Guess who’s back? Back again. Shady’s back. Tell a friend. Eminem or Marshall Bruce Mathers III, the man voted “best rapper alive” in a poll by Vibe magazine, has returned from hiding. The 37-year-old superstar is officially back with his new album Relapse which released May 19. His reemergence comes five years after his last studio album Encore, three years after the death of his best friend, and after his seven-year period of drug abuse.
Proof (Deshaun Holton), a member of rap group D12 and an extremely close friend to Eminem, died April 11, 2006 near Eight Mile Road where Eminem grew up. Proof was the best man at Eminem’s wedding and often appeared alongside the superstar rapper at concerts and public appearances. He also appeared in Eminem’s 2002 film, 8 Mile. This was only the beginning of a rough year for the Detroit native.
Later in 2006, Eminem and his wife Kimberley Mathers filed for divorce for a second time.
To go along with the theme of the album’s title, Relapse, Eminem goes into detail about his substance addiction. He not only makes references to alcohol and marijuana but also to prescription drugs such as valium, calotapin, vicodin and creatine, in the songs “3 A.M,” “My Mom” and “Old Times Sake.”
Eminem admitted in an interview with Vibe magazine that this was the first time in seven years that he had recorded a song sober. However, he said in a later interview that he did in fact record one song not sober. The song “Beautiful,” which is also the only song that he produced himself, Eminem wrote the first verse and a half of the song while in rehab.
The nine-time Grammy winning American rapper is hoping to regain popularity in the rap world with his new album, featuring songs about worn-out topics including his mother, his childhood and new further exploring topics such as violence and drugs.
The first single released from the album, “Crack a Bottle,” featured Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. Although not as memorable as his past collaborations with those artists, it still has a catchy chorus. His second single, “We Made You” has a classic jazz feel thanks to the backup piano and soulful female vocals in the chorus.
Eminem has not by any means shied away from making fun of celebrities. The premise of his music video for “We Made You” is based around him dressed up as Bret Michaels, the star of the VH1 reality show, Rock of Love. He makes fun of the trashy contestants on the show by replacing them with celebrity look alikes in his video. Jessica Simpson, Kim Kardashian and Sarah Palin are impersonated in the video.
Although Eminem’s humor from his old albums has carried on to Relapse, the anger and intensity from his old music does not play as big of a role, making this album differ from the classic Shady.
