Encore, Eminem

Encore, Eminem, 2004, 1:17

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Another big ol' Eminem album, all overloaded with dumb skits and heaping helpings of misogyny!  As I said before, despite the negatives (the skits, the megalomania, the unrelenting sameness of the verse-double chorus-verse structure of his songs, the simple beats), Eminem is such a madman on the mic that a lot can be overlooked.  Like, for example, "Mosh," a suitably angry but ultimately histrionic protest song against wars for oil that Eminem somehow also manages to make all about him.  "Puke" starts off with a too-accurate titular sound effect, and ends up sounding like someone trying to do a parody of an Eminem song.  Come to think of it, so does "Big Weenie."  But when he's on fire, or playing it straight, Eminem can hit hard, both lyrically and emotionally.  And hey, a guy who is willing to rap a chrous like "you make my peepee go doing doing doing" can't be all bad.  From the weird sounds he sometimes makes (prrp!) to the over-the-top goofball humor, there are signs that Em might not take himself so seriously after all, and that helps overlook his weak points, too.  Favorite tracks: "Evil Deeds," "Curtains Up," "Like Toy Soldiers," "Mockingbird."

The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem

Currently doing one album for each year, 1960-2020. Today: 2000.

The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem, 2000, 1:12

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 

Overlong, bloated with skits, and endlessly rapping about how he can't be kept silent and the people who are gunning for him because he tells it like it is and how fame is something he isn't comfortable with.  And yet... it can't be denied Eminem's a genius when it comes to rhyme, pacing, meter, and lyrical flow.  All those samples and beats and overdubs are the product of a lot of work, but Em makes it look easy.  His raps sound tossed-off, raw, and immediate.  Sometimes too raw and immediate.  The homicide fantasy "Kim" is nightmare fuel that really should have stayed in his private listening booth. But when Eminem is on the top of his game he's impossible to ignore.  Favorite tracks: "The Way I Am," "The Real Slim Shady," "Marshall Mathers."