Eminem - Relapse [Review]

The long awaited Eminem album has finally dropped, and in my opinion, it could not have come in a better time.  While there is always plenty of new music out, the album drops right when things sort of get slow, and it gives me something to write about!  The album is the first from Marshal Mathers since his sudden disappearance from the music industry back in 2004.  Since Encore (Eminems last album release, which was arguably one of his best), Eminem has had a very interesting journey and life story which he shares on his album, Relapse.  Eminem had announced to the public that he would be taking a small leave from the limelight to start producing music for musicians and begin working on some of his musicians who were on his label (Shady Records).  At the time, there was very little speculation as to whether or not Eminem would be leaving the music scene for more than a year or two, and at the time, everyone seemed pretty sure that things were going in the right direction for Eminem.  Little did they know, his supposed small time absence from the music game ended up spiraling into a five year mess.

A year after selling his hit record, Encore, things turned sour for the Michigan native, and life as he knew it was falling apart.  The problems started when Em' re-married his ex-wife, and then eleven days later, divorced her for the second time.  With the divorce, and his losing one of his best friends to a fatal gunshot outside a club in Detroit, Eminem relapsed into his addiction of prescription drugs.  The relapse, as he stated in an interview in XXL magazine, sent him to a, "dark" place, and he ended up not leaving his house much, and avoided appearing in the public eye.  As I said in a Past Post, Eminem's ultimate decline into his relapse is something that should be learned from, not frowned upon.  I know many out there are saying to themselves, "this will just be the same old Em, cocky, annoying, complaining, and blaming others for his tough life..."  If you listen to the lyrics and the story line (even though he apparently wasn't looking to tell a story) of the album, you can see that there is just so much to learn from it.  Teens and young adults are very influential, and Eminem is a very popular artist.  With that being said, many young people will listen to his new LP, and will be exposed to what happens to someone when they take the scary and dreaded path down addiction and the use of drugs.

While Eminem has a ton of haters, and has accumulated a lot of skepticism and criticism over the years, I think that many people will be changing their opinion on the once messed up and relapsed Eminem.  If you think about it, this is a fresh Eminem, one who has come off a bad relapse, and has "seen the light".  He is not settling for mediocracy anymore, and he has ambitions to be someone who is pertinent to society, and is accepted in the public eye.  If that is the case, then you will get the Eminem fans who say that his conformation to society is going against who he really is... Whatever your take on the subject is, he has definitely become a new person, one who can handle life, and has the ability to re-take the thrown of Rap.  Em definitely brought it hard on the album, will I say that the album was an A+... No, but seeing as it is his first album in five years, I will say that it is filled with some hot tracks, some great songs, and some sick beats.  I give the album a B+/A-, and for his first album release in a long time, that's a very good grade.  As I have covered on the site, he will be doing another album that will come out this year (2009) entitled, Relapse 2.  I also know that the sequel to the already sick nasty first album is picking up where Relapse left off.  I recall reading a while ago that Em and Dr. Dre recorded a ton of songs that ended up not making the cut on Relapse.  This being said, I think that the sequel will feature a lot of those songs (which I am sure will be edited, and have some features on them, and be utterly insane).  I hope that he tells a story on the second album, I think that him actively explaining the pain and suffering he went through will help detour people from getting involved with drugs.  I applaud Eminem for all that he has done to get clean, and to become a person who can be a role model for young teens.  I think he is a totally new person, who has the ability to help out so many people by sharing his life experiences on dependancy of drugs and addiction.

Relapse Track Listing:

1. Dr. West
   
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 Times Sake (Feat. Dr Dre)
    
14. Must Be The Ganja
    
15. Mr. Mathers
    
16. Deja Vu
    
17. Beautiful
    
18. Crack A Bottle (Feat. Dr. Dre & 50 Cent)
    
19. Steve Berman (Skit)
    
20. Underground/Ken Kaniff
    

If You Haven't Bought The Album Yet, Then You're Missing Out, Check Out Relapse, Which Hit Stores Today!!!  SUPPORT THE ARTISTS, BUY THEIR WORK & DON'T DOWNLOAD IT!!!

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