Relapse [Clean] [PA]

Performer: Eminem
Artist: Dr. Dre; 50 Cent
Producer: Dr. Dre; Eminem
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Audio Mixers: Dr. Dre; Eminem. Lyrical acrobat Slim Shady returns after a five-year absence with his fifth major label release, continuing to strike the perfect balance between brooding insight and absolute silliness on 2009's RELAPSE. Opening single "Crack a Bottle" reunites Detroit's maddest rapper with his superstar mentor (Dr. Dre) and protege (50 Cent) on a fittingly funky tour de force. Eminem's RELAPSE, a double album released after five years of recorded silence, a record featuring Dr. Dre behind the boards for the first time since 2000, faced no shortage of the relentless pressure of expectations. A narrative of survival after facing down his demons in rehab unfurled with Eminem's usual twisted Swift-ian wit, RELAPSE should disappoint few fans (or critics for that matter) with its patented mix of hilariously spit venom and delirious self-loathing. Like Darren Aronofsky's adaptation of REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, 2009's RELAPSE finds the full horror element in drug addiction. Eminem's raps, for all their over-the-top humor, have always conjured up images fit for Fangoria, but as he comes out of rehab, seeking solace from his demons, Mr. Mathers amps up the gore on RELAPSE. Dre's beats lurk dark-thumping sinister while Em unleashes nightmare dreamscapes of murder, mayhem, and Britney-Spearsacide. One target who gets off surprisingly lightly this time around is his mother (a topic even Em admits in his introduction of which the world is probably sick); "My Mom" boasts softer, bouncier beats and a final line few hip-hop fans would ever expect to hear coming out of his mouth.

Rolling Stone (p.68) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The power of RELAPSE comes from Em aiming his beatdowns at his truest target, himself....RELAPSE is reason to be glad he's still around." Billboard - "[T]he disc is packed with satisfying hooks and Eminem's ridiculously fabulous flow....He doesn't surf the beat so much as box with it, with both brutality and no small degree of grace."

Turning the music world on its head, Eminem, the blond-haired rapper from Detroit, forced the hip-hop world to accept him as an equal. Despite lyrics full of anger, misogyny, violence, racism, and homophobia, Eminem has been a major commercial success since his debut in 1999, selling records as no black rapper with similar lyrical content ever could. Considered by many a "rapper's rapper," the Dr. Dre-sponsored Eminem has accomplished the seemingly impossible--platinum sales with street cred intact, largely due to his triplet-based rhyme meter and undeniable narrative skill.

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