But do I edit myself? Do I fu*k
(ironic'alzzz).Here's half of the article: (you can read the full by following the link)
We’ve all been anxiously (your brain presumed I would say ‘patiently’, didn’t it? ADMIT IT!) waiting for Em (yes, Em, we’re on slang-name terms) to release his next album, with it coming up to nearly three years since the release of Recovery. Wow, three years already!?
It’s also been two years since Eminem was in the public with a solo song. These kinds of time lapses are what rappers like Kanye define as a ‘hiatus’, but as a fan – I’m very glad that Em does it this way. as it leaves more space between solo projects, which are always defining works (for better or worse) in some way, and always give us a ‘new era’ of Eminem music to feast on for a couple of years.
Each album he does is like a mini new career within itself, so it’s only right that he make us wait, sweat, wonder, speculate, guess, anticipate and then re-invent his sound all over again and surprise us all.
WHICH, is exactly what he’s done to me as a fan since the beginning now. As he intends.
Let’s take a quick look at the timeline of Em’s solo work from debut to present day…
Album #1 – Infinite (1996)
Eminem debuted in 1996 with the album Infinite. Eminem’s style on the album was criticized by those who heard it, for being too similar to AZ and Nas, with people effectively labeling him as a ‘biter’ and the album being perceived as unoriginal. Personally, I feel this was a bit harsh and probably influenced by the fact that he was a new white MC, and new white MC’s generally (especially then) have to work harder to get initial respect.
There has been a plethora of black rappers that sound alike and I’ve seldom heard such blunt comparison; when you actually listen to Em on Infinite… whilst there is certainly influence from AZ and Nas, Em’s writing style was still very unique. If you’ve been aware of his evolution since then, you can go back and hear the ‘Em-isms’ in his lyrics and approach. Take for example the line “I used to give a fuck, now I give a fuck less”, which he actually re-used on The Marshall Mathers LP.
I think Em deserves more credit than he got for this body of work, as it contains some stellar lyricism and is pretty consistent throughout. If the album had proper production, it could have been a classic.
Regardless, the album was a complete flop, failing to shift any real units and sending Em into a deep depression, feeling helpless and lost; Eminem tried to commit suicide shortly after.
Album #2 – The Slim Shady LP (1999)
In response to the reaction to Infinite, Em got very annoyed, depressed and rebellious and came back with his now infamous ‘Slim Shady’ alter-ego which saw its first stylistic incarnation, on a full-album on The Slim Shady LP.
The Slim Shady LP was an international hit on the charts and received widespread critical acclaim.
There’s no doubt that a huge element in Eminem’s initial success was thanks to the public approval of Dr. Dre, not to mention Dre’s influence and tutoring of Em in the studio, which helped Em to really master his ambitions and frustrations, and shape the classic album that we heard.
The Slim Shady LP was a complete surprise after Infinite. Especially with most entering the album with expectations of one-dimensional shock-rap, after hearing the lead-in single “My Name Is”. Contrary to that presumption – the album is brimming with incredibly complex and beautiful lyricism, hilarious storytelling, social-commentary and ironic, post-modern, daring provocation.
This was Eminem’s true introduction to the world.
Album #3 – The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
What did Eminem do next? Well, he came back with The Marshall Mathers LP.
Bold, inventive, outlandish, provocative and astounding… are just five adjectives that could be, and have been used, many times over the years to describe what is often considered Em’s ultimate artistic achievement, to this day. As a fan, I would have to agree with that sentiment.
Never before have I heard such a hilarious, incredibly nuanced, politically daring, conceptually brilliant, consistent combination of rhyming, musicality, introspection, social-commentary and creative asides.
This album was one holy fuck of a surprise. Many presumed Eminem was not only something of a one-hit wonder, but that he was limited in his versatility, style and approach; The Slim Shady LP was seen as a brilliant album, but nobody expected Eminem to build upon his vision in the way that he did.
Eminem effectively took in the criticisms, misunderstandings and outrage of his commercial debut and spat out this spastic masterpiece. This album may go down as his ultimate contribution to the genre. And the world. Artistically… I’m not sure if he will ever top it. It’s head-fucking-brilliance.
Album #4 – The Eminem Show (2002)
What came next was probably the most surprising turn in Eminem’s career.
After two provocative albums filled with arguably juvenile content… nobody pegged (well, those of us who understood him knew that he already had done it) Eminem as an artist capable of truly serious introspection and refinement. His response? The Eminem Show.
His evolution up until this point illustrates what kind of artist Eminem is, which is: a reactionary artist.
Eminem has always, and probably will always gauged the reaction to his material and then use that fuel, be it positive or negative – as energetic stimulus that forms the foundation of his next body of work.
The Eminem Show showed that not only was Em capable of more than fantasies and provocation, but that he was a truly spectacular songwriter. This is the album where Eminem evolved into a MUSICIAN.
Up until this album – he was a genius lyricist with an adept ear for production, and, a fantastic producer himself. But he had not quite become what he would become on The Eminem Show. That being – a full-fledged writer of songs that cross genres and commit wholeheartedly to subject-matter.
Album #5 – Encore (2004)
After putting out what many fans and critics consider his most consistent album (The Eminem Show), Em came back with his LEAST consistent album: Encore (2004). If that’s not a fucking surprise, I don’t know what is.
Many fans, and Em himself – disregard and disown this album as his worst. I agree.
Why was it a surprise? Well, he went from a righteous, rap-rock powerhouse lyricist… to “Just Lose It” and “Ass Like That”. Like I said: for better or worse, he always surprises us.
Nobody seriously expected Em to come with a song like “Big Weenie” after knocking out tracks such as “Soldier”. Although maybe we should have when he went from “My Name Is” to “Stan”.
Encore is easily his most inconsistent album due to the fact that it pretty much contains 50% self-serious tracks and 50% goofy tracks. Em had always juggled his personas and sides of his personality to create a varied batch of moods and tones… but up until now, he MERGED the sides to create songs that were serious AND funny… and funny AND serious. There was a combinatory factor at work.
With Encore… that’s lost. My personal conclusion is that he was actually very serious during this time period (evident from his demeanor and mood around this time, and the fact it was the beginning of his harrowing drug addiction to painkillers) but felt some obligation (or perhaps he was ‘encouraged’ to) to fulfill the silly side we had become accustom to. Which could explain why it sounds so forced.
Because Em may not have felt like being funny, we got trite like “Ass Like That” – perhaps due to the fact he was overcompensating, and forcing this material out of himself...
Anyway, here is the full article if anyone fancies a read
Peace yo.
I just didn't read about the albums of the past
