Eminem - Relapse 2 (2009)

One of the most persistent myths in the Eminem fandom is the lost Holy Grail of 'Relapse 2', and despite its existence being heavily implied by the management, the project has never materialised. Everybody knows that he had plenty of songs recorded, and even after the 'Relapse: Refill' deluxe issue and numerous leaks, there must be something left, and Eminem doesn't deny it, but it's just that he considers the songs to be below his usual standard. The revelation was made all the more shocking given that he had all but promised two albums in the 'Relapse' project, and given that the horrorcore-themed project quickly amassed a loyal fanbase, the news of its sequel's cancellation was particularly frustrating, yet given the circumstances — namely Eminem's sobriety and self-reinvention as an emcee — the decision to go another direction was ultimately understandable. Though 'Relapse 2' was no more, 'Recovery' served as an important chapter of the Slim Shady story — one that found him rediscovering his humanity, and building on the foundation laid by 'Beautiful' and 'Deja Vu'. At the time, 'Relapse' had revealed itself to be something of a niche album, as although the Eminem name ensured commercial success, the macabre subject matter proved divisive, which was to be expected, as not everybody is eager to engage in murderous and rape-laden fantasies, inspired in part by the minds of serial killers like Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, and John Waye Gacy. Yet those who were found much to enjoy on 'Relapse' and its subsequent expansion, from Dr. Dre's haunting production to Eminem engaging in the most technically proficient rapping of his career. 

Much has been made of the infamous accents, with even Eminem decrying them as recently as 2018, but they’re ultimately part of the concept. It’s no secret that the initial response was divided, with some critics coming down on the negative side, and it got so bad that Eminem ultimately cancelled his plans to deliver a sequel, despite having allegedly plotted music with Dr. Dre, D12, Lloyd Banks, and 50 Cent. It was 50 Cent who was actually the reason he decided to do two albums in the first place, as apparently they'd recorded so much material during the 'Relapse' sessions that he recommended splitting it up, describing the project as thematically linked to its predecessor. It's therefore understandable to believe that one version of 'Relapse 2' existed before the first was even released, being the product of leftover songs from his highly productive sessions with Dr. Dre. The gameplan changed when Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Denaun Porter went to Hawaii in the summer of 2009, after 'Relapse' had dropped and the reception had begun settling in. Holing up in the Honolulu Studio, they started work on a new batch of music, and it didn’t take long for the songs created during the Hawaii sessions to spark his creativity, to the point where he felt that the new tracks were far superior to what he had originally lined up. These could have included 'On Fire', 'So Bad', 'Ridaz', and possibly even 'The Warning', and although some of those songs ultimately ended up on 'Recovery', if he was still intending to drop 'Relapse 2' as planned, then it's likely those recordings would form the basis of a new version of the anticipated sequel. 

After Dre left Hawaii to commence work on his own lost album 'Detox', Eminem was at a crossroads, as he clearly had no interest in revisiting his older material, especially after a promising batch of new songs, and this proved correct when he delayed 'Relapse 2' to 2010, and instead concluded the year with 'Relapse: Refill', which added an additional seven songs, including the Dr. Dre assisted 'Hell Breaks Loose', 'Buffalo Bill', 'Elevator', 'Taking My Ball', 'Drop The Bomb On Em', and 'Music Box'. This could imply that he had already moved on from the original 'Relapse 2', shifting focus to a completely new project, and instead had repackaged the highlights from it on 'Refill', bearing in mind the subject matter of tracks like 'Buffalo Bill' and 'Music Box'. This was confirmed mere months later, when he announced "there is no 'Relapse 2'.", and before long he'd delivered 'Recovery', the album which grew into being from another, decidedly more deranged version of 'Relapse 2'. Although he might throw fans a bone once in a while, donning the bloody apron for old time's sake on a track like 'Framed', for all intents and purposes, 'Relapse 2' has become another chapter of hip-hop’s ever-growing tome of lost lore and mythology. There have been a number of re-imaginings of this album, which mostly use the six best tracks from 'Relapse: Refill' as a basis, and then add in various out-takes, but I couldn't find a definitive version and so I've taken the best from each of them to come up with an album which I feel flows well, and includes all the best tracks, while omitting ones that didn't work in the context of the album. 

