Why Encore by Eminem? Well, because I can't be too positive all the time. But also, I think with the recent release of Eminem's Music to Be Murdered By, which as far as I can tell is another continuation of Eminem's current state as a rapper where everything seems to be passing him by and he can't keep up. Which, you know, he's 47, so it's understandable. But most rappers would choose to retire by that age, or at the very least slow down their output to maybe the occasional guest verse...
Wait, what album were we talking about again?
Oh yeah. Anyway, with the release of that album, I think it's important to go back to another era where Eminem was maligned and ridiculed, and an era he himself referenced in his music as a mistake. I'd say less mistake and more "intentional career sabotage", but tomato, tomahto. Eminem's Encore is a train wreck of an album.
I feel like the flaws on this are so obvious I really don't need to expand further. The middle third of the album is pretty routinely described as some of Eminem's worst work, but I have trouble believing any thought was put into this at all. Before this album, Eminem was derided by the general public as overtly shocking and tasteless, someone you wouldn't want your granddaughter listening to. Well, in Encore, he proves those assertions, but without making any of the points that made him so legitimately shocking and dangerous of a personality. Points that have been replaced by absolute dumpster fires of songs featuring him literally puking and shitting in your ears. This isn't provocative, it's lame. And it's not funny, either. It's crude, childish and gross. Why would anyone want to listen to this?
Listening to the middle third of this album, it really is hard to believe that it was intended for anything other than intentional career sabotage. There is such a steep plummet from Eminem's last album that this can't just be a case of him losing his groove in two years. Heck, he proves it with the other two thirds of this album, which are not interesting by any means but are at least competent and conventional. I wonder if this album was made in its entirety to avoid those two thirds; to avoid just being boring and unremarkable. Well, it certainly succeeded in that. Too bad it torpedoed Eminem's career in the process.
There are a few songs on here I would actually recommend, which surprised me enough that I feel it's my obligation to talk about them. First off, there's the cut "Never Enough". It features Nate Dogg. Nate Dogg is always good. Then there's "Like Toy Soldiers", which is the most ambitious song on the album by a long shot, interpolating a pretty good sample of "Toy Soldiers" by Martika and discussing topics that seem more relevant to Eminem than the non-topics "discussed" in the rest of the album.
That's where my praises end. Maybe there's a moment or two on here that feels legitimately funny, but it doesn't make up for all the wasted space and time created by this album. And again, if this was intentional, than congratulations. But don't expect anyone to like it.
4/10
Best Tracks: "Never Enough", "Like Toy Soldiers"
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