Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP 2

Breaking in the 21^st century with one of the most original and influential hip-hop albums of all time, The Marshall Mathers LP seemed like child’s play to the then 28-year-old Eminem. Fast-forward 13 years and Marshall Mathers still doesn’t appear to have gotten all that pent-up anger off his chest. 

His eighth studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, takes inspiration from his earlier work and denounces more recent forays back into the mainstream market. This latest account from the world’s most successful rap artist is unsettlingly ladled with half-hearted rhyme schemes and immature whines about being unappreciated – despite un-mirrored success and an abundance of accolades. 

The album’s name itself is a shameless attempt at recapturing the success of his past work, ultimately highlighting Mathers’ lack of original ideas. 

It’s bad from the get-go with Mathers trying to follow up his monster hit Stan with opening track Bad Guy, a song that sounds more like a bad first draft of its predecessor than an adequate follow-up. The charismatic aggression that laced the original tune is nowhere to be found here with Mathers’ “rage” coming across as synthetic and almost comical in tone and delivery, an aspect that unfortunately plagues the entire record. 

When listening to the album, one can’t help feel a Kanye West-like vibe as Slim is constantly trying to validate himself and his work to the listener. This is perhaps exhibited none more so than in obscenely over-produced tracks Berzerk, So Far and the self-indulgent Rap God, which includes the line “my whole career’s a stroke of sheer genius”. 

For all its moaning and “anger”, MMLP2 isn’t really saying anything that hasn’t been covered before (and more masterfully) in Eminem’s previous records. Whilst rap icons such as Public Enemy have matured and evolved with the times, Mathers is stuck dissing “bitches” and wishing for their death, which invokes the question: just how much more can we take of this middle-aged multi-millionaire acting like a misunderstood brat? 

Jack Hill

The Marshall Mathers LP 2 was released on 5^th November 2013. For further information or to order the album visit Eminem’s website here.

Watch the video for Survival here: