Additionally, if you follow this blog, you might have noticed I skipped over commenting on both Born Sinner and Yeezus (or rather I withdrew some comments I made about New Slaves having seen the SNL show rather some crappy recording of the projections and have said no more about the project). Well everything that could be said about Yeezus has been said somewhere by someone (personally I am a fan), and Cole is literally the blandest rapper OAT so that's that.
Here is a run down of my top 20 albums (I've heard) so far this year:
Well barely had #yeezyseason begun to get into full swing when Drake decided it was time to fire up hype for Drizzy Season.
Late last night, Drake (or an associate by the name of "Oliver" took to the OVO blog to drop 4, yes 4, new Drake songs (a freestyle feat. J Cole, two guest features, and full song).
Let me know if you feel like the whole Jodeci freestyle seems to be aimed at Kanye - "Flow dumber than ya Projections, This makes 2x now, double what you expected, Yet ya Covers keep perplexing me, Maybe its too Complex 4 me" - J.Cole. Hmmm. Well it looks like Drake and Kanye are going to continue to take subliminal at each other, but Cole is getting reckless... No wonder industry insiders can't stand to work with the guy.
Oh and in the course of his verse on Versace he drops the date of his album - September 17th for those who are interested.
The Motion Feat. Sampha
Jodeci Freestyle Feat. J.Cole
Over Here Feat. Drake
Versace Remix Feat. Drake
My Verdict? The Motion has Drake using a slightly odd accent but it actually improved his generally whiny voice which is one of my few complains about Drake's better tracks. Is this amongst them? No, but its good and Nothing Was The Same will likely be good too. Treat the rest as a bonus "gift" from Drake you you though.
Eminem: 3 years later and still having a conversation with an imaginary woman...
Has he gone mad?
Well ignoring the fact he has reportedly holed himself up inside his fortress like Detroit home for the best part of the decade and has a back catalogue of pretty psychotic songs, probably not.
The key is to realise that we can't really date any of his verses post Hell: The Sequel (as to when they were actually laid down). This new verse from Tony Touch's 50 MCs helps to flesh out a certain order of progression so that it should be possible to work out when these verses have been recorded and hence what the album will sound like. Hint: I would guess all these verses have been written/performed within 6 months - 1 year so the title is a little misleading.
So... let’s try and get some idea of where we stand. Recovery was released in mid 2010 so we can assume that his vocals were laid down between the positive reception to his verse on Forever and possibly pretty close to the release date so later half of 2009 - early '10. His flow then became more extreme post Recovery and into Hell: The Sequel and he definitively developed the double time shout into his weapon of choice. These verses were probably recorded late '10, early '11.
Now, without and definitive evidence, things become murkier and it's worth considering how we might imagine his progression to have gone from Hell: The Sequel to his most recently date-able verse on the Shady Cypher. One imagines that it would be a gradual evolution that saw a decrease in the shouting, a weeding out of bad punchlines, and an increase in the number of switch ups within each verse. Obviously we can get a rough handle on dates from release dates but it should be pointed out that they only give the latest time they could have been recorded - for example 50 said that he'd had the My Life beat from S1 since 2010, so Em could have laid his vocals at any point from '10 to the release date.
Based purely off the delivery style I suggest we can date the verses something like so:
Mid 2011
My Life
Symphony in H
Throw it Up
Shady Cypher
Late 2011 - Early 2012
Richard
Our House
C'mon Let Me Ride (not too sure about this one)
Mid - Late 2012
Here Comes
The Weekend
Numb (can literally only hope this was some old verse Rihanna had lying around)
Unfortunately I think that suggests he has move slightly away from the Cypher/Our House flow that I personally would prefer to see. Obviously I might have the order wrong and he might be moving into it, but who knows... I guess we assume he was laying vocals probably late 2012, early '13, but with maybe a few older tracks. The best estimate I can give you would be something akin to Here Comes The Weekend flow-wise, though if we assume he uses less poppy beats on his album then maybe we can attribute the post Our House verses as slight anomalies. Either way, unless there is a radically unexpected departure or I have the dating completely out of whack, then you should expect to see a flow that involves multiply switch ups with the occasional shout for emphasis.
