Would Eminem be considered the GOAT if he never released music after Relapse?

[Duck Duck Doggy]

I feel like the music he’s released since Relapse has only hurt his legacy. Imagine if he just disappeared into the mountains like he says on ‘Business’. We would all be saying why isn’t he releasing new music!!! But we live in the alternate universe where he continues to release music that just never lives up. At this point I don’t think we’re ever getting a classic Em album again. 

[TraceOneInfinite]

I feel like the music he’s released since Relapse has only hurt his legacy. Imagine if he just disappeared into the mountains like he says on ‘Business’. We would all be saying why isn’t he releasing new music!!! But we live in the alternate universe where he continues to release music that just never lives up. At this point I don’t think we’re ever getting a classic Em album again. 

Really if he wanted to go out like Pac he would’ve stopped after the 8 Mile soundtrack because “Lose Yourself” is his magnum opus.

That said, I don’t think you realize how popular Eminem is with the kids these days.  They are idiots and think the best rapper is the one who raps the fastest—so I have several students even all the way here in the Arab Gulf that worship Eminem and spend like a whole week just trying to memorize one of his songs where he “raps fast” and then mastering it and showing it off at school.

So actually his legend has grown way bigger.  The young kids love his post 8 Mile and post Relapse stuff more because he “raps fast” lol

[hitsaw]

Most young Eminem fans don’t know the songs with Dre and D12.

[mtbsm]

I feel like the music he’s released since Relapse has only hurt his legacy. Imagine if he just disappeared into the mountains like he says on ‘Business’. We would all be saying why isn’t he releasing new music!!! But we live in the alternate universe where he continues to release music that just never lives up. At this point I don’t think we’re ever getting a classic Em album again. 

if he stopped after Eminem Show, could argue, would be more respected...

i personally thing it's amazing what he did from Kamikaze on...  incredible run for an artist that's been at it that long.

that shady xv era was awful stretch - 2014-17

[HighEyeCue]

Relapse had great production but Em ruined it on a lot of tracks with that accent he was doing

I liked MMLP2 and Kamikaze the best out of the rest

So I would say he’s been hit and miss since Relapse

[Jay_J]

I feel like the music he’s released since Relapse has only hurt his legacy. Imagine if he just disappeared into the mountains like he says on ‘Business’. We would all be saying why isn’t he releasing new music!!! But we live in the alternate universe where he continues to release music that just never lives up. At this point I don’t think we’re ever getting a classic Em album again. 

i don't agree with you bro. Relapse is the most outdated Eminem album for year it was released, people felt like Eminem is repeating himself and can't keep up with current music. dre as well.

i hated Recovery when it came out. But today i give it's props. Eminem broke his beak like an old eagle, reborn and became someone stronger with releasing relapse.

Recovery, Marshall Mathers LP 2 and Music To Be Murdered By are considered classics already. These albums are way better and succesful than Encore and Relapse.

If only producer Eminem could work with would be Dr. Dre, yeah than Relapse should be his last album so he won't humilate himself one more time. But he saw current music is evolving, new generation's point of view is changing, there are new young producers, new technics and new visions. So he quit working with his old producers and started to work with new generation producers. thats who eminem survived.

[Sccit]

Recovery, Marshall Mathers LP 2 and Music To Be Murdered By are considered classics already. These albums are way better and succesful than Encore and Relapse.

classic?!

recovery was weak .. mmlp2 was dope but far from classic .. music to be murdered by was solid.

relapse is considered a cult classic nowadays .. it's the last album where eminem was actually being himself .. and the production was top notch.

encore had some duds.. but overall, there was still some classic em shit on there that stand the test of time.

yea, he went crazy wit the accents on relapse, but it's a concept album ......

after relapse he just transformed himself into someone totally different.

[Jay_J]

classic?!

recovery was weak .. mmlp2 was dope but far from classic .. music to be murdered by was solid.

relapse is considered a cult classic nowadays .. it's the last album where eminem was actually being himself .. and the production was top notch.

encore had some duds.. but overall, there was still some classic em shit on there that stand the test of time.

yea, he went crazy wit the accents on relapse, but it's a concept album ......

after relapse he just transformed himself into someone totally different.

