Hey guys heres my review of The Marshall Mathers LP 2 that i wrote a few weeks back for a local magazine. Sorry if its a bit condescending but its written for a general audience and not Hip-Hop Heads... This album is perhaps the most highly anticipated album of the year. Eminems sequel to the classic album: The Marshall Mathers LP, originally released 13 years ago in 2000, has taken the world by storm! But is it really all that great? Im about to review this album song by song for all of you to read! So after being announced on August 14th as a sequel to The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem fans worldwide went berzerk at the return of the rap god (no pun intended ;) ). Four singles were released prior to the album; these were Berzerk, Survival (featuring Liz Rodrigues), Rap God and The Monster (featuring Rihanna). I had extremely high hopes for the album but after hearing these four singles, I wasnt sure as to whether it would be able to stand its own ground compared to Shadys earlier albums, such as the original Marshall Mathers LP. Nevertheless, I pre-ordered the album on iTunes and I was also lucky enough to hear the whole album 6 days prior to its release date (November 5th) when the album leaked. The first track, Bad Guy (Featuring uncredited vocals from Sarah Jaffe) is one of the highlights of the album for me. It is essentially a sequel to the classic Eminem song Stan (featuring Dido) which was released in 2000 on the original Marshall Mathers LP. The song describes Stans younger brother: Matthew; who plans to seek revenge on Eminem for the death of his brother. I loved this song, I think the production was dope and I liked the general concept for the track. I would have liked to see Dido on this song, Eminem mentioned that he considered asking her to feature on this track but he realised it would be a dead giveaway as the sequel to Stan. I give this song a strong 9/10. The next track is a skit, it continues from the song ‘Criminal’ from the original Marshall Mathers LP. I loved this skit, definitely adds to the Marshall Mathers LP feel, I give this a 10/10. The third track is titled ‘Rhyme or Reason’. I liked this track a lot, especially the production. Look out for the Yoda impression around 00:30. I liked the use of the sample ‘Time of the Season’ – I really liked the way that he was talking to the sample. I think it gives the right effect as he responds to questions about a father. The song is let down by the singing, I don’t really like it when he sings because in my eyes; he’s an MC and not a singer. I think it lets this song down but his flow and rhyme schemes in the verses really lift this track up. I give this a solid 9/10. Eminem gives us a flashback to Slim Shady with this track titled ‘So Much Better’ with a humorous hook and some funny punch lines. I liked the beat on this track as well. I didn’t really mind the singing on this track, it reminds me of the Eminem from 2004 when he released ‘Encore’ in my opinion, it is reminiscent of tracks such as ‘Big Weenie’, ‘Puke’ and ‘My First Single’. I give this an 7/10. ‘Survival’ followed next. This song is one of my least favourites from the album, it sounds like something that should have been on ‘Recovery’ (an album by Eminem that was released in 2010) and not on this album. I don’t think it fits the theme of the album, I like the song as a stand-alone single or as a bonus track and I think it fits as the Call of Duty: Ghosts theme song really well but I don’t think it should be on the album. I would have preferred the song ‘Don’t Front’ (featuring Buckshot) which was released as an exclusive bonus track if you buy Call of Duty: Ghosts and MMLP2 at Play together. I give this a 6/10, the lyricism was good and I liked the heavy guitar production but it doesn’t fit the album. This next track is one of the highlights of the album for me because I can personally relate to it. It is titled ‘Legacy’ and it features vocals from Polina. I really liked Polina’s chorus on this track and I really liked the production of this track. I give this a solid 9/10 because I think that there is room for improvement in this song so that’s why it’s not a 10/10. The next song is titled ‘Asshole’ and features vocals from one of my favourite singers: Skylar Grey. I really like this song, although I would have preferred a more piano based beat. I liked the hook and I like the general theme of the song. Eminem didn’t disappoint with his verses either. I give this an 8/10. ‘Berzerk’ is another song on this album that I didn’t really like. I think it is extremely mainstream although I like the general Beastie Boys theme. I’m not a huge fan of the hook but I was glad to see Slim Shady return dissing Kardashians, Birdman amongst others. I understand that this song is meant to be a radio hit but I’m not a huge fan of it. I rate it a 5/10. ‘Rap God’ has received very positive reviews form Hip-Hop fans but I disagree with the statement that he is a Rap God. Yes, he has been very influential in the Hip-Hop industry but I wouldn’t call him a Rap God yet. There has been a lot of internet hype over the fast flow that Shady adopts at around 4:26 and I have to say that this surprised me because Eminem is not generally known to be a fast flower like Busta Rhymes, Tech N9ne, Twista etc. I really didn’t like the beat that Eminem used on this beat, I think that even though the vocals are strong, the production really lets this down. I give this a 6/10. ‘Brainless’ was much better than the previous two tracks, I liked Eminem’s