Eminem
Relapse

THE REVIEW

"Back by popular demand" as our dear Mr. Mathers says in "We Made You." From "The Re-up" it's been a full 3 years of complete absence for Eminem, excluding some small collaborations ("Peep Show" "Who Want it") and various freestyles released on Shade 45, his radio station.

"Relapse", is perhaps Eminem's most anticipated album, as well as the most anticipated of 2009 in general. Meanwhile, Eminem has had a miserable life: a new marriage with his longtime girlfriend Kim, a new divorce with her, the death of his best friend Proof, which caused him severe depression, obesity, and uncontrolled pill consumption (blue, yellow, and purple as he himself sang some time ago), displaying in Relapse a true culture on the subject.

"Relapse" paves the way for 50 Cent's album "Before I Self Destruct", Dr. Dre's "Detox", and "Relapse 2" by Eminem himself. 

However, "Relapse" is a very strange album, the songs are incredibly not as immediate as they were in other albums, but need to be listened to and re-listened to for full appreciation. With each listen, the tracks keep getting better.

Additionally, throughout almost the entire album, we find a new voice, which sounds like a mix between the voices of Akon, T-pain, the old Slim Shady, and the Chipmunks. This cadence used by Eminem, with a slower flow with very pronounced articulation and strong accents, is undoubtedly cool.

The lyrics are incredibly fresh, sometimes rhyming even 5 or 6 final syllables, with at the same time a strong ironic charge ("My Mom", "We Made You") and depth ("Beautiful", "Careful What  You Wish For"). The themes mostly revolve around drugs and other family and emotional issues, at times treated in a playful manner.

Dre, at the helm of production, does not miss a beat, deciding together with his pupil to create very old school beats, which are quite different from the current ones made just to shake your butt.

The singles released are all amazing: from the super hit "Crack a Bottle", amazing as a track, to the usual anti-starlet song "We Made You". "3 a.m." is absolutely a masterpiece, a continuous lament (intentionally done by Eminem) with a consistent voice from start to finish. "Old Time's Sake" is another devastating track. As for "Beautiful", there is little to say, one of the most lyrically profound songs by Eminem, and one of his best choruses. MASTERPIECE.

The best tracks are indeed "Beautiful" and "Careful What You Wish For", the latter included in the bonus disc. Other songs from this rap masterpiece that you must listen to are "My Mom", "Insane", and "Bagpipes from Baghdad", which has already earned Eminem a new enemy, Nick Cannon, who apparently is Mariah Carey's husband, whom Eminem has always poked at (it's rumored the two had a thing many years ago), something he does again in this Relapse track.

In short, "Relapse" can be said to be a very successful album, a classic of the rap genre for sure, one of Eminem's best albums (but my favorites remain always TMMLP and Encore).