The success of the original Marshall Mathers LP was largely down to the brutal honesty of its message – "I'm a horrible person" – allied to the pop appeal of riffs such as "The Real Slim Shady". While the follow-up goes some way towards the same formula, the accumulation of antipathy is ultimately overwhelming. "I just hate to be the bad guy," claims Eminem, but clearly he doesn't – his flow only truly ignites through anger and reproach, and there are moments when his verbal dexterity amazes. He also has an ear for a killer sample, such as the Zombies track on which "Rhyme or Reason" is built. But he can be surprisingly sensitive: "Headlights" is an almost shockingly apologetic love-letter to the mother he once denigrated so viciously.
Download: Rhyme or Reason; So Far...; Brainless; Legacy; Headlights
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies