Review Summary: The Marshall Mathers LP 2 is a worthy sequel to it’s universally praised former.
When the
MMLP2 came out, I was bitter. I was angry that Eminem would put out an album as a sequel to his magnum opus
MMLP. It had only been out for two days before I finally gave it a listen –
one listen – and typed up a quick, closed-minded review. It was bad, and it was unfair. I even apologized in the closing statement,
a sign of a good review. I was just genuinely upset that what he was putting out wasn't
The Eminem Show or
MMLP. How selfish of me to not accept that as an artist, he’s in a different place now than he was then. For me, or anyone to expect anything from him is just selfish and arrogant. Now that I've had some time to reflect, and listen to it over and over, I feel like I can come to a fair, and real conclusion about the record. It’s great.
The thing about Eminem is that even at his worst – I’m looking at you,
Relapse – he’s still better than most at their best. Not to say that this album is bad or that it’s similar to
Relapse, but he’s just not in his prime anymore, and that’s okay. His flow and multisyllabic rhyme schemes on
MMLP2 are as good as they've ever been. This CD is just filled to the brim with words and wordplay, and that’s what needs to be appreciated. In songs like “So Far…”, or “Monster” with a questionable instrumental and poppy hooks, respectively, he’s still doing what he does best. There’s no obnoxious accents or Triumph the Insult Comic Dog here, just a creative emcee going insane on the mic, and that’s what I had been failing to enjoy. I was too busy waiting for another “Sing For The Moment”, that I didn't listen to the brilliance that was whizzing past my ears. There is a difference between hearing and listening. Eminem still does what others in the mainstream simply cannot.
"Sometimes I listen and revisit them old albums often as I can and skim through all them bitches and make sure I keep up with my competition."
With allusions to his back catalog, it’s a very nostalgic album. The first half of “Bad Guy” is told from the perspective of Stan’s younger brother Matthew exacting his revenge on Eminem, blaming him for the death of his older brother. With a killer hook by sung by Sarah Jaffe, it’s a goose-bump-inducing opener to the LP. The follow up track is an extended version of the bank robbery skit in “Criminal” from
MMLP, and acts sort of as a bridge to link the two albums together. The instrumental and lyrics in “Brainless” really bring the vibe back 14 years, and the same can be said for “Baby”. It gives us just enough of the Eminem we wanted and still leaves room for him to embrace his modernity and flourish with the rest of the album. While there are still songs or aspects of the album I’m not fond of, I can look past them and appreciate it because I understand that not every record has to be perfect. Listen to this album with an open mind, I mean, really listen, because Eminem is still a “Rap God”.
I still can’t stand “Berzerk”, though.
Favorite tracks:
Rap God
Brainless
Evil Twin
Baby
Groundhog Day
Tracks this record could do without:
Berzerk
So Much Better
Stronger Than I Was