*** Worth pointing out that the name on the tracklist for Symphony in H was Untitled for a while and he references both Tony himself and the date June 8th within his verse so one might conclude that this was in fact a rush verse on June 8th 2013 and gives us an idea of exactly where Em is at right now.
With regards to the song Symphony in H(ate) itself, it's essential to remember context. It's a throwaway, it's just filler, a publicity boost for Tony Touch's album only. Judging Em for the repetitive content would be unfair (not to mention the double standard that accepts Kendrick laying down very similar verses in his new role as feature-whore-in-chief), what can be judged is the faults from Recovery that have been ironed out, namely the flow/shouting and the awful punchlines (not to mention there was a lack of fast food references). With regards to the content I think its worth noting that on verses where he's been required to step up and take it seriously his content has been much improved (Shady Cypher, Our House verse).
What do you think of his recent verses? Of Symphony in H specifically? Do you think my conclusions are reasonable? Is the order correct?
Just to keep things ticking over... Gunplay drops some unspectacular visuals for a far more appetising prospect "Bible On The Dash". Very much looking forward to getting a complete (and hopefully fully realised) project from him later this year. Have to say I preferred "Medellín" as a title over "Living Legend" though.
First Impressions Review - The Child Of Lov (Self-Titled)
*Not a Hip Hop album, but I have been looking forward to this for a long time and I'm justifying this since DOOM takes the most part of a track to himself - and I am after all a huge DOOM fan - would point out, I had no idea of DOOM's involvement when I first found COL
A quick write up off my first listen (and a number of rewinds) - If I hadn't played the singles so much it would probably have hit me a lot harder:
If you liked the singles he doesn't drop the ball, but nothing jumps out as being better than the rest - Its nice but seems a little unspectacular on first listen - like, you get into a nice groove with it, but it doesn't seem mindblowing - I probably want to turn the volume up tbh (its sounding better on my second listen). For the most part he sticks with the same sound, only really switching pace or vocal inflections.
After Fly (i.e. the last 2 tracks) his sound moves away from what it was previously a bit and the final track (Give it to the People) is a pretty dramatic departure of sound - it sounds really radio ready - I'm surprised it wasn't a single, but I don't think it has that much to it "oomph"-wise so that's probably why - its kinda chill and mellow to close the album, so maybe that was the intention.
The DOOM feat. is more or less a DOOM track, with COL vocals - DOOM does a couple of verses plus a hook. His performance is underwhelming but the production on it (the intro runs for a minute before DOOM comes in) really caught my attention - it has an Eastern European vibe - definitely a switch up - but still muddied in that scratchy vocal (the best way I've been able to describe it is that it tip toes along the edge of unpleasantness but keeps its footing, but you know what it is if you listen to "Give Me" posted below).
One Day is my favourite track (or new one at least) which is really slowed down over the first minute to the point where it seems on the verge of being deconstructed, then some synths and a base wobble kicks in and it drops into a really nice groove. I think its an organ (or at least a synth organ) that drives the tracks interest point, which gives it, to me, a sort of gospel feel to it.
The bass, riffs, vocals are all great, but it lacks some of the unpredictably of something like Jai Paul's leaked demos (Wish I'd done a write up for them - maybe I still will, or perhaps I'll leave it for my end of year write ups when it comes in at numero uno!). Its kinda hard to see where I'm putting this right now. I'm definitely on the fence, but the fence is between great and AOTY (album of the year, for future reference) contender.
"Give Me" - The song that got me into COL
Overall - Definitely worth buying - album cover is cool enogh to justify the purchase tbh!
If you've heard the leak what are your thoughts? Did it live up to expectations?
Feel bad for that slightly harsh introductory paragraph now...
In any case, I wonder if this shouldn't be a little worrying. Is checking your tags on Tumblr healthy? I can't imagine it would have been much fun while Joey and Lil B traded diss tracks (That gif of Lil B slam dunking 1999 into the recycle bin was classic though!). It was probably worse than Twitter!
I feel like there are certain artists who have listened to fans response and tried to make an album that the fans want with disastrous effects. The problem is, most fans don't know what they are talking about - I hope I don't include myself in that, but the point remains: an artist knows best what they are capable of and what they want to make.
