STOP! Its time for hip-hop. Review on 8 Mile - Eminem

Just when you thought he can't get any better, Em's back..and with a bang! With the release of 'The Eminem Show' he showed that there is more to him than his sinister alter-ego 'Slim Shady'...and now with his second release in less than two months '8 MILE', he just got better. For the ignorant, Eminem starred in his debut film ''8 MILE'' last December and he released this OST in late October(if memory serves me right). So much for facts and figures. Coming to the album itself....it would not be unfair to call this Em's baby, for even if he has only three songs to his credit(and two in which he makes a guest appearance),those three are by far the most ferocious hio-hop tracks ever delivered. With most songs produced by himself he also manages to rope in some of the biggest names in hip-hop today viz. Nas, Jay-Z( how he got these two arch-rivals in is anybody's guess...thankfully they are placed on the opposite sides of the album),Rakim,the new sensation 50 cent, Em's protege Obie Trice, and his group D-12. Given below is the track listing along with some personal annotations(wherever relevant):

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1.Lose yourself - Eminem 1/2 The song that took the whole of US by storm topping the Billboard chart for many weeks. A fast paced song which deals with the psyche of the wannabe white Jimmy Smith a.k.a Rabbit. Excellent https://lyrics. 2. Love Me - Obie Trice, Eminem & 50 Cent1/2 A nice slow-paced song with, if I may say, quite a sinister beat and lyrics to match. 50 Cent shines here, but Obie,I am afraid, raps as if with a lump in his throat. Em is,as usual, brilliant. Sample this..''I am the equivalent of what would happen if Bush rapped!'' .Good https://lyrics. 3. 8 Mile - Eminem Another gem from Em, a long 6 minute song where he delivers as many as 3 long verses, each succeeding pregressively in impact as well as in rhyme. The best song in the album for me. 4. Adrenaline Rush - Obie Trice One of the few blemishes in the album. Obie is certainly not pleasant to listen to, especially when he spits the ''motha'' word in every verse, apart from the chorus. Ordinary lyrics but good beats. 5. Places to Go - 50 Cent

1. Rap Game - D-12 One of the best 'non-eminem' songs in the album. I have to admit D-12 looked very ordinary uptil this juncture but this song has changed my mindset. Good pace and the lyrics(though mostly censored) are quite funny(especially the one by Eminem). 50 cent lends his voice for the chorus. 7. 8 Miles and Running - Jay-Z and Freeway An okie-dokie kinda song, not too great, not too bad. But its Freeway who shines brighter here than his guru Jay-Z. 8. Spitshine - Xzibit 1/2 An okay kinda song..nothing to write home about. 9. Time of My Life - Macy Gray What is Macy Gray doing in a hip-hop album? Anyway, to her credit, the song is comme ci come ca. 10. U Wanna Be Me - Nas 1/2 Its quite disheartening to see this rap legend reduced to critisizing his contemperories and blowing his own trumpet...but then which MC does not do it? Not what you would normally expect from Nas. 11. Wanksta - 50 Cent If 50 cent keeps rapping like this, he is sure to make big in the hip-hop region. The song is by far the best non-eminem song in the album..a perfect mixture of lyrics and beats. Way to go 50! 12. Wasting My Time - Boomkat 1/2 Do not waste your time on this track. It defeats the very spirit of the album. 13. R.A.K.I.M. - Rakim Rakim's back! After quite a self-imposed sabbatical, he returns with a beauty. A very fast-paced song which'll definitely make you tap your feet to its beat. R: Rugged and rough that's how I do it A: Allah who I praise to the fullest K: Keep it moving, I: Stand alone M: It's my crown, my world, my throne Thats how he puts it!

   
   




2. That's My Nia Fo Real - Young Zee Another one of the blemishes in the album (so that makes it 4 now doesn't it!?). Nothing to rave about. 15. Battle - Gang Starr This album really steps up the pace towards the end. GangStarr a.k.a Guru raps freely through this 2-and-a-half minute song. Produced by DJ Premier, be ready for some large-scale scratching in this song. Good https://lyrics. 16. Run Rabbit Run - Eminem 1/2 And now the icing on the cake...Em ends it himself and in style. 'Run Rabbit Run' is nothing but a rap rant, where Em vents all his frustration in his lyrics, ofcourse from the eyes of Jimmy Smith-his character in the movie. Amazing background layering and superb https://lyrics.

   
   

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Buy this not for Em alone, but for hip-hop on the whole.