He had to transform himself to keep up with current music point of view and he had to do it to be relevant.

production was overdated on relapse. nobody gave a fuck about that type of music anymore those days.

relapse is not considered as a classic, but recovery is considered as classic already which is totally not my favorite eminem album but i understand the meaning and importance of recovery.

[Sccit]

He had to transform himself to keep up with current music point of view and he had to do it to be relevant.

production was overdated on relapse. nobody gave a fuck about that type of music anymore those days.

relapse is not considered as a classic, but recovery is considered as classic already which is totally not my favorite eminem album but i understand the meaning and importance of recovery.

lmaoooo i love how u just make definitive statements as if you're the authority on hip-hop



never change homie


Relapse has been the subject of re-evaluation from both fans and critics over the years. This has resulted in the album developing a strong cult following, while also being viewed more positively as occupying a unique position within Eminem's wider discography.
Relapse gained a strong cult following and it is considered by many as one of Eminem's classic albums. Mark Batson, one of the co-producers with Dr. Dre, said: "When we made Relapse with Eminem, it was not well received at the moment but now it is considered to be a classic. That's how it goes." Eminem's long-time manager Paul Rosenberg singled out "Underground" as one of his favorite songs.

 Rolling Stone magazine's Rob Sheffield called the album a "more painful, honest and vital record" that is on-par or better than Eminem's 2002 album The Eminem Show.[4] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described the album as "musically white-hot, dense, and dramatic" and said that "his flow is so good, his wordplay so sharp, it seems churlish to wish that he addressed something other than his long-standing obsessions and demons". The Daily Telegraph commended its honest depiction of Eminem's drug addiction and overuse. Although he found its concept "spotty", Vibe's Benjamin Meadows-Ingram praised Eminem's lyricism, writing that "Em works wonders with words, expanding the boundaries of the art of rap itself [...] the composition is experimental and abstract, a master toying with form". At the 52nd Grammy Awards, the album won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.


Mitch Findlay from HotNewHipHop touted Relapse as Eminem's strongest project after The Eminem Show: "Relapse is probably the strongest of Eminem's post-comeback catalog, largely in part to some excellent production from Dr. Dre, Dawaun Parker, and Mike Elizondo. Plus, Em seems to be in the zone here, especially when it comes to his flow. The concept, in which he embodies a depraved, accented serial killer, can be a little tiresome, but it also leads to a gratuitous bout of lyrical and hilarious Grand-Guignol." He singled out "Hello", "Beautiful" and "Deja Vu" as highlights.[100][101] In 2019, Findlay included "Same Song & Dance" and "Music Box" on his "Dr. Dre's Top 10 Most Haunting Beats".[102] Complex magazine's "The 100 Best Eminem Songs" ranks "Stay Wide Awake" at number 86, "Elevator" at number 81, "My Darling" at number 79, "Underground" at number 74, "3 a.m." at number 67, "Insane" at number 27, and "Déjà Vu" at number 20.

Drew Landry from DJBooth called Relapse a "dark, disturbing and often hilarious album" and said: "Relapse sounds like a "how many violent dick jokes can I shout before someone tries to decapitate me" science experiment. If you simply sit back and embrace the depravity, though, it's oddly glorious. Eminem wasn't trying to make radio hits nor was he trying to inspire fans; he just wanted to gross us all out. And in that regard, holy shit does he succeed." He singled out "Insane", "Stay Wide Awake", "Same Song & Dance", "Medicine Ball" and "3 a.m." as the five most disgusting songs on the album and referred to the album as "an episode of South Park written by Stephen King".

Patrick Bierut from UDiscoverMusic named Relapse "the true marvel Of Eminem's sinister return to hip-hop" and said "Relapse remains one of the most overlooked releases not only of Eminem's career, but the mid-to-late 00s. Not only is it the Eminem album in which Dr. Dre had the truest hand in production, it's also the most remarkable demonstration of his raw ability to rap better than almost anyone else. Due to its divisive content, however, Relapse doesn't get enough credit for being the marvel it truly is."[105]
Spin also included some songs of the album on the top 100 of All 289 Eminem Songs, Ranked article, included "Déjà Vu" at 36 position, "Crack a Bottle" at number 48, "Beautiful" at number 62, "3 a.m." at number 68, "Elevator" at number 76, "Stay Wide Awake" at number 79 and "Underground" at number 82.[106] HipHopDX called Relapse a "horrorcore masterpiece" and said: "the record stands as an artistic achievement that further solidifies Eminem as one of the greatest, most creative MCs to ever pick up a microphone. The article goes on to reflect the changing fan sentiment toward the album, stating that it took "years to uncover its brilliance".[2]