On the flip side, I do think its a good idea to keep in touch with the fans and make sure you are not just going down the road a bunch of yes men may lead you on.
So, If you read this as well Joey (wishful), keep doing you (and just maybe think about putting a fresh spin on those boom bap beats :P). You have the talent to lead NY into a new era*. I hope you will.
*No dick riding... but I'm still pretty chuffed about this!
I'll start off by saying I'm not Joey Bada$$'s biggest fan - I find the 90's throw back, without the innovation that Roc Marci (for example) brings to it, to be a real sticking point - but credit where credit's due, he is an excellent word-smith ("Somehow bypassed the bias and the -isms") and his (really quite awkward) flow has grown on me recently.
But for all that. I'm going to be buying his album for one reason above all: his album title.
B4.DA.$$
Take a moment to look at it if you need to, if not take a moment to appreciate it. Could it be considered a bit corny? Yeah, but at the same time is it corny because it tries? And is that a bad thing? I'm thrilled to see a title that has clearly been thought about and doesn't look stupid (good kid, m.A.A.d city), nor come across as some kind of one word emotive fodder (Recovery), nor overly contrived (Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1), nor just pretentious rubbish (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy).
B4.DA.$$ has a clear and obvious meaning, likely describes the content of the album and summarises Joey as an emcee, and to a certain extent is symbolic of one of the joys of hip hop - the puns, double entendres and overall wordplay. Just as Illmatic did almost exactly 19 years ago, B4.DA.$$ as a title is infused with the essence of hip hop. There is no mistaking that it is the title of a hip hop album, but it is not crass enough to do this by parading drugs, money (well okay, but not in that way), and bitches.
Illmatic is a classic hip hop title because it captures the transcendence and mutability of language that is at the heart of a great emcee's arsenal, but also because it delivered with the music. B4.DA.$$ has the potential to join those exclusive ranks, lets hope Joey delivers musically.
Joey Bada$$ - Unorthodox (prod. DJ Premier)
What do you think of the title? What are some of your favourite titles?
What is your opinion on Eminem's Recovery? I noticed your article in defense of Relapse and wondered if you had any defense of Recovery? I feel that Eminem didn't want to make Recovery and it shows.
I think Eminem’s opinion on his albums is of no consequence other than in determining how the next might sound. An artist doesn’t “own” his art once he puts it out into the world… its up to us to work out what it means to us.To me, Recovery is clearly a first impact record. Is it a requirement of an album to have replay value, or is that just consumer culture demanding our money’s worth? If we considered Recovery to be somewhat akin to a circus show, then does it make more sense? We go once, we laugh, we applaud, we revel in its obnoxiousness and shallowness and escape the crushing need of humanity to find answers and depth, if only for a moment - and then we never go again. If so, is Recovery not a demonstration of the art of entertainment, in all its fleeting glory, a damnation of the culture that began with Warhol’s Superstars, where anyone can take 15 minutes of fame and capture the masses’ attention? And did we not indeed enjoy the excitement and visceral thrill of our rising initial play counts? Is this not art? Should we dismiss Recovery because it is different, or should we applaud it’s courage to reflect the relentless low-brow and laziness of trash culture that exists today? This is the essence of Eminem as an artist, just a tweaked approach. I may not enjoy it, but maybe it need not be enjoyed to be appreciated.Is there not art in the determinedly artless?
EDIT: also... I notice that it might seem like I am only posting about Eminem, but I can assure you this isn't the case :P
I wish to consider in this post, how people rate music with particular reference to individual interpretation over group-think mentality. First I wish to discuss a couple of analogous situations as illustrative examples of what I will go on to discuss.
The same can be said, perhaps even more so, with art. Did Mondrian really conceive all the ideas that have been purported about his work? I accept that his neoplasticism was undoubtedly an abstract representation of the simplification and dynamic resolution of nature in to fundamental truths [3], but attributing his work as an ode to urban environments and town planning? Well that isn’t for me (I think he just ran with that later!), but that doesn’t really matter does it? See art (in the broader sense) is about personal interpretation, not the motivation of the author/painter or… musician.
DISCLAIMER: I am neither a great artist nor great writer and as such I do not think as the do and can only speculate as to whether any of what I have said thus far is correct.
