Album Review: Marshall Mathers LP 2 by Eminem

I'm finally getting to write a review on Eminem's 8th solo album. Eminem was one of the first rappers I ever listened too, and he made fall in love with hiphop. The way he uses imagery to tell stories and show off his lyrical prowess really makes him one of the best rappers ever. MMLP 2 definitely does have a mainstream sound to it. It shows Eminem trying out new things, and revisiting old memories.

            The first song, Bad Guy, shows Shady playing as the younger brother of Stan. The guy who was obsessed with Eminem, which drove him to kill himself and his girlfriend? Ya, Eminem masterfully tells the story of Matthew taking revenge on Eminem for the death of Stan. The last verse of the song is probably one of the best Eminem verses ever.

            Skipping to Rhyme Or Reason, this track shows Eminem spitting amazing wordplay and multisyllabic patterns over a Rick Rubin produced instrumental. I love the sample of using Time Of The Season by The Zombies. Classic rock samples are dope! Eminem even goes after his father on this song.

            So Much Better is a song that flips the beat from Criminal, which was on MMLP. Eminem compares the rap game to a woman who is cheating on him with other artists. Above and beyond wordplay, as usual.

            The song in the Call of Duty trailers, Survival, is a braggadocios song from Mr. Mathers. Liz Rodrigues contributes a haunting hook, which really complements Eminem’s fast flow.

            Legacy shows Eminem reminiscing about his past thoughts and accepting that he is great at what he does. Each verse represents a different part of Eminem’s childhood and teenage life, with the last verse reflecting his present life. He also uses the same rhyme pattern throughout the song. The message of this song is basically the epitomy of the MMLP2. Amazing.

            Asshole is an extremely sarcastic song. Em basically talks about how much hate receives, and how some people still consider him an “asshole”. Over a very synth driven instrumental from Alex Da Kid, Em absolutely destroys the beat.       

            If you watch college football, then chances you have heard this song many times. This has Rick Rubin written all over the beat, because of that throwback feel. The Billy Squier sample is on point, and Eminem goes “Berzerk”.

            And now we finally come to the best track on the whole album: Rap God. Whether Em thinks of himself as a God or not, this song goes off! With probably a gajillion hiphop references, from Busta Rhymes’s New School rap group to the Ray J and Fabo beef, this song has everything. Another mainstream-type of beat.

            Brainless is another song that has vintage Slim to it. He covers how he was bullied in high school. This song definitely has a scary vibe to it with all the serial killer references. Marshall also adds a lot of dark humor with this track.

            Stronger Than I Was was a weird track when I first heard it. I mean Eminem is singing like 2/3^rd’s of the song. It might be weird, but this song is actually a response to Em;s violent tirade “Kim” which was on the MMLP. This song is written from Kim Mather’s perspective. This song has a cool meaning, but I’m really into all the singing.

            The Monster is obviously the radio hit of the album, because of the RiRi hook. This is a very emotional, and personal track from Em.

            So Far is another Rick Rubin produced track that uses a classic rock sample. This time around, Life’s Been Good by Joe Walsh is the sample. Eminem talks about how he will never forget his roots in Detroit. He honestly sounds really old when starts talking about how he doesn’t know how to use Facebook and smartphones. It makes me chuckle every time I hear those lines.

            Finally we hear a collab between Kendrick and Eminem. This song is the second song on this album that personifies hiphop as a woman. The sample is Game Of Love by Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders. This song is one of those feel-good songs. Amazing verses from both kings of hiphop.

            Headlights is an unexpected apology to his mother, Debbie Mathers. All those horrific things Marshall said to his mother in many songs are all wiped out with hearfelt song.

            What a finale to a great album. Eminem trades lines with his alter ego, Slim Shady on this nightmarish track. He takes out many people in Shady fashion. This song is also the return of violent fantasies that Marshall is known for.

            In the end, Eminem still shows that he is one of the best rappers. This album received a lot of criticism because it too mainstream, and it is his most mainstream album sonically, but being mainstream doesn’t mean it is bad. The Marshall Mathers LP 2 is truly an amazing album, and it shows that Eminem is here to stay. (4 out of 5 stars)