Eminem Album Review by Rollingstone Magazine

[Shallow]

I don't know how but Rollingstone saw fit to give Encore a 4 out of 5. I think good ol' Jimmy Iovine went into his dep pockets for this one.

Encore Review


"   
Supposedly, the mainstream is where you go under and "maturity" means one foot in the grave. So the success of 8 Mile and its single "Lose Yourself" put Eminem in a bind. How and whether he'd come through was impossible to say, and the opening sallies from Encore were inconclusive. Would the dance-music dis "Just Lose It" lead us to an album as retrograde as its MJ-mocking video? Or was that a feint designed to double the wallop of "Mosh," which signaled a Marshall Mathers gone political -- too late to help his candidate, but, be real, the Muse doesn't follow a schedule.

The answer, self-evident in retrospect, is none of the above. Encore isn't as astonishing as The Marshall Mathers LP. Few albums by anyone ever will be. But in the time-honored manner of mature work, it showcases a phenomenally gifted musician and lyricist doing all the things he does best. Sometimes there are new twists, sometimes not, but that's not decisive, because the music never feels old. Crucially, Encore is funnier than The Eminem Show, avoiding the Rock Star Agonistes posturing he seemed to be slipping into. Sure it's really mature, as when the Martika-sampling "Like Toy Soldiers" renounces battle rhyming and its deadly consequences, or "Yellow Brick Road" apologizes straightforwardly ("I was wrong," to be precise) for using the word nigger on a basement tape half a lifetime ago. But how many competing thirty-two-year-olds can still milk laughs and beats from belches, farts, vomiting and diarrhea?

A conceptual leap would have been nice: Now more than ever, pop needs new leaders. But in a genre forever suspected of running out of ideas, new tricks ain't nothing. There are fresh vocal cadences -- here even faster, there more staccato, and does he know that parts of "Yellow Brick Road" recall the Randy Newman of "I Love L.A."? If the keyboard chord that shores up Martika is corny, the snare drum is dead obvious and right-on. The complex rhymes get seriously decentered: "money"/"the tree," for instance, or "birthday"/"first place." The absurdist "Rain Man" mocks homophobia. Most impressive of all, here's how the Heart-not-Beyonce-sampling "Crazy in Love" describes his inescapable Kim: "You are the ink to my paper/What my pen is to my pad/The moral, the very fiber, the whole substance of my rap."

Get over her, you want to say. You're thirty-two. But can you even imagine an Eminem song using such language -- much less meaning it, and making it sing?"

ROBERT CHRISTGAU
(Posted Dec 09, 2004)

[Woodrow]

I don't know how but Rollingstone saw fit to give Encore a 4 out of 5. I think good ol' Jimmy Iovine went into his dep pockets for this one.

Or they just disagree with you.

[white Boy]

ye.. its weird.. the review seems like its giving him like a 3 or 3.5... this is in no way a 4/5 album

[eS El Duque]

the review seems like its giving him like a 3 or 3.5...

yea, it sounds like that

[Shallow]

I don't know how but Rollingstone saw fit to give Encore a 4 out of 5. I think good ol' Jimmy Iovine went into his dep pockets for this one.

Or they just disagree with you.

Actually I was comparing it to the general consensus. I haven't heard anyone say this was even a good album, and 4/5 would mean it's a great album. My opinion is insignificant.

[Woodrow]

I don't know how but Rollingstone saw fit to give Encore a 4 out of 5. I think good ol' Jimmy Iovine went into his dep pockets for this one.

Or they just disagree with you.

Actually I was comparing it to the general consensus. I haven't heard anyone say this was even a good album, and 4/5 would mean it's a great album. My opinion is insignificant.

Whats more likely:

Jimmy Iovine is behind a conspiracy to inflate the reviews emienm gets

OR

The person who reviews music for a living at rolliing stone has a different opinion than you do.

[topshotta]

Most impressive of all, here's how the Heart-not-Beyonce-sampling "Crazy in Love" describes his inescapable Kim: "You are the ink to my paper/What my pen is to my pad/The moral, the very fiber, the whole substance of my rap."

Get over her, you want to say. You're thirty-two. But can you even imagine an Eminem song using such language -- much less meaning it, and making it sing?"

What the fuck does this dude mean with that? He totally misunderstood the lyrics to that song. It's not Kim Eminem is refering to in that song, it's his newfound love, some horny 24-year old(groupie or something). It's embarrassing that a big magazine like Rolling Stone print something like this. On "Puke" it's Kim he's talking to, but definitely not on "Crazy In Love". Fuckin idiot! Not even does the rating go against the review, this guy must have wax in his ear!