So, let me bring this piece back to solid and more comfortable ground for both myself, and most likely anyone who is troubling to read this. In music, and hip-hop in particular, there is a tendency, when people find an interpretation that digs a little deeper than the level it is speculated the artist conceived their ideas at, to use the term “reaching”. Well fine, maybe they are, but why does this have a negative context and why must an interpretation be invalid if it is not what the artist intended [4].
Art is for the whole to enjoy, but it is possessed by the self. If art fails to be intimate, it is barely art, mere arrogance and intimidation. Art is yours to do what you want with, not the creators nor any website which might seek to try to universalise opinions.
*At this point my main article is over – what follows is a (potentially controversial) criticism of a highly regarded album*
Albums like Kendrick Lamar’s recent effort, “good kid, m.A.A.d city”, insist upon filling in every detail for the listener. There is little to no freedom for interpretation with it. Music is not literature, the canvas is not large enough to properly round characters and add depth to narrative – and often time the brush strokes, too crude, hence an album that denies the listener the opportunity to build their own stories into the music becomes shallow and 1 dimensional. There is only one way to enjoy GKMC (unless you delight in the marvellous technical skills Kendrick exhibits). “It insists upon itself” [5]. As a result I fail to recognise GKMC’s achievement on an artistic level as opposed to a technical level. It masters every facet – flow, lyrics, storytelling, song construction, production (though I must say that the Drake influenced sound on certain tracks (which even he is moving away from) is bordering on generic already – I would have preferred to see more of the innate weirdness of Cartoon & Cereal –esque production), etc. but it is too focussed. If you want to make a concept album, make it loose enough to be enjoyed on multiple levels (Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool springs to mind in a hip hop context – particularly in regards to the MYH saga).
This is, I think, in many ways the reason why I enjoy Aesop Rock’s music. Not because I believe him to be some hyper-lyrical-best-rapper-ever sort of thing, (though his phasing is immaculate and his image heavy non-sequiturs (or are they?) are of high importance to my enjoyment), but because his lyrics are so bewilderingly opaque, they can mean almost whatever I wish them to mean! Hence it is truly art that I own. My copy of “Labor Days”, for example, is different to everyone else’s. My copy of GKMC, on the other hand, is the same as everyone else’s… and that makes it a bit less special.
---
[1] Incidentally literary reviewers are highly skilled and qualified in their field – the same can’t be said of music reviews, so one must excuse the fact that they are regularly unable to review things properly… to the unskilled, getting art to divulge its deeper meanings is a long process and in the desperate race of relevancy, review are all too often far too shallow analyses – on which note the purpose of a review is not simply to opine, but to inform – something too few reviewers seem aware of.
[2] We might indeed complain bitterly about this fact as we struggle though critical exams on these works of literature that for most are forever tarnished by the gruelling task of “understanding” them. For others, such as myself, these books, with newly appreciated depths, go onto become some of our all-time favourites – note if this is the case and you still have the chance too, study literature… don’t make my mistakes. In case you are wondering, the book I am referring to is “Of Mice and Men”.
[3] Indeed I am paraphrasing his own words on the matter so I have no choice but to – and there goes a small bit of freedom from the art.
[4] There was actually a Family Guy episode which revolved around a similar idea to this – likely this piece was inspired by that episode… it has certainly been brewing a while.
[5] Another Family Guy reference – Peter discussing “The Godfather” – I don’t agree with his views, and use the reference only jokingly to suggest that I’m failing to explain myself in a satisfactory way. The irony of me explaining this is not lost on me in case you are wondering.
With Jay dropping Open Letter earlier today (nice track it is too), it seems like Pusha is pushing this out to maybe grab a bit of reflected shine, especially with the Jigga sample...
In any case its another raw single to add to his growing target finders. Keeping the beat knocking more than melodic once again, Pusha's vocal presence once again steps up to the mark to deliver every lyric as a coldly furious sign off.
I'm sure he's kept his lyrics tight but that doesn't overly matter to me so long as he keeps up this swaggering attitude, he'll deliver a solid or better solo debut with My Name Is My Name (due to drop this summer).
