It's time to finally review one of my most anticipated projects of this entire year, Eminem's new album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2. Eminem is one of my favorite rappers of all time for multiple reasons. He is one of the best lyricists ever, his technical rapping ability is unmatched, and the guy has never had a problem expressing his personality. I have liked almost all of his albums, but his worst was definitely 2010's Recovery. Since that album, Em literally hasn't done anything that impressed me. Nonetheless, I was still excited for this, partly because he is actually making this album a sequel to The Marshall Mathers LP, arguably his best and most celebrated album. Will this hip-hop legend come back with a dynamic sequel?
To be honest, there just weren't that many songs on this album I thought were really good. While there weren't many terrible songs, there were not many great ones either. On almost every song on MMLP2, there is just one thing that makes the song bad. Whether it be the beat, Em's rapping style, a hook, Eminem just couldn't put it all together on almost every song here. I say "almost" because there was one song where everything came together to make an incredible song. That song is the first track on this album, Bad Guy. This song was amazing. Starting with the beat, even though it wasn't very intricate or layered, it really worked great on this song. The hook on this track is also very impressive, as it gives off a very cool vibe that was a nice change of pace from Eminem's verses. Speaking of the verses, they are really the highlight of the song. Bad Guy is actually a sequel to the classic Eminem song "Stan". This time, the song is from the point of view of Stan's now grown up brother, Matthew. Eminem tells the story perfectly, showing he still has this skill. I love so many of the lines of the song. It is just a very interesting listen. Eminem really showed some of the stuff this song that makes him one of the best ever. This song was fantastic. No other songs on MMLP2 even touch this, but there are other songs that are very good. So Much Better was a pretty solid song with a nice hook and more nice lyricism from Em. Rap God was another song that I really enjoyed. Em goes so hard on this song, as his flow is just ridiculous, and he drops some insane quotables. Brainless actually had a pretty good beat, and Em delivered the hook on the song very well. The last one I really liked was actually the last song, Evil Twin. Eminem talks about the Slim Shady alter ego on this, and his lyricism was on point. This song also had a nice, grimy instrumental.
Yes, that was actually it for songs I really liked. Like I said, there were many songs that were just alright, but could've been great if not for one flaw. On the song Rhyme or Reason, the flaw is the terribly delivered hook. On Legacy, the song is too long and Eminem's lyrics just get boring as he doesn't change anything up. Asshole was a great track until Skylar Grey's awful hook, which made the song so much worse. Berzerk was catchy and Em was pretty lyrical, but the beat was terrible and the whole song just felt thrown together and jumbled. One song I have to spend some time talking about is Love Game featuring Kendrick Lamar. This was one of the oddest listening experiences I have been through in a pretty long time. I am completely torn on this song. One one side, this song was very unique, nothing sounds like it, it's an interesting topic, and Kendrick killed it. While these things are true, there is another argument. I am extremely disappointed that this song is what came out of a studio session with Em and Kendrick. These are two of the most lyrical and technically proficent MC's of this generation. The whole song just sounds nothing like anything these two should be making. Going back to the song itself, it is not bad. Kendrick sounds awesome on the hook, and he absoloutely murders his verse, rapping with three different voices and dropping some ridiculous lines. He destroyed Eminem on this song, as Em did not sound nearly as good. I am very confused by this song, but it does sound good nonetheless.
Now it's time to talk about the songs that were just terrible, and there were a few. Near the beginning of the album, Survival was just an atrocious song. The beat was awful, and it sounded like no effort was being put into it. The hook is so badly delivered, and the girl's voice sounds so out of place. Em's verses were just so boring, and had nothing to offer. On the song Stronger than I Was, Em feels compelled to sing for five and a half minutes. It sounds really, really bad. The song gets unbearable after about a minute. The Monster featuring Rihanna is just a radio hit, and it is horrible. The song has nothing to offer, as the Em's verses are boring and the beat is just so bad. Rihanna is just annoying on the hook, making the song a lot worse. This song was absolutely terrible, and I didn't like it at all. So Far was also pretty hard to listen to. This is probably the worst beat on the album, and Em just does not sound good on the verses. This also might be the worst hook on the album, as it is just delivered so horribly.
MARSHALL MATHERS LP 2 WRAP UP
+Eminem is still very lyrical and a great storyteller when he wants to be
+His technical rapping ability is still there on some songs
+He can put together a nice, catchy hook sometimes
-Horrible production, not one good beat to be honest
-Eminem sounds unfocused throughout the album
-Just some horribly executed songs that are hard to listen to
Best: Bad Guy, Brainless, Evil Twin
Worst: Stronger Than I Was
Eminem- The Marshall Mathers LP 2
6.6/10
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