Ladies and gentlemen, the real Slim Shady is back.
Eminem's long awaited track ‘Not Afraid' from his newest album, "Recovery," premiered last week and it's safe to say that this single has shocked and awed fans. Not only are his lyrics powerful and uplifting, but they prove once again that he is the greatest rapper of all time. The album showcases Eminem's new lease on life after his battle with drugs and near death from an overdose: he criticizes his actions and apologizes to his listeners.
The Detroit rapper's last album, "Relapse," was among 2009's highest sellers, but most fans were disappointed because it didn't show off the MC's skills and had a repetitive nature. The album was Eminem's first in five years, after suffering from drug dependency and the death of his close friend, D12 rapper Proof. In interviews, Eminem said the album helped him work his way through writer's block and he returned to his Slim Shady persona for help.
Originally, Eminem had planned to unleash a sequel to last year's failed ‘Relapse' album, but after recording numerous breakaway songs, he decided to name the album after his own life's struggles.
The songs featured in this new album really open up a new side of his music, taking in encouraging lyrics and reflecting his ongoing battle with drugs.
Eminem's "Not Afraid" has been the talk of blogs, message boards
and social-media networks as the rapper veered away from his normal route of celebrity-bashing numbers and instead delivered an honest take on his life and career. Eminem also promises to never let his fans down again and to never go back on that promise. Slim Shady told reporters that the album is diverse and doesn't have a uniform sound.
Another surprise Eminem dropped about the album is that for the first time, he will not have any skits. The often-hilarious and usually crude segments had become a hallmark of Slim Shady's albums and will be missed.
Eminem has sold more than 78 million albums worldwide. After "The Slim Shady LP," went quadruple platinum in 1999, the rapper's next albums, "The Marshall Mathers LP" and "The Eminem Show," became two of the Top 5 best selling albums of the 2000s, with approximately 10 million copies of each sold in the U.S. alone. 2004's Grammy-nominated "Encore" reached No. 1 and was certified quadruple platinum.
Since "Relapse," Eminem stayed visible by contributing to Drake's "Forever," Lil' Wayne's "Drop the World" and B.o.B's "Airplanes (Part II)" in preparation for his upcoming "Recovery," out June 22. "Not Afraid" was produced by Boi-1da and other producers to work on the album with Eminem include Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Jim Jonsin, Mobb Deep and Mr. Porter.
Let the countdown begin.
Jacalyn Estrada can be reached at jacalyn.estrada@student.shu.edu.