Exodus and Pain are still in heavy rotation as some as my favourite tracks from last year... definitely check them out if you haven't already (for my money this slips a little below their level, but its keeping me hungry for more which is all it needs to do right now - provided he's not looking for the crossover hit, which given this track it seems very unlikely)
This is just a little something I wrote on the use of the word "Classic". Its not proof read or anything... feel free to take from it what you want and disregard any rubbish that I say:
Now the word classic gets thrown around a lot on any and every hip hop board I have ever posted on and I don’t like that. You see a classic to me is something that comes along maybe a few times per generation in the more popular genres for that generation, maybe less for the less popular genres. So it’s always alarming for me to see the prevalence with which the word classic is used. Just recently Complex – one of the worst publications around incidentally – published a list of 25 albums they considered ought to be upgraded to classic status since the turn of the century in hip hop alone. Now if I think hard, I can think of between 3 and 5 prominent movements during this time period. To me the album that is the definitive work of that movement – either by taking it as far as it is possible to go, or by popularising or even beginning that movement are the only albums that should be considered classics. They are the only albums with the musical and cultural impact to deserve such a title. Even then, I do not like to start deciding on classics so soon – who knows how the influence of an album will work itself out in the long term?
Recently, Kendrick Lamar’s GKMC has been referred to by a ridiculous amount of people as a classic, people often supporting their arguments with critical acclaim (I have many bones to pick on this matter – for another time however), and how many rappers have said they are inspired by it. This is HYPE people… this is no different to when Lupe came onto the scene with F&L… neither are classics (as yet).
You see I believe that the problem arises because people think that an album not being a classic is a bad thing and so want to call albums they think are great classics. No. This is not true – an album can be better than classics without being a classic itself. Say with your debut album you make a highly influential statement and bring a whole new style that everyone wants to replicate. You then follow it up and essentially create the same album but with a little fine tuning. The second album is the better album, the first the better achievement and it is the first that will be the classic. The only exception to this is if you expand on an album in such a significant way that you effectively create something entirely new even if it is in the same lane. Then both albums would be classics.
I can often tie myself in knots trying to define a classic. The thing is it’s an intangible something, a lingering memory that makes something a classic. It’s very hard to set down any hard and fast rules. If I continue with the “movements theorem” then it is important to consider the impact of the movement on the culture in a lasting sense – before instantly crowning its originator a classic. In any case, before writing this I thought I would do a quick search to see what people thought made a classic and I made an interesting discovery. Now whether this is a result of Google tailoring results based on my browsing history, I can’t be entirely sure, however this is a screen shot of the first page of results I got for my query “what makes an album a classic”.
You’ll notice that the entire page, with one exception is related to hip hop (the exception also turns out to be in reference to an article written about hip hop as well). Hip hop is, by its nature, a highly competitive music genre, fueled though battles and beefs. It has always been more about competition than art, and that’s undoubtedly why it appeals to young male fans more than any other demographic… it is very much a testosterone fueled genre. I suggest the word gets thrown around a lot in hip hop because hip hop feeds on hyperbole. In other genres people just get on with liking what they want to like without having to squabble over its status. Hell that’s for artists to do, not us fans – we should be enjoying the music, not trying to discredit it. So the lesson… ignore everything any hip hop fan tells you… it’s all bullshit!
The striking similarities in Jay-Z and Eminem's career trajectories
Albums (not a comparison of the albums - they are very different artists who make very different albums - but more the space in respective careers that they occupy):
SSLP is to RD:
Their most creative output. The purest display of what they can do.
MMLP is to The Blueprint:
The magnum opus. The definitive statement of how they are viewed artistically.
Eminem Show is to The Black Album:
A more diluted and accessible form of their magnum opus. Often received better but lacking a little on the artistic front.
Encore is to Kingdom Come:
Neither album is as weak as the hyperbole suggest and infact both contain some of the finest moments in their respective careers (particularly Lost Ones and Yellow Brick Road). Both albums are full of missteps though and clearly neither were in the right place to make an album during the recording process (Em on drugs, Jay on tour and unmotivated).
Relapse is to American Gangster:
The first time either has dabbled with concept album. Both concept are pretty loose. Both albums go back to something that should appeal to more hardcore fans and doesn't focus on hits. Both showcase a return to form post a break and disappointing album. *whatever you say about Relapse, it was well received and lots of Eminem fans seem to like it currently.