[Shallow]

I don't know how but Rollingstone saw fit to give Encore a 4 out of 5. I think good ol' Jimmy Iovine went into his dep pockets for this one.

Or they just disagree with you.

Actually I was comparing it to the general consensus. I haven't heard anyone say this was even a good album, and 4/5 would mean it's a great album. My opinion is insignificant.

Whats more likely:

Jimmy Iovine is behind a conspiracy to inflate the reviews emienm gets

OR

The person who reviews music for a living at rolliing stone has a different opinion than you do.

1) It was a joke you fuck head.


2) It's common knowledge that politics come into play with major magazine reviews. I'm not saying Jimmy paid them off, but it wasn't just one reviewer it is the whole magazine. I bet there's quite few reviewers that gave it a lot less than 4/5. The guy even says it's not as good as MMLP, but MMLP got 4/5, so simple logic tells me this should get less than 4/5.

[Sir Petey]

LMAO @ "fuckhead"

[ImmortalOne]

Rolling Stone have always been a bunch of fucking idiots when it comes to hip hop anyway.

Remember, this is the SAME magazine that left Tupac out of the top 500 albums of all time, but had ALL three Eminem albums on the list. They are a joke, and always have been a joke. Fuck Rolling Stone. They have absolulty no credibility at all. Leave hip hop to XXL, and stick to rock.

Oh, and Encore a 4/5?? Um, no. More like a -4/5......the album is complete garbage minus three songs.

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

Capatalistic demands insist that Rolling Stone inflates their artists credibility, it sells magazines.  But in private, they know the truth.  Hip-hop is dead, even Eminem has official fallen off with the release of his new solo.  The Eminem Show may of been hip-hops last great album.  Although the album came out in 2002, hip-hop may have died years before that; post-mortem researchers estimated it's death to be anywhere from as early as 1997-2001.  RIP Hip-Hop music.

[Leggy Hendrix]

The Eminem Show may of been hip-hops last great album. 

dont make me laugh...

[white Boy]

The Eminem Show may of been hip-hops last great album.═

dont make me laugh...

[[sepehr]]

Capatalistic demands insist that Rolling Stone inflates their artists credibility, it sells magazines.  But in private, they know the truth.  Hip-hop is dead, even Eminem has official fallen off with the release of his new solo.  The Eminem Show may of been hip-hops last great album.  Although the album came out in 2002, hip-hop may have died years before that; post-mortem researchers estimated it's death to be anywhere from as early as 1997-2001.  RIP Hip-Hop music.

Dude


shut the fuck up

[Ras Kass' Toothpick]

Has Eminem just lost it, or has he simply run out of ideas? Either way, Eminem's highly anticipated release, "Encore", is his worst album to date. With a combination of bland production, horrendous hooks and gimmicky concepts, "Encore" is a strange album that finds a confused Eminem. One moment Em sticks to his guns and produces his usual assortment of lyrically brilliant songs, while the next minute, he is consumed with producing childish and immature pop songs that will have every Hip Hop fan scratching his head. It is this fight between Em's Hip Hop and pop side that ultimately divides the album, making for one of the most disappointing albums of the year.
"Encore" starts on the right foot with an assortment of solid tracks. "Evil Deeds" finds Em riding Dr. Dre's dark and haunting beat perfectly, as he switches up his masterful flow at the drop of a dime. Em addresses his usual assortment of issues, ranging from his "complicated" childhood, to his icon pop status. "Never Enough" continues the heat, as 50 Cent tears Dre's beat to shred with one of his best verses in recent memory. "If I'm the best and the worst, than god's gift is a curse. Soldier trained to destroy, you paying attention boy? I spit shit, slick shit, so quick you miss shit. To be specific I go ballistic it's hieroglyphic". Nate Dogg also drops by to deliver an infectious hook, adding even more flavor to a dope track.

