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48 plays
Eminem - Not Afraid prod. Boi-1da
A lead off single without outdated pop culture references? I think Eminem has finally lost it. This song is fantastic, Eminem is still on a roll (since the Forever verse, The Warning [the Nick Cannon/Mariah Carey jab], Drop The World and Airplanes Part 2, oh and whatever he did for that 50 Cent album that no one listened to) with the emotional rap, but with the same syllable count, internal/external rhyme care/prowess as seen on Relapse.
As well, Boi-1da is also on a roll with the beat production. His production touch is definitely noticeable here. To prove this, compare this song with Over, the first Drake single for Thank Me Later, as produced by Boi-1da. One thing very similar about the two songs are the extended hooks. Look! Lead off singles featuring a song structure that isn’t the old 16 bar verse, 8 bar chorus, 16 bar verse etc.. Yes, please take note, hip hop is evolving.
My only gripe with this song is that he rates Relapse with an “Ehhh” on this track: I gripe mainly because I found Relapse to be a great album, featuring great lyrical rap, making for a great comeback. I entertained the voices because they were entertaining, and it featured the most complex rhymes and flow of Eminem’s whole career. I mean, he found a way to make the most morose of subjects entertaining. All while proving that he can kill it sober too, a feat not often seen in hip hop. Note that America hasn’t heard great lyrical rap on a commercial level since… The Eminem Show.
Eminem’s career arc is amazing, except for Encore. But if it took that to get him to Relapse and Recovery, then I’m impressed with it for being merely a stepping stone from here to there.
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78 plays
Eminem - Despicable, over Over and Beamer Benz or Bentley
The other day, when I saw that Em jumped on B.o.B.’s album, I was dumbfounded. Why invite one of the greatest on your album when it’s going to make you look mediocre in comparison? I say this LIKING Bob, and i understand the song was conceptual, not a free for all (like Forever), and Bob still got killed. Em “ripped your verse off the beat” and “stomped on it”, Bob.
and here? well Em says “this is my mic”, and you’d be brain dead to want to go next. Hopefully, no one’s next, since both of these beats have been done to death, and it’s safe to say Em owns both (every other Over freestyle was garbage, and Beamer Benz or Bentley didn’t even belong to Lloyd Banks and Juelz Santana to begin with. If anyone “had” that beat, it was Joell Ortiz on Nissan, Honda, Chevy oh, and I guess Jim Jones, too).
Look for his album, Recovery, in June, especially when your mind goes numb from Drake (Over wasn’t too bad, but let’s be honest, Shut It Down is garbage).
Lil’ Wayne, Eminem & Drake - “Drop The World”/”Forever”
The part I most anticipated of the Grammy’s (Sorry Lady Gaga, Eminem Performed with Elton John last decade, you’ll need a better shock tactic) was overly censored (Thanks, Janet Jackson), DESPITE THE ARTISTS CENSORING THEMSELVES.
So here is as unadulterated as last night’s performance is going to get.
I get the chills when I see each of these men hype the other up.
In the five years between his own albums, he worked as a producer, making beats for other rappers, and occasionally showed up as a guest rapper; he now calls his verse on “Touch Down,” with the Atlanta rapper T.I., ‘horrible.’
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Eminem in NYTIMES.
A bold statement from an artist that rarely talks about their actual work, usually just sticking with how critics rate the work. This was in an article about how bad his addiction was, and apparently, the T.I. verse came when he was at his lowest.
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Eminem wearing Original Fake. FTW BTW.
My most anticipated records in May.
Albums That I Am Excited For This Year
Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand
Clipse - Til The Casket Drops
Cursive - Mama, I’m Swollen
Dr. Dre - Detox
Eminem - Relapse
Jay-Z - Blueprint III
N.A.S.A. - Spirit of Apollo
I don’t think anything else is for sure or confirmed yet. Like a million people are speculating Arcade Fire, but I don’t really see that happening, seeing as how wishy washy Win has been lately in interviews. And, wouldn’t you think you’d be hearing it in recent shows too? I definitely don’t see that happening. I hardly believe in Detox, but seeing as how Dr. Dre went in on the Eminem’s “Crack a Bottle” and did a drop on a Kardinal Offishall remix, it’s far more believable.
Everything else confirmed though? I’d hardly call my feelings for these future albums “Excited”. Bruce Springsteen has been hit and miss the past decade. Mastadon’s Blood Mountain was a hype machine. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have disappeared off the map. I will need to be swooned to be won over.
Oh, and I imagine the new Grizzly Bear record might be great, based on their last outing as well as Department of Eagles, but they don’t even have a name for a record that’s coming out in “Spring” or May, apparently.
I try not to get excited for these things, and try to just go with the flow, but sometimes I can’t help it. But I hate anticipation and then being let down. Like Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavillion, with songs about children, love and married life. I just can’t get behind it. Plus the record is so easy. I liked them most for their ability to make cohesive records out of complex songs. This was far too simple for me. Maybe it’s not an entire let down, but it’s certainly underwhelming, and probably won’t get a lot of rotation on my end.
