Jul 12, 2024 I've definitely subconsciously known that because of the album covers but calling it "The Eminem Show 2" really put it in perspective lmao
Jul 12, 2024 Yo in Lucifer Em is possessed in the background and looking for his meds cuz he was force fed them earlier.. this s--- is layered Af
Jul 12, 2024 Just finished it. Having read no other reactions to it here yet, I think it's a hard album to sum up. I think what I feel most prominently in walking away from it is mild disappointment, then frustration and amusement at myself for getting so swept up in the promo that Em would release something impossibly good, and a strange peace at the fact that Em is who he is, and it is what it is. The album starts off so well, like multiple other Eminem albums, and then fumbles things as it goes along. It more or less sticks to a concept through Guilty Conscience 2, that much is clear, but then what comes after that is so jumbled and disjointed, I don't really know what to make of it other than "not that good compared to the first two thirds." It would be okay if "Shady" died and then we went back to MTBMB-style for the last 5 songs, but... that's not really what it is. How the f--- does he justify going from a Ken Kaniff skit into a song like Somebody Save Me, which, for what it's worth, is so ridiculously different than what I expected based on the title that I can't help but be disappointed by it. Bad One sounds more like it should be in the first half of the album too. And Head Honcho is just s--- except for Em's verse. The first two thirds have such high highs in terms of flow and general sound. But then again, Kamikaze and MTBMB had really high highs too. This time, it's just that Em managed to actually, really, truly sound like his old self, in terms of voice and flow. He usually gives you at least one genuine, jaw-dropping surprise per album at this point, and that's the one for this album. I don't know how he did that. Now, in terms of lyrical content, some of it is fantastic, some of it made me giddy with excitement, but other aspects of it are kinda dumb. The anti-PC theme is so played out, I don't think anyone anywhere would really have a problem with anything he said on this album, which makes a lot of it fall flat, and I say this as someone who hates political correctness with a passion. But the thing is, society seems to be moving away from it to an extent now, and it's only then that Em can jump on the bandwagon. Seriously, if he had released this exact album between 2016 and 2021, it would've hit much harder. But, the fact that he plays it off as a big joke at the end of Guilty Conscience 2 really saves the whole idea, honestly thank God he put that part in because the idea of Em being "cancelled" for anything he said on this album is absurd. It's hard for me to tell exactly how self-aware he is about this album. If he really does mean the whole first 2/3s to be a huge joke, a complete joke on himself, that's pretty awesome, but forgive me for not being entirely sure of that. Subtlety has never been Eminem's strong suit. I think "The Death of Slim Shady" is a much more interesting idea in the sense that, so many years after Slim Shady burst onto the pop culture scene, and in an era where, for better or worse, Shady can't not sound like an old man yelling at kids to get off his lawn, Slim simply can't exist anymore. The first 2/3s of the album runs Slim Shady into the ground in a way Em never has before. THAT'S interesting. And I do think that idea is in there somewhere, but too much of it is, at the surface, the same kind of "Marshall vs. Shady" love-hate relationship we've heard for 15 years, playing on the same old idea that Em doesn't know if he wants to k--- Shady or not because he grew up and feels bad and is tortured by fame. Ultimately, it's okay because most of those songs in the first 2/3s sound great. Ultimately, despite the trappings of the album and the logo and fan speculation linking this album to the Slim Shady LP, ultimately, it plays much more into the killing off of Slim Shady that Encore did. Career suicide. That's how this album shines brightest. And I swear he did that intentionally, given the references to Encore on the album. Even the cover's color scheme is similar to Encore's. I'd say this was a pretty great experience for the most part if not for those last 4-6 tracks, but those count, and they really make me wonder what the f--- he was thinking. But then again, why am I surprised?
Jul 12, 2024 It's called Encore, I don't understand how they don't get it, maybe it should've been called "SEQUEL"
Jul 12, 2024 It’s the last album I ever listened to straight through back to back around 500 or so times.
Jul 12, 2024 @skullymoon based pfp btw, the "LITERALLY f--- YOUR OWN FACE" speech makes me laugh every time
Jul 12, 2024 TLDR and STFU! Go listen to it again b---- - and don’t ever post an album review after your first listen ever again - especially a gay a--- long one like that!
Jul 12, 2024 MMLP The Eminem Show SSLP Relapse TDOSS It lands 5th for me. Could've took Relapse's spot if it would've been a little more focused and some of the hokey s--- cut.