Recovery is to The Blueprint 3:
Both answered critics to their relevance by spawning some huge hit. Generally poorly received by more hardcore fans. Both albums were very successful crossover attempts that reasserted Em and Jay at the forefront of hip hop.
Hell they also both put out collab efforts in the same year!
Label imprints:
Both were effectively artistic graveyards for talented artist characterized by disappointing albums, pushbacks, etc. However within all this, two megastars (50 and Ye) broke out and arguably, for a time at least, overtaking their respective mentors. Both 50 and Kanye are on record describing how they view Em and Jay respectively as being a genuine part of their family. Despite all the push backs, both seem to have maintained strong personal relations with a number of their signees.
In Addition:
Both benefited greatly from a highly influential cosign by two of the biggest names in hip hop history (Dre and Biggie) and have arguably exceeded them. In fact they got their big break at similar times if you recall Eminem got signed post rap Olympics in 97.
Both are considered by many to be the two greatest rappers alive and seem to incur an excessive amount of hate from 'hip hop heads'
The only thing left is to see whether their careers continue to parallel each other.
Basically I’m writing this because I’ve grown sick and tired of seeing one of my favourite albums get shitted on, and while I recognise your right to shit on it I’d like to make sure it was coming from the right place. As such here is a (likely futile) attempt to offer my perspective on the album to you. I often find that my opinion can be changed if someone can present an idea about something that I hadn’t considered before (in fact I will probably include bits and pieces of articles and reviews that led to my deepening appreciation of the album). So I am going to attempt to break down Relapse in a way that I wish it had been broken down before.
Anyway, Relapse seems to be quite a polarising album (well Eminem is a pretty polarising artist and currently its popular to hate on him to show that you are more mature – incidentally, there is too much preoccupation with being mature and serious /macho in hip hop, but that’s for another topic – and have superior hip hop knowledge than the pre-teens that make up the majority of his fan base. Actually it’s kind of painful to admit to being an Eminem fan simply because you know you will be prematurely judged and your opinions pre-emptively devalued… but I digress). I could tell you about Dre’s excellent and expansive production or about Eminem’s astonishingly technical lyrics or superlative flow (even if you find the considerably overstated influence of the accent to be annoying, these statements should be hard to deny), but frankly you will all know that if you have listened to the album. If you haven’t by now (well I’m not really sure why you are bothering to read this in the first place) I’m hardly likely to convince you of anything as you most likely have never been Eminem fans. This thread is addressing fans who don’t like Relapse or even people who used to be Eminem fans but “outgrew” Eminem.
Yes I should probably get on with this and people are probably stopping reading at this point (if not before) but I’m just going to say everything I want to say so I have another quick aside: I don’t like the way that people seem to judge Eminem by a separate standard. It’s my opinion (and obviously not one that can be backed up in anyway one way or the other – well saying that, perhaps the rise of Odd Future supports this claim) that if some new artist had put out this album, people would be falling over each other to acclaim it. Honestly I think a swing in people’s perception of Eminem could easily put Relapse to something like American Gangster standard appreciation level (see my other thread kicking around here somewhere drawing parallels between Em and Jay’s careers). As an album it can also be seen to have had a fair amount of influence, most noticeably, as I say, in OF’s rise to prominence – Earl’s album in particular shows a strong correspondence to Relapse in terms of phonetic constructions and content and even if the flow draws more parallels with DOOM I think there is a bit of the Relapse flow there as well.