Track listing

01 Breaking News (Skit)
02 Things Get Worse (feat. Bob)
03 I'm Having A Relapse
04 Oh No
05 Hell Breaks Loose (feat. Dr. Dre)
06 The Warning
07 Cocaine (feat. Jazmine Sullivan)
08 Drop The Bomb On 'Em
09 Music Box
10 Psycho (feat. 50 Cent)
11 Buffalo Bill
12 Hit Me With Your Best Shot (feat. D12)
13 Taking My Ball
14 Ridaz
15 On Fire (feat. D12)
16 So Bad
17 Elevator
18 Forever (feat. Drake, Kanye West & Lil Wayne) 

Dr. Dre - Detox (2010)

The period from mid 1999 to 2002 was the most successful of Dr. Dre's career, as after struggling to establish his new Aftermath Entertainment label, he struck gold with Eminem's debut, 'The Slim Shady LP', and then his own second album '2001'. As the latter moved more than 7 million copies, it dominated urban radio throughout 2000 with singles like 'Still D.R.E.', 'Forget About Dre', 'The Next Episode', 'Xxxplosive' and 'Fuck You', while Aftermath issued Eminem’s diamond-certified classic 'The Marshall Mathers LP' and Xzibit's platinum 'Restless', and became one of the hottest rap labels in the industry. As Dre was already considered one of the greatest producers of the past 25 years, a third solo record would have cemented his reputation in the rap hierarchy, and so he embarked on creating 'Detox', which he often called his 'final album'. During the next 10 years or so, he reportedly worked on tracks with more than two dozen rappers, producers and vocalists, from Aftermath stars like Eminem, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and Kendrick Lamar, to T.I., Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Skylar Grey and Mary J. Blige. For nearly a decade, he publicly vacillated on whether or not 'Detox' would ever be released, and then just as he seemed primed to deliver the album the world was waiting for, he apparently decided not to put it out after all, leaving us with only Internet leaks and rumors of what might have been. The album was originally intended to be a concept album about the life of a hitman, possibly inspired by his impressive cameo in the 2001 film 'Training Day', but by the end of the year that idea had been ditched, and in November Ice Cube told MTV News that Dre had postponed 'Detox' to work on Cube's Aftermath debut, although that project never appeared, and Cube eventually left the label. By 2004 his time was being completely taken up with running Aftermath, as it was one of the hottest labels around, thanks to a roster that included 50 Cent, Eminem, Busta Rhymes and others. In 2006 Scratch magazine published a 'Detox' cover story, re-igniting the rumours of an imminent release, but 2007 came and went with no record, and Dre gave an extensive interview to the LA Times, where he admitted he was "really hoping to have it out this year, but i's going to have to be pushed back a while because of some other things I’ve got to work on". In 2008 Snoop Dogg claimed that the long-gestating album was finished, but that seemed premature when Dre announced in November that he was going back into the studio in a couple of months. 

In 2009 leaks from the seemingly never-ending sessions began to appear online, with tracks like 'I Am Hip-Hop (Detox)', 'Topless' and 'Shit Popped Off' surfacing, and in 2010 things finally seemed to be happening, with a collaboration with Jay Z, 'Under Pressure', being announced as the album's first single. However, when an unfinished version of 'Under Pressure' leaked, Dre posted a message saying that it was an incomplete song and that he was still working on it, and an official version has yet to appear. The end of the year finally brought the first official 'Detox' music, with 'Kush', featuring Snoop Dogg and Akon, earning mixed reviews, and peaking at Number 34 on the pop charts, while 'I Need A Doctor' proved to be the bigger hit, thanks to soaring pop production by Alex Da Kid. One theory about the album is that 'Detox' is a catch-all name for everything Dr. Dre has worked on for the past 15 years, with material from it being released when he felt the time was right. The album therefore became more mythic in the hip-hop community, and it served, whether Dre intended to or not, as a useful publicity tease even as the hype proved impossible to live up to. Between 2009 and 2011, the best of the hundreds of song snippets he worked on were leaked, and there are numerous CDs of supposed 'Detox' tracks doing the rounds, including a 10 volume CD set of 'The Detox Chroniclez', but still a definitive track listing proves elusive. By checking out the various fan-made albums, and seeing which tracks they agree should be included, I've complied my own version, mostly based on the one by Longtou Edits, but including some different versions and some of my own edits. Given an unlimited budget and no deadline, you could spend the rest of your life locked in a perfectionist's prison, constantly terrified that the music you'll make next will be better than the music you've made so far, but with each passing day you only become further away from the finish line. Until Dre realises this and releases the album, all we can do is collect what's leaked so far and tell him that it sounds perfectly fine to us.   

Track listing

01 Intro 
02 Die Hard (feat. Eminem) 
03 Coming Back (feat. T.I.)
04 Mr. Prescription (feat. Nikki Grier & Slim The Mobster) 
05 This Is Detox (I Am Hip-Hop) (feat. T.I.) 
06 Topless (feat. Eminem & Nas)  
07 Kush (feat. Snoop Dogg & Akon)  
08 Say Dr. Dre (feat. Crooked I) 
09 Popped Off (feat. T.I.) 
10 Under Pressure (feat. Jay-Z) 
11 The Doctor  
12 OG's Theme (feat. Ludacris)  
13 Westcoast Party (feat. Young Knox & O.G. Rhymez)  
14 Underdog (feat. Nate Dogg) 
15 I Need A Doctor (feat. Eminem & Skylar Grey)  
16 Hey Young World (feat. The Game & Snoop Dogg)
17 Turn Me On  
18 Good Things (Interlude) 
19 Chillin' (feat. Swizz Beatz) 
20 The Next Episode 2006 (feat. Snoop Dogg & Nate Dogg)  
21 Topless (Reprise) (feat. T.I & Nas) 
22 Kush (Remix) (feat. Snoop Dogg, The Game & Slim The Mobster) 
23 Doggisodes (Outro) 

