Is Elevator...

[Brainless BadGuy]

Hi...my name is Brainless BadGuy and I'm new to this site
Back to the original question I agree that Elevator is one of Em's most frustrating songs, mainly because of how much potential it had with that chorus (not a fan of the best tbh). I don't think it's THE most frustrating song though as obviously a lot of Encore could've been better as I feel the beats on that album were fantastic. I'd say overall Big Weenie is the most frustrating because it was "supposed" to be diss track and the beat was insanely good....shame

[Despicable]

Agree with OP.
The hook is great,should have been used on another song.

Youre Never Over is a terrible song (sorry EM)
I will never get past that hook,it sounds awful.When i first heard it,i actually laughed cause it sounded so awful.
The second verse is dope when hes flowing with the beat and doesnt "tap dance all over the beat"

[Mr Change]

The issues with this song is everything I dislike about Relapse pretty much

No content. And in this example, the godly hook is wasted.

[CanadaPure]

BUT ITS ZANY YO

[Mr.DGAF]

Elevator is a result of Em not really being used to sobriety yet. Like, I love the hook, but the verses aren't special at all. Sometimes I look at Relapse and, as much as I like it, I get depressed thinking of what could've been.

[Amadeo]

Before this he had basically had the production handed to him, so he could build a track over what he felt it sounded like, rather than what he himself created.

Not really. Most of the SSLP/MMLP beats were made by himself and the Bass Brothers. He did create these beats. He didn't mix the beats or play the instruments, but he told them which melodies to play and he told them how he wanted the drum pattern to go. He never had the first clue about sound engineering, but he was involved in the creative process of about 80% of the beats in those two albums, and had control over every sound in those songs.

[Troll]

For me one of the most frustrating eminem song is Berzerk.
When i heard/saw the comercial at the mtv awards, where only the rafrain was featured, i thought "fuck thats gona be a fucking amazing song".
But then when i heard the verses it was just ehh.
Berzerk has a really great refrain but the verses fuck it up.

[_Hawk_]

Before this he had basically had the production handed to him, so he could build a track over what he felt it sounded like, rather than what he himself created.

Not really. Most of the SSLP/MMLP beats were made by himself and the Bass Brothers. He did create these beats. He didn't mix the beats or play the instruments, but he told them which melodies to play and he told them how he wanted the drum pattern to go. He never had the first clue about sound engineering, but he was involved in the creative process of about 80% of the beats in those two albums, and had control over every sound in those songs.

His first full production credit is for the Way I Am. He didn't play the instruments, but as you said orchestrated it through having his own melodies
This wasn't the case with your ridiculous guess of 80% of the work in the two aforementioned albums. The beats would be playing and Em would most likely comment if he liked them, and then tweak them to suit, but he certainly would have been entirely lost without this creative production team.
The Way I Am is the first example where Em had the melody himself.

[Amadeo]

The beats would be playing and Em would most likely comment if he liked them, and then tweak them to suit, but he certainly would have been entirely lost without this creative production team.
The Way I Am is the first example where Em had the melody himself.

"The first drum pattern I ever made was to (singing) 'I never meant to give you mushrooms girl.' I already had the melody in my head from the night before. I didn't know how to work the metronome, but if you put the click on for me, I knew how to make a drum pattern. After that, I did the drum pattern to 'Still Don't Give a Fuck.' I'd go to Dre and hum the melody." - Eminem

"The only time we didn't actually sit in the studio and create something on the spot was with 'Kill You.'" - Dre

I think these quotes are a good indication that he was humming melodies/creating drum patterns as early as SSLP. These quotes, and other quotes I've read from him in interviews, are also a good indication that he was hands-on and had creative influence over basically every non-Dre beat on his first two albums except Stan (yet he even has a production co-credit on that).

There really isn't much difference between an "Eminem" beat on The Eminem Show and an Eminem/Bass Brothers beat on SSLP/MMLP.

[_Hawk_]

The Kim melody was playing in the studio when Em made the track
He heard Kill you (or maybe Who Knew?) over the phone
if I had, rock bottom, JDGAF all had beats which Dre improved
The majority of the production was handed to Em
He came into his own after MMLP which was my point.

[Amadeo]

You act like Eminem had nothing to do with any of the beats on his first two albums. Like he just took a bunch of pre-made beats home and wrote to them.

That's only true for a few songs (mainly Dre songs).

His process was completely hands-on even back then. If he was going to rap over a beat, he wanted 100% control over that beat, from what the drum pattern was to what the bass line was, and to where the snare dropped out to emphasize a certain joke or line. It was Eminem protecting his writing by making sure the musical back-drop suited it perfectly.

The only difference between SSLP/MMLP and TES was that Eminem was occasionally playing some very simple chord progressions/notes on a keyboard in TES that he didn't need an actual pianist to play. The synth on Square Dance, for example. Other than that, it's the same process. Eminem going "yo, play this. Yeah, that sounds dope."

"I've always produced, or co-produced, my shit. I always know how I want the beat to go. Why would I let somebody else just do my beat and it's done, and I come in and rap over it?"

[shadyblogger]

Eminem + The Bass Brothers= pure genius. I can only imagine what greatness would come if Em went back to working with them.

[Ku53v]

the first two verses are encore level shit

[_Hawk_]

You act like Eminem had nothing to do with any of the beats on his first two albums. Like he just took a bunch of pre-made beats home and wrote to them.

That's only true for a few songs (mainly Dre songs).

His process was completely hands-on even back then. If he was going to rap over a beat, he wanted 100% control over that beat, from what the drum pattern was to what the bass line was, and to where the snare dropped out to emphasize a certain joke or line. It was Eminem protecting his writing by making sure the musical back-drop suited it perfectly.

The only difference between SSLP/MMLP and TES was that Eminem was occasionally playing some very simple chord progressions/notes on a keyboard in TES that he didn't need an actual pianist to play. The synth on Square Dance, for example. Other than that, it's the same process. Eminem going "yo, play this. Yeah, that sounds dope."

"I've always produced, or co-produced, my shit. I always know how I want the beat to go. Why would I let somebody else just do my beat and it's done, and I come in and rap over it?"

Then why doesn't Em have full production credits? Does he only get then when he sees fit?
Nonsense. Of course Em was involved in the mixing process in his first two albums, but the majority of the work was done for him.
Soon after MMLP he really got into the process of beat making, creating his own melodies and working more intricately with the fabric he was using. He said himself that TWIA was the first time he worked on a track off his own back. He was being more commandeering, rather than acting the pupil.

Regardless, this is all of route. My initial post was detailing how it is a fallacy that Em was not as artistically creative in his early career as he was during Relapse. His evolution as a producer obviously owes to the support he had, but it doesn't substantive a pre-existing (albeit dormant) career as a producer.