On the surface, rap star Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2, released on November 5th, may seem like a sequel to his 2nd studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP. The titles are the same, and the album covers display the same broken-down bungalow Eminem grew up in. Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, even dyed his hair blond again as a throwback to the days of Slim Shady, his alter ego. However, the album, released on November 5th, isn’t so much a sequel as a recalling of Eminem’s past. On the MMPL, Eminem was a 28-year-old drug-enthusiast whose musical career was still in its beginning stages. Now, he’s sober and more experienced, and these changes in maturity translate into his music.
On his 8th studio album, Eminem has certainly tried to replicate the spirit of the MMPL. On the opening track, “Bad Day,” Mathers echos “Stan,” arguably one of the greatest songs of his entire career. He adds more to Stan’s story, speaking from the point of view of Stan’s younger brother, who wants revenge for his brother’s death. On “Survival,” Mathers’s former high-strung attitude remains, as he raps lines such as, “I must be allergic to failure ‘cause every time I come close to it/
I just sneeze, but I just go ‘atchoo’ then achieve!” Em delivers a lightening-fast verse on “Rap God” that puts Busta Rhymes to shame, justifying the bold claim of the track title. His habit of insulting celebrities through the guise of Slim Shady has also lasted over the years, as he hurls insults at Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom, and Sarah Palin throughout the album. “Love Game,” an upbeat track about an ex-fiancé who had cheated on Eminem, has the same lively sound yet somewhat disturbing lyrics present in his earlier works.
However, Eminem has matured quite a bit over the past 13 years. This change is most obvious on “Headlights,” an ode to his mother and the most heartfelt song on the album. It is not unknown that Eminem had a bad relationship with his mother, from his repeated, public ridicule of her for being negligent. However, on this latest album, Eminem uncharacteristically apologizes for his actions, admitting that “I went in headfirst, never thinking about who what I said hurt/ In what verse, my Mom probably got it the worst, the brunt of it/ But as stubborn as we are, did I take it too far?” and even declares his love for her. It’s a rare moment of vulnerability and affection for the usually bitter and misogynistic Mathers. He continues expressing his inner emotions as he admits on “Evil Twin” that he’s running out of material to make fun of as he raps, “I’m frustrated cause ain’t/ No more N’Sync, now I’m all out of wack/ I’m all out of Backstreet Boys to call out and attack.” On more unhappy notes, Mathers relates a story of getting beat up as a 6-year-old in “Brainless,” and attacks his father who abandoned him on “Rhyme or Reason.”
The two albums have been similarly successful, as the MMLP2 has already hit #1 on the Billboard 200, with the second-largest sales week of the year. Numbers aside, the MMLP2 is a success as it is a return to one of the highpoints of Eminem’s career, when he was just beginning to unveil his distinctive style. Sure, Mathers’ determination to return to his roots doesn’t always work out. The rap skit “Parking Lot,” while returning to Mathers’ habit of including a skit on all his albums, seems outdated in the present atmosphere of hip-hop and ultimately unnecessary to the flow of the album. Despite this shortcoming, the MMLP2 brings out something fresh and new that has been missing from Eminem’s last few records. The album signifies a promising change in direction for Eminem’s future musical endeavors. Now that Mathers is back in his element and stronger than ever, the rest of the hip-hop community should be worried. As Eminem himself said this past Thursday during his live Facebook Q&A, “Slim Shady’s back, b****.”