Relapse was a pretty big disappointment for a lot of people. Despite the album topping the charts, the record was criticized for retreading familiar territory for the artist. The album was great on paper—an album heavily focused on Shady’s recent issues with drugs and the death of his close friend and colleague, the rapper Proof—but it was really lacking in execution. And even though I didn’t find them so annoying, others weren’t so forgiving of Eminem’s experiment with different accents.
Nearly a year later and Eminem has announced plans for his second big comeback. Earlier today he unleashed his new single “Not Afraid” and if the song is any indication of the quality of Recovery, I think we have a winner on our hands.
As Mr. Mathers raps over a bare but surprisingly effective beat from Canadian freshman Boi-1da, he seems to realize the mistakes he’s made recently: “And to the fans, I’ll never let you down again, I’m back I promise to never go back on that promise, in fact Let’s be honest, that last Relapse CD was ‘ehhhh’”. The song as a whole is good, but not great. The chorus is pretty unoriginal and there’s some really uneven singing from Em himself.
However, to say “Not Afraid” isn’t a step up from most of Relapse would be a bold-faced lie. Even though the song could’ve been better, it has achieved what newbie Drake’s debut single “Over” could not: to get fans excited. There’s a good chance that this time, Slim Shady’s reboot just might stick.
Recovery is unleashed June 22, 2010.
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