This is the eagerly awaited
comeback-to-a-comeback-to-a-comeback album, the final attempt of Eminem’s to put
his white ass back on the hip hop throne. Relapse
and Recovery, his two previous
releases, failed to recapture the real slim shady. As Mathers states on the
first track of this record “last album now because after this you’ll be officially
done”.
Most artists come to a point where they
accept they've passed their peak. Not Eminem. The Marshall Mathers LP 2 sees him
with a belly full of fire, eager to prove he’s still got it, that at forty he’s
still the best, that he’s more than the best, not just a rap king, but - as the already-hit single clearly states - a
“rap god”.
The last musician I heard claim that they
were a "god" was Kanye West on his previous album Yeezus. I slated that album on this
blog – mainly because I detested Kanye’s arrogance. If you call yourself a god
you have to be prepared to prove that you are more than talented, that you are
exceptional in every way.
Can Eminem get away with such a claim? Is he
exceptional in every way? Arguably, yes.
The track “Rap God” is a master class on flow.
Eminem’s ability to spit bars at speed whilst staying intelligible and
conveying emotion is an ability that I think no rapper equals. The rest of the
album proves Eminem has the full package. He puts his creativity and talent
into really entertaining his listener at every possible second. The second
track “Rhyme or reason” kicks off with some disturbingly hilarious imagery
“It’s like handing a psycho a loaded gun/Michelangelo with a paintgun in a
tantrum/bout’ to explode on a canvas” and then heads without warning into a
verse delivered in Yoda-speak. When Eminem isn’t playing with shock value and
comedy, he’s tugging sharply on the heart-strings with emotionally-charged
tracks like “Headlights”. His mother, who he’s spent his whole career dissing for his tough upbringing,
gets a truly poignant apology. It is Em’s ability to invoke such strong emotions
through rap that makes him a God.
Perhaps my favourite track on the album is
“Love Game” featuring Kendrick Lamar. This generation’s greatest rapper teams
up with the original greatest rapper and instead of transforming into what
could have been a rap battle between old and new, the song comes across a
playful, fun collaboration between generations. Kendrick uses his verse to show
the influence that Eminem has had on him, experimenting with different voices in
a Slim Shady fashion.
It’s all been compliments up until now. Eminem
undoubtedly proves himself to be the perfect rapper, which might suggest that
this is the perfect hip hop album – but no it isn’t. Nearly, but not quite.
Musically, there are a few little potholes in
the road, those being the beats and hooks. Some of the choruses such as on
“Asshole” are just a tad too cheesy for my liking, as well as the
instrumentation used on tracks like “Survival”. Also, Eminem’s singing voice can
come off a little like a dying cat dragging its nails down a blackboard, such
as on the track “Stronger than I Was”.
Stick to rapping, Em. You’re much better
at it.
Nonetheless, I’m not going to let the odd cringe-worthy
moment ruin an album for me that in other parts proves itself to be exceptional.
Take this album from a rapping perspective and there’s little to fault.
★★★★☆