The saddest thing about Encore, however, is the inability to make sense of a lot of it. Martika’s 1988 soft-pop weeper “Toy Soldiers” is turned into a song about beef ethics the well-meaning “fuck Bush” song “Mosh” is self-aggrandizing and all elbows and his war with The Source feels remarkably dated since the Nah Right era would be on us in about a year. Here, one of the greatest rappers of a generation sounds like he’s trying to make words rhyme by sheer force of will (“merry-go,” “ferris wheel,” “carousel”) or just filling up space with funky nonsense (“Or suck a dick, and lick a dick, and eat a dick, and stick a dick in your mouth”). Encore’s most inadvisable choices include talking like Rain Man, making a chorus “poo poo caca” in an English accent, puke noises, fart noises, shit noises, Pee-Wee Herman laughs, and, most famously, a whole song rapped as Triumph The Insult Comic Dog. He was also addicted to pills, which partially explains this cornucopia of “hickory dickory Dirk Diggler” decisions.
#ENCORE EMINEM ALBUM BACK COVER MOVIE#
And why would anyone tell Eminem no in 2004? By then, he was a movie star, a critic’s darling, a label owner who launched 50 Cent, and an Academy Award winner. In honor of the long, strange, 20-year trip since this manic, motormouthed bruise-poker first asked if we liked violence, here’s Eminem’s albums ranked from worst to best.Įncore is a rambling disaster, sounding like the untethered impulses of someone who hasn’t been told “no” in a half decade. He sold 11 million copies of an album that has a skit where the Insane Clown Posse suck a dick. He’s got more Oscars than Tom Cruise, Joaquin Phoenix, and Edward Norton combined. His first Top 10 single had him complaining about boy bands, and his latest has him complaining about mumble rap. The word “Stan” is in the dictionary (though, to be fair, give some credit to Nas for formalizing its use as a noun). He’s been protested by GLAAD and embraced by Elton John. He’s been praised by Kanye West, Drake and Kendrick Lamar, and caught the ire of Michael Jackson and Lynne Cheney. and used as DNC pump-up music by Barack Obama (who also kept Em on his iPod). Bush’s secret service, dissed on Twitter by Donald Trump Jr. He’s a rap purist and a pop star, managing #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits that don’t shy from mention of things like Kool Keith and fromunda cheese. He’s been called one of the greatest rappers of all time by Jay-Z and music for people who “drink way too much Mountain Dew” by Earl Sweatshirt. Both offerings, bolstered by one-of-one moments that upped the replay value of each song, currently sit as two of the best-selling albums of all time, achieving diamond certification and counting.Verbally gifted, painfully self-aware, deliriously problematic - there’s really nothing like the last two decades of Eminem, the blonde swordsman. The MC's three-peat of albums was fulfilled with that opus and the following releases of The Marshall Mathers LP in 2000, and The Eminem Show in 2002. Dre and record executive Jimmy Iovine, who signed Em to Aftermath Entertainment. As he continued to rise from the depths of the underground scene to the heights of mainstream stardom, that project also served as his first LP under the guidance of legendary mega-producer Dr. Three years later, Eminem found his groove with the release of The Slim Shady LP, an effort that introduced one of the most iconic alter egos in rap. In 1996, he delivered his very first album, Infinite. Aside from a commercially successful track record, Em’s technical precision, lyrical supremacy and way of embracing everything that sits opposite of normal has garnered him respect in areas that range from the barbershop to the Grammys. He possesses two diamond-selling albums and 10 consecutive No. Over his past 25 years in the game, the Detroit-raised rapper has made a name for himself as rap royalty. Eminem’s legendary status isn’t up for debate.