The return of Eminem

If you haven't had the Eminem conversation with me in the last few years, I will summarize my sentiments for you very briefly.

He is amazingly talented.
His first first four albums were amazing.
Ever since the Eminem show, his music has sucked.
(Encore sucked. Relapse was almost impossible to listen to.)
I am angry about that.

That has been the conversation since somewhere around 2002. I still follow his music because I could never give up hope that he would finally get his shit together and start blowing me away again. but every new song was a bigger disappointment than the last. But recently I have started to change my tune a bit. He has an album due June 21st, and he has been releasing a trickle of teasers, guest appearances and, more recently, singles to build some buzz. I have been following these releases very closely, and I have come to the conclusion that Eminem has somehow turned a corner artistically. His recent music has been reminiscent of the technical perfection and delicious savagery of his early music. Here are links to the music he has put out since the last album.

You have all heard this one. Eminem's verse is pretty great, even though it seems a bit out of place stylistically.

Forever

This one is probably my favorite. I love everything about this song. The vocalist on the hook is not Miley Cyrus, even though she sounds like her. This guy B.o.B. is pretty impressive, and Eminem's verse is excellent. Intense, lyrically tight and actually meaningful. Reminded me a little of "Lose Yourself."

Airplanes

This is the most impressive of the group from a technical standpoint. This is a freestyle Eminem put out as a teaser for his upcoming album. The beat is lifted from Drake's single "Over" which Amar and I are lovin' right now. Eminem is reminding Drake that he still has a thing or two to learn. His lyrics are as current and controversial as ever. See if you can pick out the Ben Roethlisberger reference. There is a pretty funny superman joke in there too. It is as clever and irreverent as the Eminem I grew up getting in trouble for listening to. His flow on this track is incredible. Listen to the way the cadence accelerates, morphs, disintegrates and the reassembles itself throughout the track. He is definitely getting his groove back.

Despicable

This last on is an actual single from the upcoming album. He has come a long, long way since the shit-show that was Relapse, a fact which he acknowledges in the second verse of the song. The whole sing is kind of a mea culpa for the bad music he has been putting out. The hook doesn't have much going for it, but the verses are solid enough to make me actually look forward to the album. It is also interesting to note that releasing a serious song like this as the first single off his album is a major departure from his usual pattern. He has always led off with a pop-oriented comedy song, then released the darker songs later on. Well worth a listen!

Not Afraid

He is back! These songs are consistently good, with flashes of the old brilliance. I cant wait for the album. Now if he would just stop trying to sing his own hooks...