"Yellow Brick Road" finds Em addressing the infamous "racist" tape released last year, as Marshall apologizes for his actions. "I've heard people say they heard the tape, and it ain't that bad. But it was, I singled out a whole race, and for that I apologize, I was wrong". Even though Em's plotting, George Clinton sampled beat tinkers on annoying; his truthfulness allows "Yellow Brick Road" to be successful. Similarly, Eminem opens himself on "Like Toy Soldiers" by delving into the ongoing beef between Shady Records and Murda Inc/Benzino. Over a mixture of a beautiful vocal sample, lush keys and drum rolls, Em acts as the bigger man and attempts to squash all the beef. "I ain't tryin to have none of people hurt or murdered, it ain't worth it, I can't think of a perfecter way to word it…But don't get it twisted, it's not a plea that I'm copping, I'm just willing to be the bigger man if y'all can quit popping, off at your jaws well then I can, cause frankly I'm sick of talking. I'm not gonna let someone else's coffin rest on my conscience".

"Mosh" is yet another controversial song from Em, as he announces his displeasure with the Bush administration and their "war against terror". Dr. Dre and Mark Batson's dark keys and heavy guitar riffs add for a chilling vibe, while Em lets Bush have it in his standout third verse. "Let the President answer a higher anarchy, Strap him with an AK-47, let him go fight his own war, let him impress daddy that way. No more blood for oil, we got our own battles".

After listening to the first five songs on "Encore", you would think Em is on his way to another amazing album. However, the six songs following "Mosh" can only be classified as disastrous. It is hard to envision Em making such horrific songs; however, that is exactly what happened. Whether it was due to a lack of motivation, or he simply ran out of concepts, tracks seven through fourteen may very well be the worst stretch of songs ever put together by a reputable artist.

This downward spiral all starts with "Puke", which acts as another tale in the long and over drawn saga between Em and Kim. Em's horrific singsong hook and uninspired production, which samples Queen's "We Will Rock You", are both enough to ruin Em's pointless rant. Things do not get any better on "My 1st Single", where Em ruins one of his catchier beats by babbling about a Christopher Reeves, homosexuality, pooping, farting and belching. However, the immature, nonsensical rhymes from Em do not stop there, as they get even worse on "Big Weenie", "Rain Man", "Just Loose It" and "Ass Like That". On "Rain Man", Em once again brings up his obsession with Christopher Reeves by spending an entire verse talking about "how he killed superman". (Not literally, of course)

"Just Loose It" continues the childish antics, as Dr. Dre & Mike Elizondo's atrocious keyboard production just adds to the disaster that Em builds with this song. Along with Pee Wee Herman shouting, Michael Jackson references and the occasional farting, Em manages to produce one of the shallowest Hip Hop songs of the year. The same can also be said for "Ass Like That", where Em continues to embarrass himself by rapping the entire song in the voice of Triumph The Insult Comic Dog. However, even worse is the track's hook, as Em conjures up such brilliant lines like, "The way you move it, you make my pee-pee go, D-DOING DOING DOING". But if all of those songs were not enough to convince you that Em went off the deep end for six straight songs, then "Big Weenie" will surely convince you. Over Dre's simple drums, Em quite possibly provides one of the worst hooks Hip Hop has ever seen. "You are just jealous of me cause you, you just can't do what I do. So instead of just admitting it, you walk around and say, all kinds of really mean things about me, cause you're a meanie, a meani".

Thankfully, Em's embarrassing run of shallow and childish songs ends there, leaving the last half of the album. However, the final six tracks are not enough to make up for all the miscues Em fired off on "Encore". "One Shot 2 Shot" featuring D-12 is another average collaboration, picking up where "D-12 World" left off. "Crazy In Love", while complete with a fitting vocal sample, is yet another love/hate track about Kim, which is a topic that has been beat over the head for the last four albums.

However, there are a couple of satisfying attempts as the album closes out. "Spend Some Time" featuring Obie Trice, 50 Cent & Stat Quo acts as a sequel to "Love Me", which was featured on the 8 Mile Soundtrack. "Mockingbird" is a heartfelt song dedicated to his daughter Halie, that features a serenading piano loop and light drum kicks. The title track "Encore" closes the album out right by throwing Dr. Dre in the limelight and announcing that they will force Dre to make "Detox". Dre's production stands out more than anything else, as his usual assortment of hard-hitting drums, guitar riffs and dark keys take full effect.

In the end, "Encore" has its share of highlights, but even those cannot overcome the middle part of the album, which can only be describe as a train wreck. It's a shame that Em went off on such an immature and senseless tirade of corny pop songs, because "Encore" had the potential to be a very solid album. While this album certainly won't hurt Em's career, it has damaged his street credibility, something that was strong during "The Marshall Mathers LP" and "The Eminem Show". Let's hope next time Em leaves the gimmicks alone and just sticks to rapping.

5/10