I was really excited with the first couple of listens of this album. Like everyone else with a tape player and a bedroom in the early 00s, Eminem formed a big part of my youth, and like with everyone else, he’s mostly disappointed me since.
This album has the seeds of change in it. Em goes hard here. The clever lines and the top-tier flow are a given. He’s long established himself as unparalleled in technique. It has just come off as empty of late. There are plenty of technical rappers, but technique in itself isn’t enough to make music to be listened to.
Here, there are some interesting ideas. Going so technical over a Juice WRLD chorus in “Godzilla” is a lot of fun and his flow in “Unaccomodating” is intriguing. “Stepdad” showcases his strength in storytelling, even if the chorus, and honestly the material, almost drags it into farce. Anderson .Paak is always fun and plays well against Em.
The problem is just that the album feel meaningless again. Where the pure skill was once a vehicle, now it’s a crutch. He used to be relaxed with it. He would use it where it helped the song. Now, it just forced in.
There’s also just no real single or even anything really memorable. He’s got jokes, he’s got flow, but he just doesn’t have any meaning behind it. Where any of his first three albums would be an instant classic now, even with the dated references and the poorly-aged skits, I’m going to forget this one completely in a month.
Top Five Records 
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