homie... instead of making general statements that don't line up with reality, u can just say that YOU didn't like relapse.  record shows that hardcore eminem fans love the album. on the contrary, they consider recovery a sappy pile of shit and a try hard effort to go pop by eminem. i don't know any real hip-hop head who values that album. it's mostly the same crowd that likes taylor swift and rihanna that was digging recovery. was it successful as a pop album? absolutely.. but not revered by the heads. like u said, he felt the need to re-invent himself and came with a contrived effort that was not true to his authentic self, and that's what he's been doing ever since.

[hitsaw]

Relapse was the last Eminem album I realy listened 2, only that “forever” song was weak. All the albums after relapse where boring.

[HighEyeCue]

“Forever” was not on the OG release…it was added on “Relapse: Refill”

[Lucifuge]

Recovery with not afraid and that ri-ri song is outta here. Me personaly likes older stuff, but my kids loves this new one. Hudini, godzilla and so.

[HighEyeCue]

I just went back and listened to Relapse last night...now that it is fresh on my mind here are a few thoughts

better than I remembered it...that track Beautiful is really that, one of the best Em songs in the last 20 years...I looked at the credits and looks like it was maybe recorded during the Encore sessions before he went to rehab...the accents are a little too much at times but Em was really spitting, better than he has any time since...and the production is crazy, a lot of it sounds like it could have been meant for Detox

[goodyoung]

He had to transform himself to keep up with current music point of view and he had to do it to be relevant.

production was overdated on relapse. nobody gave a fuck about that type of music anymore those days.

relapse is not considered as a classic, but recovery is considered as classic already which is totally not my favorite eminem album but i understand the meaning and importance of recovery.

Jesus Christ you got EVERYTHING wrong lmao

When Relapse came out people were praising the shit put of it's production, it was the content and accents that bothred people so much. These days Relapse is considered a cult classic, that's a fact. Just check out Em's forums.

Recovery was hot when it came out, and it was indeed a modern new sound that people fucked with back in 2010. But it's fresh status only lasted for like 3 years, and since 2013 that shit been aging worse than a milk on a hot summer day. That Recovery sound became history. Why do you think everybody was making fun of Em for working with Alex Da Kid and using Recovery style in 2013/2017 and begged him to go back working with Dre? And why MTBMB was considered an improvement over Revival? Why do you think Em uses leftovers from Relapse on his newer albums, and not from Recovery?

It's kinda ironic how Relapse was considered outdated when it was released but ended aging better tham Recovery, which sounded more fresh at first.

[Duck Duck Doggy]

i don't agree with you bro. Relapse is the most outdated Eminem album for year it was released, people felt like Eminem is repeating himself and can't keep up with current music. dre as well.

i hated Recovery when it came out. But today i give it's props. Eminem broke his beak like an old eagle, reborn and became someone stronger with releasing relapse.

Recovery, Marshall Mathers LP 2 and Music To Be Murdered By are considered classics already. These albums are way better and succesful than Encore and Relapse.

If only producer Eminem could work with would be Dr. Dre, yeah than Relapse should be his last album so he won't humilate himself one more time. But he saw current music is evolving, new generation's point of view is changing, there are new young producers, new technics and new visions. So he quit working with his old producers and started to work with new generation producers. thats who eminem survived.

Bro Eminem from 96-2009 is one rapper and 2010-now is a completely different rapper who caters more to a pop crowd. There is not even an argument there. It makes me question whether you’ve even listened to these albums lately.

Recovery has some decent songs on there but it’s definitely near the bottom of his catalog along with Revival

Also as far as the impact these albums had on culture and music you just had to be there when these albums came out and it sounds like you got to these albums way later in the streaming era so way different experiences. These could all be contributing factors but at the end of the day we all have our unique opinions so if that’s how you feel that’s how you feel.