Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP 2
The great ones accept great expectations. They know their only competition is truly themselves. Their past accomplishments. Many were surprised when Em announced his seventh major label album would be named after his 2000 breakthrough, Marshall Mathers LP. How could the Detroit MC possibly top that ten million selling blockbuster in 2013? Well even though Slim Shady is 41, he still don’t give a fuck.
Although the opener, “Bad Guy” serves as a sequel to “Stan” with the younger brother Matthew seeking revenge, most of MM2 finds Em revisiting his past with a fresh perspective on things. He reminisces on his cultural impact on the stunning “Asshole” and he reconnects with Rihanna to claim that he can control fame on “Monster”. But what’s more interesting here tho are the songs that rely on classic rock sound backdrops.
“Berzerk” rocks a Billy Squier big beat called “The Stroke”. “Rhyme Or Reason” takes The Zombies’ “Time of The Season” to greater heights. But the best of this bunch is “So Far” which is anchored by Joe Walsh’s “Life’s Been Good” on which Em pledges his allegiance to his hometown Detroit and combines his sharp bars with his quirky sense of humor: “Got friends on Facebook, all over the world/Not sure what that means, they tell me it’s good/So I’m artist of the decade, I even got a plaque/I’d hang it up, but the frame is all cracked.”
Brutally honest, Em truly opens up on the album’s most moving selection, “Headlights” where he buries the hatchet with his estranged mother. He declares: “I’m mad I didn’t get the chance to/Thank you for being my mom and my dad/So, Mom, please accept this as a tribute/I wrote this on the jet/I guess I had to get this off my chest.”
Sure to please hip-hop purists is hearing the former underground king turned King MC proclaim his place in the game as a “Rap God” and on the album’s closer he rearranges your GOAT list: “Fuck top five, bitch, I’m top four/And that includes Biggie and Pace, whore, and I got an Evil Twin/So who the fuck do you think that third and fourth spot’s for.”
Rap’s greatest technical rapper has spoken.—YN
It was easily the best album of the year, and I thought you’d give song by song review and give it a place in your top albums so far. Great album though!
Well deserved.
What the hell? I didnt even know you guys did this write up. You guys gotta do a better job of putting these at the forefront of your site.
Truth.
I was wondering when u were gonna update this section.
That white boy KILL-DED-DED that shit.
No offense to Jay or Drake, but MM2 is actually a real concept album, and not just saying it is.
All due respect, but Magna Carta is more hype to me than a real breakthrough. I think people look at his lifestyle and buy into that, not the actual music. Its not garbage but its more like a really good mixtape.
Eminem the greatest rapper of all time, TIME! MMLP2 rap album of the year, YEAR!
Nothing to add…this album was fuckin’ sick!
where my name at on this cover? Mr. BOBBY MOB niGGAS inK
Can’t believe someone tried this but this dude killed it……. wow
http://youtu.be/lSFxreEka7U
Are you fucking kidding me? This album was terrible. It seems like he tried to take on Beastie Boy style and totally ruined my respect for him. Yeah the lyrics are dope but, his new flow that he’s trying needs to go. He should stick to what he was doing for decades because that’s when his shit was the illest like, My Name Is, Cleanin Out My Closet, Stan, Mockingbird, When I’m Gone and all his shit from those albums.
Ive listened to this album more than any other last year with killer mike being a close second. and just like killer mike’s album, this is for the over 35 crowd.