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Fighter: Eminem

Trainer (Gym): Dr. Dre, Rick Rubin (Shady, Aftermath, Interscope)

Cut Men: Aalias, Alex da Kid, Cardiak, DJ Khalil, DVLP, Emile, Eminem, Filthy, Frank Dukes, Frequency, Jeff Bhasker, Luis Resto, M-Phazes, S1, Sid Roams, StreetRunner

Weight Class: Rap Superstar/Lyrical Heavyweight

Notable Fire: Rap God, Bad Guy, Evil Twin, Survival

 

Notable Trash: The Monster (Feat. Rihanna), So Far…

Tale of the Tape: It’s always fun to put labels on things. It’s convenient, it’s lazy (and who doesn’t like lazy?) and it appeases our sensibilities. We don’t yet know what 2014 has in store for hip-hop— 2013 though was a year marked by more competition and intrigue than usual. You could tell early on it was going to be a big year by just the amount of MCs — specifically up & comers — that were slated to drop full length albums in ’13. Many artist put out what they believed was their very best work, while others dropped albums without warning.

Meanwhile, Marshall Mathers sat on the sideline, patiently biding his time.

Then in late August, the man commonly known as Eminem released the lead single for his next solo project, a sequel to the 2000 classic The Marshall Mathers LP. “Berzerk” was not his strongest work (the first verse is underrated), although that’s historically been par for the course for Em’s lead singles, but it did sufficiently cue the return of one of the game’s elite talents. In a year highlighted by competitiveness, Eminem used his eighth studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, to signify to the world that he is lyrically unparalleled in hip-hop.

Look no further than his third single “Rap God” as confirmation.

Sidebar: It ain’t just that he’s rapping fast either. He’s actually spittin fire!

Not only did he obliterate this record into a bajillion pieces, Em also took a stab at many of his critics at the end of that rapid-fire rhyme who hold his commercial success and his non-tradition style against him.

“‘Oh, he’s too mainstream,’ well, that’s what they do when they get jealous, they confuse it/
It’s not hip-hop, it’s pop/Cause I found a hella way to fuse it/With rock, shock rap with Doc…”

You can find incredible rhymes like this up and down the MMLP2’s 16 tracks. On “Legacy”, Em uses a football metaphor to illustrate his domination over the rap game:

Brian Dawkins.

“Me against the world so what, I’m Brian Dawkins/Versus the whole 0-16 Lions offense/So bring on the Giants, Falcons and Miami Dolphins/It’s the body bag game, bitch, I’m supplying coffins.”

On the back half of the album, Eminem did what it seems like some artists might actually be afraid to do at this point…recruit Kendrick Lamar to rhyme on a track on his album. Slim Shady once again rose to the occasion, as he blew away Kendrick at the end of the otherwise off-putting “Love Game” (we pick up Em’s verse mid-rampage…).

The merit of Eminem’s success has long been debated, as his race makes him inherently different and many believe this is the driving force behind his celebrity. However, if one thing can be learned from MMLP2, it’s that the Fire Marshall can rap his ass off, regardless of his physical appearance.

Sidebar: “Fire Marshall”— one of the most underrated nicknames in hip-hop.

Interestingly, Eminem seems to be trying to reconcile with much of his musical past on this project. After taking an introspective look at the sins his own music has created over the years through the eyes of Stan’s little brother “Matthew Mitchell” on “Bad Guy”, a more mature Em also scribes an apology record to his mother on “Headlights”. He was so remorseful that he specifically references his regret for making the song “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” (released in 2002), thus unmasking a man of more far more accountability than in years past. Even with that, Em still could not resist the temptation for taking shots at a few random celebrities for no reason, such as Sarah Palin.

The rub with this album though — like most Em albums — is the production and the overall song quality that encases each track. Mathers’ aforementioned fused version of rock & rap takes away from the traditional hip-hop fan’s idea of what a rap album is supposed to sound like. Songs like “So Far…”, “Love Game” and “Rhyme Or Reason” feature heavy (British) rock influences from the 1960’s, all of which were produced by the legendary Rick Rubin. Rubin is directly responsible for many of the greatest rap songs and acts in the genre’s history, however much of his most recent work hasn’t resonated with fans the way his prior work (see Yeezus).

