Review of Eminem's MMLP2

Hip hop and music has had a decent year. It appears the lyricists are returning and it's not just ignorant anthems about sex, partying and drinking. Eminem restores our faith once again in hip hop with his newest release, the Marshall Mathers LP 2.

Being a hardcore Eminem fan, I wasn't the least bit skeptical that this album would be successful.  The deluxe edition is 21 tracks, and most every track is worthy of a second listen. You can get the basic CD for about $10 if you don't want to pay the extra $6 for the deluxe.  Even at a $1/song (5 tracks on the 2nd CD), it is still worth giving Slim Shady your hard earned money.

He has his usual bizarre and scary lyrics, with an ill rhyming style almost hard to emulate. He mixes his cameos and samples well with the varying styles of songs.  The cameos include Rihanna, Nate Reuss, Kendrick Lamar, and newcomer Skylar Grey who kills it on probably the best track on the entire album "***Hole". Renowned producer Rick Rubin produced most of the album and was criticized, especially for his incessant sampling on tracks such as "Rhyme Or Reason" "So Far" and "Love Game" . However, I believe his beats and samples blended well with Eminem's. It's just different with Dr. Dre, that's all.

While "***Hole" may again be the best song, the released singles are nice "Berserk, Rap God, and Monster". Em's slow melodies were also a winner, especially "Legacy" and "Headlights"  I feel "Bad Guy" was too long and drawn out though.

Nevertheless, this is another timeless, four and a half mic classic for Shady. You can let it play and not be easily tempted to skip songs. Some of his verses are worthy of repeating, just so you can get the full meaning of his cypher.

Eminem has definitely matured over the past couple of decades, but is still an artist at heart. I would definitely suggest picking up either version of MMLP2. Real hip hop and Eminem fans should not be disappointed. 

BONUS BLOG: 2011 53rd Annual Grammy Awards comments

-Aretha's getting honored! She's such a diva!
- LL's about to pop out of that suit.
- Don't you just like how the Grammys jumble about 10 different artists together at once, on one stage?
- Y'all still don't sound like Aretha!
- Don't forget the lyrics, Christina!
- The Grammys appears to be a geriatic experience
- Florence and the Machine looks like they could be Ron Howard's daughters
- Who else can sing "Respect" other than slim J-Hud?
- What about that outfit Christina has on?
- Not feeling that short hair Yolanda
- It's FINALLY over! That was a long tribute!
- What's wrong with Aretha anyways?
- Train, smh! That video looks like it was filmed in the NoDa district of Charlotte
- Here's "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga. She's about to hatch out of that giant egg on stage!
- Gaga's hair halfway looks normal
- Lady Gaga is ripped tho! Look at those abs and pecs!
- I'm feeling this song!
- Blake Shelton is country as cornbread
- Miranda Lambert is hot, but I'm muting and changing the channel during this performance
- Lenny Kravitz looks like a bat
- Muse???? They sound like a group that would perform during halftime of the Super Bowl
- They are wild???
- OMG, the special effects looks like Tetris!
- Of course you gotta have Ryan Secreast
- I've been waiting on this performance
- Janelle Monae, I didn't butcher your name this time!
- B.O.B.'s rocking the monocle!
- They've gone back to the 60s now!
- Get it Janelle!
- And now she's crowd surfing
- That's REAL music right there!
- Sorry, don't get too much into country
- Dang Eva, you're leaving TOO much for the imagination
- Justin Bieber didn't look like a woman back in 2007
- I loathe both Usher and Justin Bieber, but I'm watching this performance for Jaden Smith
- That's a lot of ninjas!
- The Grammys are basically one huge concert. We at home don't even see many of the awards being presented.
- Get it Jaden!
- Will and Jada are such proud parents
- Usher's sweating like a whore in church
- Muse! Muse! Muse!!!
- And the winner is MUSE!!!
- Selena Gomez looks grown
- Mumford and Sons, WTH?
- Lady Gaga wins again! Are those butt pads she's wearing?
- Now get off the stage Gaga!
- LOL @ Letterman!
- And Bob Dylan looks drunk!
- Clay Matthews! Packers baby, green and yellow!
- Lady Antebellum are butchering Teddy P's song
- Didn't know The Kings Of Leon were from Tennessee
- Jamie Foxx sounds very hoarse
- Cee-Lo Green, get it!
- Are those Muppets he's performing with?
- NBC called Cee-Lo, they want their peacock back!
- There's the soon-to-be single Katy Perry!
- And what's the deal with artists performing sitting in swings?
- Isn't Katy Perry pregnant?
- John Mayer looks like Johnny Depp
- Why is Seth Rogen talking like a robot?
- Now this is the BIG performance: Rihanna, Dre, and Eminem!!!
- Maaan they bleeped out a whole sentence from Eminem's part
- It's Dr. Dre!!! Those kicks are bright white
- Eminem and em killed it!
- Esperanza Spalding is Best New Artist! Take that, Bieber!
- But dang that dress looks like it was made by a 1st grader
- This old man from the Grammys talking is annoying #thatisall
- How has Mick Jagger went all of these decades without performing on the Grammys?
- Is this "old man night" for real?
- WTH? Barbara Streisand? Where's my trusty, mute button?
- Hope they're cheering that loudly because Barbara's gone
- OK and now for the coon portion of the awards show: Nicki Minaj. And Nicki needs to take that cotton candy off her head
- HELL YEAH!!! Eminem wins Rap Album of The Year!
- Whoa there's Beyonce'!
- So Diddy is Puff Daddy again?
- What's up with all of this fire tonight?
- There's J-Lo looking tasty
- Never heard of Arcadia Fire. They don't sound bad either
- WOW The Grammys ACTUALLY went off on time!