Eminem - King Mathers (2007)

After releasing 'Encore' in 2004, Eminem planned to take some time off from recording his own music to become a hip hop producer for other rap acts, especially for the artists signed to his own label Shady Records. However, after cancelling the European leg of the Anger Management Tour in the summer of 2005 because of exhaustion and an addiction to prescription sleeping drugs, he entered something of a hiatus and this was put on hold. The following year, the rapper's remarriage to his former wife Kimberly Scott lasted only eleven weeks before a second divorce, while his best friend and fellow rapper Proof was later shot and killed during an altercation outside a Detroit nightclub. Devastated by both these events, Eminem relapsed into prescription drug abuse and became increasingly reclusive. Speculation on an upcoming album had been reported since mid–2007, both from announcements made by artists 50 Cent and Stat Quo, and also by rapper Bizarre, who stated that the release of his group D12's third studio album was on hold because Interscope Records wanted to release Eminem's album first. With all the problems going on in his life, and with him being more miserable than ever before, it's no surprise that this was reflected in the content of his music, with the songs sounding more serious, and often quite depressing. During a call to the radio station WQHT Hot 97 in September 2007, Eminem stated that he was in limbo and was not sure whether he would release any new material in the near future, although he was constantly working in the recording studio. He said that he had come to terms with his personal issues, but in December 2007 he was hospitalized following an overdose of methadone, and in early 2008 he began a 12-step program to recover from his addiction. The album that he had been working on was scrapped while he recovered, and by mid 2008 he was ready to start recording again with Dr. Dre producing, and following his recovery he'd started writing verses at such a pace that he often took more time to record the lyrics than to write them. There was therefore no need to revisit the music that he'd recorded in 2007, and it remained unheard until YouTuber John Banana assembled various leaks and songs known to be recorded at that time, and put together a possible 'King Mathers' album. If the album had been released in 2007, it could well have divided fans, as it could be considered an improvement on parts of 'Encore', but was nowhere near the quality of his first three albums. Luckily he found his groove again for 2009's 'Relapse', so just enjoy 'King Mathers' for what it is - an album that he needed to make to come back with 'Relapse'. 

Track listing

01 Intro
02 Careful What You Wish For
03 I Get Money (Remix)
04 Everything
05 Cut Back (Freestyle)
06 50 Ways
07 Paul (Skit)
08 Syllables (feat. 50 Cent, Ca$his, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, Stat Quo)
09 Give Me The Ball
10 Ballin' Uncontrollably
11 The Apple
12 Difficult (feat. Obie Trice)
13 G.O.A.T.
14 Hip-Hop (Freestyle)
15 It's Been Real

Eminem - Infinite (1996)

Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born in 1972, and is professionally known as Eminem. After releasing 'The Slim Shady EP' in 1997, he signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and subsequently achieved mainstream popularity with 'The Slim Shady LP', and his next two releases 'The Marshall Mathers LP' (2000) and 'The Eminem Show' (2002) were worldwide successes and were both nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. However, everyone has to start somewhere, and 'The Slim Shady LP' wasn't actually his first album under name of Eminem. In 1996 he recorded his debut album 'Infinite' for independent label Web Entertainment label. Recording sessions took place at the Bass Brothers' studio, with production handled by Mr. Porter, Proof, and Eminem himself. The album features guest vocals from fellow rappers Proof, Mr. Porter, Eye-Kyu, Three and Thyme, as well as singer Angela Workman on the track 'Searchin''. Copies were pressed on vinyl and cassette, and Eminem sold them out of the trunk of his car in Detroit. The album was a commercial failure, selling a total of about 1,000 copies, with lyrical subjects including his struggle to raise his newborn daughter, Hailie Jade Scott Mathers, on little money. During this period his rhyming style, primarily inspired by rappers Nas, Esham and AZ, lacked the comically violent slant for which he later became known, and Detroit disc jockeys largely ignored 'Infinite', with the feedback that he did receive ("Why don't you go into rock and roll?") leading him to craft angrier, moodier tracks. It's currently not available from any online music store, but deserves a re-appraisal, as now that we know what was to come later you can definitely hear sparks of something promising on here.  

Track listing

01 Infinite
02 W.E.G.O. (Interlude) (skit performed by Proof and DJ Head)
03 It's O.K. (featuring Eye-Kyu)
04 Tonite
05 313 (featuring Eye-Kyu)
06 Maxine (featuring Mr. Porter and Three)
07 Open Mic (featuring Thyme)
08 Never 2 Far
09 Searchin' (featuring Mr. Porter and Angela Workman)
10 Backstabber
11 Jealousy Woes II

Suggested by 'The Greatest Albums You'll Never Hear' by Bruno MacDonald