Monday, June 13, 2011

Bad Meets Evil: The Review

   I have been an Eminem fan since the very beginning. Ever since his national debut in 1997, I along with the rest of world watched his meteoric rise to well deserved super-stardom. Right from the start of The Slim Shady LP you know that you are witnessing something one of a kind. Along with Eminem we are introduced to Royce da 5'9, Em's partner in rhyme in more ways than one. With the popularity of Em's album, it was baffling that Royce did not share in a larger part of his fame. While gaining tremendous underground respect as one of the most lyrically dangerous emcees around, true mainstream success has eluded the Detroit wordsmith. But after squashing an old beef, the Motor City's sons of anarchy are back with a vengeance and Hip-Hop is better for it.



 From the opening bars you will find yourself upset that they didn't do this sooner. They compliment each other so well it's hard to believe they ever disagreed on anything. With Em's razor sharp wit and Royce's equally over top sense of humor, this EP puts to rest any discussions on whether lyrics truly matter anymore. The first single Fastlane is a lighting fast display of both rappers mastery of the mic and comfort with each other. Royce never lets Eminem to truly outshine him, although Em definitely tries. Songs like I'm On Everything feat. Mike Epps and The Reunion take you back to a more humorous Em, who has taking a more serious turn recently "Tell Lady Gaga/ if she quits her job at the post office/ she's still a male lady" While Royce takes this opportunity to address any doubts of his his ability and fortitude with lines like "These weak rappers wanna set us up/ They never tough/ They ask me for a hook/ I say left or right, head or gut. The pair effortlessly tackle subjects from drugs to bootlegging, while also indulging in their trademark back and forth storytelling. With few guest appearances, pop wunderkind Bruno Mars and label-mates Slaughterhouse,  this EP does fantastic job of showcasing the skills of both emcees while not giving in to the childish demands of current Hip-Hop. All in all this is a great contribution to to the summer and has me looking  forward to more from this duo and Slaughterhouse's next project.

4.5 out of 5

Stand Outs

I'm On Everything feat. Mike Epps 
A Kiss
Living Proof (Bonus Track)

No comments:

Post a Comment