BONUS BLOG: 2010 VMA Comments

- Bring on Eminem!!!
- That looks like the shelter from 8 Mile, and it's Rabbit!
- Eminem's age is really showing now
- That's a lot of drummers on stage
- WTH Rihanna? She looks like a red-headed She-Ra from the 80s
- Rihanna needs to quit trying to perform live #epicfail
- Is tonight's theme "fire?"
- OK yet another awards show in LA *side eye*
- Why is everyone backstage trying to smack Chelsea on her flat butt?
- Lindsay Lohan? Oooookaaay
- Chelsea really needs to drop Barbie's dreamhouse.
- Hey is that only one dove? And that was a pitiful ONE at that
- Chelsea sounds hoarse but she can't be worse than Russell Brand, can she? Someone please give her a cough drop
- There's Jane Lynch in the audience. She's blowing up lately
- "Turn this mother out" died out 10 years ago
- Everyone will be saying "leotarded" tomorrow
- Where's Beyonce'?
- Did she just call Kanye a "big black elephant?"
- Waddup with the red Power Ranger?
- OK now Chelsea gets a ride off stage by Rick Ross on his, uhh, wheelchair?
- Thus far this awards show favors the Gay Pride parade
- Lady Gaga or Katy Perry has this award in the bag. And it's Lady Gaga! I actually like "Bad Romance"
- OK the first curse-word of the night just got bleeped out
- Katy Perry looks kinda upset
- What is that on Lady Gaga's head? She looks like a peacock
- And now Chelsea is thanking the gays
- That lineup of new artists is disgraceful, except for Jason Derulo. Is this our musical future?
- Justin Bieber looks like Richie Cunningham with that get up. Was the Fonz unavailable?
- There's gonna be a Jackass 3D?
- They just pimp-slapped Bam Margera in that preview
- I'm glad 30 Seconds to Mars won, they're very talented
- Wait a minute that dude looks like Charles Manson
- Dang Kim Kardashian even has booty from the front!
- Justin Bieber, the 1950s want their clothes and car back, please and thank you!
- His voice is hurting my eardrums. I'm muting the TV and checking the score of the Cowboys/Redskins game
- Now I thought this was supposed to be a show from the future. It seems the other way around
- OK I see on stage what appears to be the Apollo kids and the backstage dancers from High School Musical
- This ain't New Year's Day, so why the red streamers?
- Ke$ha and Trey Songz, two of the young icons/heartthrobs
- Ke$ha's dress is made from trashbags #fact #OMGfacts
- And here's Usher. MJ, you ain't, so stop trying!
- This must be the futuristic performance they promised
- Hope no one that's epileptic is watching this performance. There is more flickering during Usher's performance than an 80s video game
- However, Usher always does have the sexiest stage dancers
- This song sounds like a remix of "Kernkraft 400"
- B.O.B. looks like Mick Lowry, I just now noticed this
- Now Chelsea is cracking on Farnsworth Bentley. I need to google this cat and see what happened to him
- Hearing Nicki Minaj's voice is making my IQ drop a few points
- YEAH!!! Eminem won a VMA!
- I believe Disney is gonna sue MTV for the fake Mickey Mouse (i.e., freaky Mickeys)
- Didn't know Jason Derulo was a black guy. And autotune is getting really played out.
- Florence and Machine? She really looks drunk
- These ladies sound too familar, like a 90s Lillith fair group
- Dang Travis McCoy, that cat in the background looks like it's trying to get you
- Is that Danny Devito up on the platform?
- OK now I know I REALLY must watch Glee
- Looks like Lady Gaga's gonna dominate these awards
- I believe Gaga borrowed Ke$ha's trashbag dress and added some extensions
- Lady Gaga is totally biting Chucky V's hairstyle right now
- Was that really Rosario Dawson?
- Taylor Swift appears to have gone back to the 1940s
- This song is dragging out too long
- We all know that's a hairpiece Justin Bieber!
- Can't wait for that FB movie "The Social Network" to come out. But Justin Timberlake? Interesting
- Mary J performing? This should be good
- Did they take those outfits from the cast of "Takers"?
- I like Drake, this song is ok, but I REFUSE to go around saying "You fancy huh?"
- Wait a minute, professional VMAs?
- Does Jason Derulo have a Glo-stick on his hand?
- Did Chelsea just call the cast of Jersey Shore "America's Greasy Sweethearts"?
- Heck yeah it's Sofia Vergara from Modern Family! Can never get enough of Al Bundy's new TV wifey
- Eminem wins again!
- Did Selena Gomez and Ne-Yo intentionally coordinate their wardrobes?
- Gotta love Bruno Mars's hair
- B.O.B. is hollering like Fat Joe or PUN
- OK we now know what happened to Eurthymtics. Remember "Sweet Dreams" from the 80s?
- Victoria Justice is quite the cub #thatisall
- NOOOO!! Bieber won Best New Artist!
- Now's there some good music: Linkin Park!
- But what's the deal with the green fog? Looks like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' lair
- CHER???? Does she always come out half-naked?
- Lady Gaga, just as I predicted earlier, dominated tonight's VMAs, and nabbed Video of the Year
- Lady Gaga's new album is entitled "Born This Way". Really, you were born that odd and weird?
- But she is dang talented
- Here comes Kanye FINALLY!
- Kanye looks like Satan with all of that red on
- So Kanye, according to your song lyrics, you're toasting yourself? Still got quite the ego
- These ballerinas are creeping me out
- Why is Kanye doing autotune now?
- Chelsea was silly and dingy, but still a better host than Russell Brand
- Awards shows, especially musical awards show, are just not the same anymore