Eminem’s production skills have been called into question by rap fans for many years, as it has admittedly been hit-and-miss. Perhaps his thinking was that Rubin’s presence would enhance that part of his project. Unfortunately, the Shady/Rubin combination failed to create any memorable beats. In fact, none of the LP’s best instrumentals (“Evil Twin”, “Bad Guy”, “Survival” & “Brainless”) were produced by Rubin.

Sidebar: This all comes off as extremely critical of Rick Rubin, however it should be pointed out that famed Beastie Boys producer was a co-executive producer of the album, along with Dr. Dre. And the finished product was nothing to be overly critical about.

Fight Night: Winner By 9th Round TKO

While sonically not his best work, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 was a near lyrical masterpiece and is dope enough to earn Em anybody’s “Lyricist of the Year” award. While the beats and hooks may have left something to be desired, the lyricism elevated this LP to TKO status. Eminem is epitome of a “Rap Superstar” and a “Lyrical Heavyweight” in every sense of the word— this album served as Exhibit A.

The new rededicated Eminem that has emerged since he began recording Recovery is a man of extreme focus. He’s made it his mission reestablish himself as rap’s top MC. In the six years MTV has done their Hottest MC in the Game list, Marshall has only made the top 10 once (finishing first in 2010, the last year he dropped a solo album before MMLP2). While Kendrick Lamar gave him the respect he deserves on “Control”, the streets have often appeared apprehensive to place him in the company of other lyrical geniuses.

From a pure lyrical standpoint, MMLP2 is the best album of 2013, and is a stern reminder of not only what Eminem is capable of, but also forces us to poise the question…

Why can’t Eminem be the greatest rapper of all-time?

A bold statement, yes. Some of you are nodding your heads furiously right now, and possible standing up and clapping beside your laptop. Others are cringing at your computer screen and are possibly considering X’ing out of this article and never returning to this website.

Let’s start with this— here’s the case for Eminem as the greatest rapper of all time:

– Unquestionably one of the 10 best lyricists ever (top five in this man’s opinion).

– At least one universally recognized “classic” album, The Marshall Mathers LP. Also, The Slim Shady LP and The Eminem Show are at least at near classic status.

– Has the respect of his peers, in this case, peers being other rappers considered to be the greatest of all-time.

– Launched Shady Records, which helped ignite the careers of 50 Cent & G-Unit, one of the biggest rappers/rap groups of the 2000s.

– The highest selling rapper of all-time, including 10 number one albums (if you care about that sort of thing).

– Started as a battle rapper and became one of the great battle rappers of his era, before becoming one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful rap artists ever. This is no small feat. Imagine Murda Mook becoming the highest selling rapper of all-time. Mook is great at what he does, but that would never EVER happen. And Em’s battle career is documented, it’s not urban legend like so many other rap icons.

– Single-highhandedly resurrected Dr. Dre’s career and saved Aftermath Records.

– Murdered Jay Z on his own shit.

– Winner of 13 Grammy Awards to date, including five for Best Rap Album, more than any other artist (if you care about that sort of thing).

– Penned “Lose Yourself”.

– Legendary freestyles and cyphers

– Has maintained consistent lyrical dexterity throughout his entire 15-year career.

– Opened the door for other white rappers and has done his part to keep lyricism at the forefront of the genre for over a decade.

– Creator of 8 Mile and Shade 45, both significant contributions to the culture.

And he accomplished all this as a white man immersed in a predominately black genre and culture. Eminem has played the Larry Bird role for nearly 15 years, and has successfully silenced his fair share of Dennis Rodman’s along the way. He’s basically the 2000s version of Jackie Robinson.

Now ask yourself, does your favorite rapper’s resumé compare to that?

In any case, “the Bruce Lee of loose leaf” only furthered to cement his ever-growing legacy with the MMLP2. Even if you despise the goofy gimmicks, inconsistent production and unnecessary pot-shots at defenseless pop stars, hip-hop fans everywhere should stop and appreciate Marshall Mathers as one of the lyrical visionaries of our time.

Maybe of all-time.