| Eminem's 'Encore' is a puzzling act
Star's inner conflict shows on new album
In a mere five years, Eminem has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, won nine Grammys (as many as Jay-Z and OutKast combined) and an Academy Award, and has arguably been the most discussed, dissected, revered, and reviled pop culture icon since Madonna. Hence, an album from the Detroit rapper isn't just another high-profile release, it's regarded as a kind of cultural event.
Which, to be frank, is a bit of a head-scratcher. Through his first three major-label releases -- 1999's "The Slim Shady LP," 2000's "The Marshall Mathers LP," and "The Eminem Show" in 2002 -- the rapper hasn't exactly been a paragon of artistic evolution. With a few exceptions, such as 2000's "Stan," he's remained the whimsical miscreant who hates his mother, loves his daughter, and can't get along with his ex-wife. Now 32, Eminem is still the bullied boy turned bully who continues to have a persecution complex roughly the same size as the moon.
On "Encore," his new album due in stores today (because of piracy concerns, its release was moved from Nov. 16), Eminem sounds as if he's fighting to balance being a responsible adult with his malevolent snarkiness. Torn between becoming the man he needs to be and the icon his fans want him to be, he has created an album with an uneasy tension that is more distracting than involving.
Throughout much of "Encore, " Eminem, to borrow a line from Ricky Ricardo, comes across as a man with "a lot of 'splainin' to do." Several of the songs are stuffed with so many words, they almost come across as sessions on a therapist's couch. Always a wordy guy, Eminem here positively spills with observations, thoughts, and assessments about subjects ranging from President Bush to the tiresome sideshow of his various beefs with other rappers.
By now, many are familiar with his anti-Bush rant, "Mosh," which was leaked before Election Day, but that track doesn't really reflect the rest of "Encore." Never overly concerned with the ills of the world, Eminem is at least focused on clarifying some situations that have plagued him in recent years. On "Like Toy Soldiers," he breaks down the dispute between his pal 50 Cent and Ja Rule, as well as his own problems with Ray Benzino of The Source magazine. He sounds weary from all the nonsense, although time and future mix-tapes will tell if his actions match his sentiments. On "Yellow Brick Road," he issues yet another apology for disparaging remarks he made about black women in an unreleased song he made years before he hit the mainstream.
But any conciliatory gestures give way to the puerile "Puke," which begins with the sound of someone repeatedly throwing up. After that stomach-churning intro, the song becomes the latest chapter in hip-hop's longest-running soap opera: "The Young and the Ridiculous," or Eminem and Kim, his ex-wife and the mother of his only child
After all, what would an Eminem album be without his latest baby mama drama? On "Puke," it's Kim who makes him sick and gets slammed with a number of unprintable names, but at least he simply wishes her dead and doesn't off her as he's done in past songs such as " '97 Bonnie & Clyde" and "Kim." Still sick, perhaps, but for Eminem, it's almost a sign of maturity.
He delves further into their incendiary relationship on "Crazy in Love" (not the Beyonce song). Here, boosted by a sample of Heart's "Crazy on You," Eminem talks about their love-hate relationship, their codependency, and his and Kim's frightening ability to push each other's buttons. One minute he's threatening to choke her, while a verse later he calls Kim "the air that I breathe," even though they are divorced, and says, "I believe if you ever leave me, I'd probably have no reason to be." It's a revealing song for a man who usually prefers to hide behind misanthropic bluster.
"Mockingbird" concerns the true love of Eminem's life -- his daughter, Hailie. In the emotional song, he offers comfort for her mother's absence (Kim's drug and legal problems briefly landed her in jail) and apologizes for the times he's away from home and on the road. It's poignant, but near the track's close, it's almost as if Eminem remembers that his fans want him to spit venom, not Hallmark sentiments. After gently telling his daughter that he'll buy her a mockingbird and diamond ring, he tacks on a taunt:
And if that mockingbird don't sing and that ring don't shineI'm-a break that birdy's neckI'd go back to the jeweler who sold it to yaAnd make him eat every carat, don't [expletive] with dad.Such lyrics highlight this album's creative fault lines. There are several indications that Eminem wants to shed his barbed-wire brattiness, but he's also shackled to understanding that it's a big part of his appeal.
"Eminem has been so consistent in his career up to this point, he just has to keep going," says Emil Wilbekin, former editor in chief of Vibe magazine. He says Eminem has been "a genius" but adds, "Musically, Eminem has boxed himself into a corner, and it will be hard for him to evolve musically into something else."
To wit, he lets fly on "Rain Man," making fun of easy targets such as Jessica Simpson. But some may have a hard time finding humor in jokey references to the late Christopher Reeve -- "I won't stand for this, and Christopher Reeve won't sit for this," he raps, and later adds "I killed Superman." It's cheap and unnecessary, yet Eminem knows a lot of his fans will eat it up.
Dr. Dre, who produced several tracks, appears on the song, and 50 Cent, Obie Trice, and Nate Dogg also take turns throughout the album. But Eminem remains at center stage, even though with 20 tracks and skits (enough with the silly phone messages already!!) "Encore" runs too long.
Though Eminem has yet to recapture the audacity and spark of "The Slim Shady LP," it's unlikely this album will slow down his momentum. Yet his act is wearing thin -- even his once-sharp provocations have lost their sting. If he wants to continue one of the most successful careers in hip-hop history, he'll need to find a new formula, as "Encore" comes dangerously close to running on fumes.
- Globe Newspaper Company. | |