flow on this track and I liked the beat, I’m not a big fan of the hook but it isn’t as bad as ‘Berzerk’. This song has a definite Slim Shady feel which I like, I think it really supports Eminem’s whole ‘Return of Slim Shady’ thing. I’d give it a 7.5/10 The next track is ‘Stronger Than I Was’. This track is possibly my least favourite from the album. I thought this was whack. It is essentially a pop song with one rapped verse which wasn’t particularly special. Eminem just sings for most of it, and it wasn’t a good song like ‘Hailie’s Song’ from ‘The Eminem Show’, it was a huge disappointment. I hated the production as well. I always skip this song when I’m listening to the album. This really lets the album down. Yes I understand why he did it and I appreciate the fact that hes getting older but Im just not a fan of this track. I give it a 4/10. This next song is the other contender for the worst song on the album. I hated the production and I found Rihanna to be very annoying. Yes, it’s the radio hit ‘The Monster’ featuring Rihanna. Personally I would have featured someone like Skylar Grey. Eminem’s verses weren’t too special, I did however like the return of the ‘Relapse’ evil devil voice. I can relate to the general message of the song but it’s really a shame that Rihanna was featured. Can anyone tell me why Eminem randomly ‘Yodelled’ (not sure how to spell it)? I give this a 2/10. I liked the comical feel of ‘So Far…’ - I laughed while listening to this at parts and I liked the guitar beat. Lyrically, this track was good and production wise this track didn’t disappoint. Definitely Slim Shady on this track. I give this an 7/10. I am not a fan of ‘Love Game’ which features vocals from Kendrick Lamar and Keira Marie. I didn’t like the whole love song theme and I didn’t like the production. I’m not a fan of Kendrick Lamar either so I didn’t have too high expectations of this song. I give this a 4/10. I loved this next song. It features vocals from Nate Ruess, who I believe is the lead singer from ‘Fun’. This track is titled ‘Headlights’ and this is one of the highlights of the album. This is a very significant point in Eminem’s life as well because he has final forgiven his mother in public. They have had a very complex history, from songs like ‘Cleanin’ Out My Closet’, and ‘My Mom’. Debbie Mathers also sued Eminem a while back so this is a very emotional song. Even if you aren’t an Eminem fan, I recommend giving a listen to this. I give this a strong 9.5/10. ‘Evil Twin’ is probably my favourite song from this album. It showed me that Slim Shady truly is back. Eminem’s lyrics are on point, his flow is sharp and the production is tight, if I give a 10/10 to any song on this album, it’s this one. This really gives the album a great finale. Bonus Tracks Generally, I felt that the bonus tracks were much better than the rest of the album. The first was ‘Baby’. I liked this a lot, I liked the lyrics, production and the hook wasn’t too bad. I’d give this an 8/10. The second bonus track was ‘Desperation’ featuring vocals from ‘Jamie N Commons’. I liked Eminem’s lyrics but I wasn’t a big fan of the beat or the subject matter. The track in general kind of has a Western Cowboy theme... or is that just me? The hook fit the general theme of the song and I much preferred it to the hooks on the album that Eminem sang. I give this a 7/10. ‘Groundhog Day’ was dope in my opinion. I liked the beat and Em’s lyrics were on point. I give this a 10/10; one of the best songs on the album. I highly recommend getting the Deluxe Edition for this track alone. ‘Beautiful Pain’ isn’t for everyone. It features vocals from ‘Sia’ and the chorus has a similar theme to ‘Love the Way You Lie’ which a lot of Hip-Hop fans hated, myself included. However, I really liked this song, the hook and production included. I can relate to the whole message of the song and I think Slim’s verses were dope. I didn’t like the bridge where Eminem started to sing but it fits the song well I guess. I give this a 9/10. ‘Wicked Ways’ was dope. The hook (sung by the X Ambassadors) was dope. The beat was dope. Eminem’s flow, rhymes and lyricism was dope. I can’t complain about anything on this track. It is dope. This also gets a 10/10. ‘Don’t Front’ featuring ‘Buckshot’ was also dope. It can only be purchased with ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ in a special deal where you buy both the album and the game from specific stores. It is one of the best song on the album. The beat is possibly my favourite on the album, it has a really old school vibe to it, Eminem’s verses were dope and the hook was dope as well. This also gets a 10/10. The ‘Ken Kaniff Skit’ (which is after ‘Evil Twin’ on the album or after ‘Wicked Ways’ on the deluxe album) is something that I am really happy that Eminem included. Ken Kaniff is back with a hilarious parody of ‘Berzerk’. Easily a 10/10 skit right there. That concludes my review of The Marshall Mathers LP 2. I hope you enjoyed my first review. Overall I give this album a strong 8.5/10 and I would say it is definitely better than ‘Recovery’, ‘Relapse’ and ‘Encore’ but it is NO Marshall Mathers LP 1, the only song that came close to the classic original was ‘Evil Twin’ so go get the original now! I am disappointed that there were no features from Dr. Dre, Slaughterhouse, Yelawolf, 50 Cent or D12 but I am glad that there were no Lil’ Wayne, Drake, YMCMB or Big Sean features as some rumours said there would be. -Kayncee
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 20:03:17 +0000