He’s back again “by popular demand”. Eminem has released the first single from his upcoming album (which is scheduled to be released on the 19th of May, 2009). It is called We Made You and the album is to be named Relapse. This single is from his fifth studio album (and his first album in five years). In the mold of his previous lead singles, this track is a humorous attack on people, celebrities and political figures but is it also a sign of what to expect?
My Name Is
This was the lead single from his debut album, the Slim Shady LP and singularly announced Eminem to the entire world. The lyrics were to put it mildly “humorously devastating”. Firstly, it was a publicity stunt which was the reason for the self-deprecating humor and lyrics such as
“Since age 12, I felt like I am someone else
Cos I hung I my original self from the top bunk with a belt”
But there was also anger. Anger was the underlying topic in the song despite the fact it was supposed to funny. There were lines like:
“Ninety- nine percent of my life I was lied to,
I just found out my mom does more dope than I do,
I told her I would grow up to be a famous rapper,
Make a record about doing drugs and name it after her”
In the above verses he attacks his mother (and her drug habit) which was a recurrent theme in the album and subsequent ones. This type of lyrics were to a prelude to what listeners were about to be served. The Slim Shady LP was very successful for a debut album and one from a white rapper at that; it sold more than 3 million copies. It also won the Grammy award for Best Rap Album of the Year.
Real Slim Shady
This was the lead single off Eminem’s second album The Marshall Mathers LP. Like My Name Is, it was a comic and catchy song. Yet, it contained angry lyrics such as:
“Will Smith don’t got to cuss in his rap to sell records, well I do
So f**k him and f**k you too
You think I give a damn about a Grammy
Half of you critics can’t even stomach me, let alone stand me”
The above lyrics were in response to critics who were of the view that he used a lot of explicit language in his rap. There was also the following:
“Yeah, I probably got a couple of screws up in my head loose
But no worse than what’s going on in your parents’ bedrooms
Sometimes you want to get on TV and just let loose
But can’t, but its cool for Tom Green to hump a dead moose”
He attacked the hypocrisy of people who thought his music was bad while they simply turned a blind eye to worse things when they were committed by others.
The Marshall Mathers album was hugely successful and sold about 1.76 million copies in the first week of its release. It went on to sell more than 10 million copies in the US alone. It won the Grammy award for Best Rap Album of the Year.
Without Me
Without Me was the lead single of the The Eminem Show album and was just as “hilariously bad” as the earlier lead singles. In this song he attacked the vice-president of the United States Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne Cheney; he also attacked critics in general, his mother and other musicians. There were lyrics such as:
“I know that you got a job Ms. Cheney
But your husband’s heart problem’s complicated
So the FCC won’t let me be
Or let me be me, so let me see
They tried to shut me down on MTV
But it feels so empty without me”
“And get ready
Cos this s**t is about to get heavy
I just settled all my lawsuits
F**k you Debbie”
This album was also hugely successfully selling more than 1 million copies in its first week of release. It went on sell more than 10 million copies in the US alone. It also won the Grammy award for Best Rap Album of the Year.
Just Lose It
This was the first single off the Encore album which was released in 2004. In contrast to his earlier lead singles which were humorously sung yet contained lyrics which clearly showed his anger, this song was just plain funny. He attacks artistes like Michael Jackson and makes fun of himself. The lyrics include:
“What else can I possibly do to make noise?
I done touched on everything but little boys
That’s not a stab at Michael
It’s just a metaphor, I’m just psycho”
“Excuse me miss, I don’t mean to sound like a jerk
But would you punch me in the stomach and pull my hair
Spit on me, maybe gouge my eyes out here”
This album was also successful selling very well in the US and all over the world but not as much as the two albums before it. It also did not win the Grammy for best rap album.
We Made You
This is the lead single from the yet to be released Relapse album. This single is similar to the lead single from the Encore album. Lyrics from this single include:
“Can he come back as nasty as he can?
Yes he can can, don’t ask me this again
He does not mean the lesbian offend
But Lindsay please come back to seeing men”
Man Cass I don’t to mean to mess with your girl but
Jessica Alba put her breasts in my mouth bro
Wowsers, I just made a mess in my trousers
And they wonder why I keep dressing like Elvis”
There is not a hint of anger and it is just plain hilarious. He simply pokes fun at celebrities moving from people like Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan and Ellen Degeneres to Jessica Alba, Amy Blake and former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Will this album end up like Encore before it, not selling as much as either The Marshall Mathers LP or the Eminem Show? Has he lost the anger that helped him win three best rap album Grammy awards for his first three albums? For loyal Eminem fans, anything short of 10 million copies in US sales alone and a Grammy award for Best Rap Album will surely be a letdown.
But still he says:
“You think this is bad, wait till you here the rest of my album
Never has there been so much finesse and nostalgia”