Right… time to begin! Relapse is an album that played well on first listen (for a lot of people anyway) – you can see this from the positive reception it received from the hip hop press and even more so from the general community (referring here to artists rather than fans). Then the replay value began to tail off (it happened to me too) and I think at that point people stopped listening and for the most part never really return to it. I did however go back to it and what I discovered upon my return was an album with many hidden depths. I can’t deny that if it didn’t sound so good, I’d have probably never have kept listening but it does slide by nicely carried by flows and production. Once I began to tune back into the lyrics though I started to uncover the multiple levels on which Relapse works. If this piece captures your interest enough I might consider going into detail on what these levels are but for now I will restrain myself to talking about the conceptual level / storyline. It’s a concept that is every bit as good as Kendrick’s GKMC day in the life of… or Danny Brown’s XXX drug trip, though it must be said to be a more protracted affair and more akin to Danny’s loose effort (which has the benefit of allowing more freedom). Throughout Eminem details his harrowing cycle of addiction, breakdown, isolation, overdose and recovery, and though this idea is not exactly new, I don’t believe people have really made the connections fully. If you get to the end and I was wrong about this I’ve very sorry. I won’t pretend that this is a flawless album and there is no doubt that Eminem sticks fairly closely to his standard template but as far as I am concerned this is just more evidence of the multiple levels Relapse can work on (much like Lupe’s The Cool, the album can work without even considering the concept – something that might not quite work with Kendrick’s GKMC).
The first half is harder to connect as it is all in the implications and subtly that people regularly fail to credit Em with, despite the almost infinite length of evidence to the contrary. It chronicles Eminem in severe isolation, traipsing around his Detroit mansion whilst the city crumbles around him, popping a pharmacy stock list of prescription pills, all Ambien, Valium, Seroquel, Xanax, Lunesta, Percodan, Vicodin. Each mention is a subtle but insistent reminder of his addiction, his mind constantly preoccupied with porn that he can just barely manage to rouse himself from his comatosed slump to masturbate to or dwelling on a potent cocktail of TV, celebrity gossip mags, and murder fantasies that make up the western world’s junk culture, that always recalls him to his “life force” as his thoughts run away down dark avenues of his mind state.
As the album progresses into the more acclaimed second half (almost certainly because the thematic run becomes more obvious here) we find Eminem in the middle of a drug binge culminating in his symbolic overdose on Must Be the Ganja. As the warped frantic shouts and sound of pounding fists upon a bathroom door waver though the Mr Mathers interlude the album tone changes. It becomes clearer, sober, dour and focussed. No more of the loose associative rhymes. The next two tracks find Eminem in full on confessional mode, but despite all he’s been though he skips self-pity for a brutally blunt assessment of his life. You can imagine Eminem sitting on one side of a rehab doctor’s desk in Déjà Vu, almost disconnectedly intoning his spiralling descent into addiction and culminating overdose scare. It’s a heart breaking track, incredibly powerful and raw, much due to the lack of emotion Eminem feeds into it in his delivery as to in stark counterpoint to the heavy emotional baggage his lyrics detail. Beautiful, which on first assessment seems to be some corny get up anthem in the same vein as Em went on to make with Not Afraid, makes more sense once you hear Marshall talk about it. The only song on the album recorded during his rehab cycle, it is the truest painting of his and many other’s mind at the point when they are at their lowest ebb and trying to talk themselves into scraping themselves off the pavement and rebuilding their lives. It’s a song Eminem may well have chanted to himself, it’s a very private moment, a very personal desire to come back from it. This is the genesis of the album but in the context of the album this is the point where we find Relapse Eminem. He’s overdosed and ready to rebuild. Next we are back in the lab, recording his comeback album with his fellow members of the “Platinum Trio”. It’s a celebration. Eminem is back, Eminem is recovered, Eminem is doing what he does best (it’s not a great song but it symbolises the structure and content of an Eminem single). Our story is almost concluded as he turns his album in and the Steve Berman interlude this time takes on a symbolic apology to all his fans. Finally Eminem closes the album with his traditional rollicking curtain call as he delves into full on freestyle mode. How does this tie in with the theme? Well Eminem often make the rounds to promote his album and performs a number of freestyles…
Relapse is in fact then the story of itself. It’s a deeply affecting album for those who can find a way to relate. Perhaps it is an album that you can only truly appreciate if you have sustained extended periods of isolation with too much time alone with your thoughts (anyone in this situation can tell you the weird places your mind travels too). This is the first half of the album. The second half is probably best understood as a recovery drug addict. It’s not an album many will be able to relate to fully and it’s not one anyone would wish to relate to. The album doesn’t glorify his life as many other hard to relate to album do (WTT, Purple Haze, etc…) and perhaps that’s why it’s not loved. It’s not a place you want to escape to… maybe it’s an album that is best not heard but it’s not a trash album. It is a great album and a painful document of problems that are all too real for the unlucky few.
