strung together by irresistible hooks and impeccable wordplay.
There’s a lot of fun to be had—from the hilarious “Love Game” (featuring a wacky Kendrick Lamar) and the cheeky, Beastie Boys-channeling send-up of ’80s hip-hop (in the carrier single, “Berzerk”), to the current rap scene-related “aria,” “Survival,” with Liz Rodrigues.
Extended clan
Of course, Eminem wouldn’t be Eminem without his jaw-dropping rants and profanity-laced disclosures about celebrities (check out what he thinks about Lamar Odom as part of the Kardashians’ extended clan, in “Berzerk”), his love-hate relationship with fame (“The Monster”), and rap as his artistic muse (“So Much Better”).
In the hook-heavy and hit-bound “The Monster,” he reunites with frequent collaborator, Rihanna (“Love The Way You Lie”), as they sing about fame—“the monster under my bed” and how it gets along with the “voices inside my head.”
This time, he revisits the story of fanboy Stan as seen through the eyes of his vengeful brother, Matthew Mitchell (“Bad Guy”), resurrects his “darker” alter ego, Slim Shady (“Evil Twin”), and talks about scores that needs to be settled—with ex-wife Kim (“Stronger Than I Was”), his neglectful dad (“Rhyme or Reason”), his much-put-upon mother, Debbie (the apology-laced “Headlights”), his childhood bullies (“Legacy”), and with himself (“A-hole”).
“THE MARSHALL MATHERS LP 2.” Debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Must-hear tracks
The album’s other must-hear tracks: “Rap God,” for his lyrical virtuosity and seamless handling of flow-style rapping, and “So Far…,” a heady fusion of rap, reggae and teasing samples of “The Real Slim Shady” and Joe Walsh’s “Life’s Been Good.”
Also notable are Eminem’s rare display of vulnerability in “Stronger Than I Was,” and “Rhyme or Reason,” for smartly incorporating The Zombies’ “Time Of The Season” into his absentee father’s cautionary tale.
Speaking of samples, mash-ups and interpolations, we hope Eminem will find good use for Supertramp’s “The Logical Song” in one of his unsettling but truly fascinating song-and-rap numbers soon!