Aloha Kakahiaka

2004-12-03 | GUESS WHO'S BACK?

Okay. I'm off my Nirvana high now. Well....I'll always be on a Nirvana high, but the last week was extreme. I listened to the box and every album including Incesticide and Unplugged and watched the dvd that came with the box. It was a good time.

I bought the new Eminem album tonight, and I really have to tell you...I think it's fantastic. It's so much better than the last album. (the Eminem Show) But of course none of the critics will probably come to that conclusion. The last album was way too generic for someone with as much talent as Marshall Mathers.
This album is full of stupid shit like fart noises and well....shit noises, but it showcases the raw talent that Eminem showcased on his early material. He uses amazing and funny stories, not to mention accents, to get his pointless and poignant messages across.
I'm not sure if it's a classic all the way through yet, but there are 3 or 4 tracks on there that seem like they are destined to be all time personal favorites, and that's a good sign, because there wasn't one song on the last album that hit me that way. I haven't felt this sort of impact from Eminem since the Marshall Mathers LP, and it's nice to have him back.
There's a chilling song that talks about his rap feuds including the one with "rapper" and owner of Source magazine, Benzino. Then there's the song that goes back to his Christopher Reeve joshing. Sure, it may sound a little over the top and cruel now that he is dead, but anyone with a sense of humor and a brain can seperate the unfortunate circumstances of his death and the undeniable hilarity of the track. There's also another song where he makes fun of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog by taking on his accent and rapping as the puppet/dog. I'm a huge fan of Triumph, but I found it to be pretty amusing. The only problem I had is that while using the voice he says "the joke isn't really working", but if he didn't think Triumph had any funny factor then I imagine he wouldn't be exploiting him to his advantage and mimicking him as a vital section of a good and possibly great song. There's yet another track that would've made a great single if not ruined by shit and fart noises, and Eminem is either the smartest or stupidest man alive because he makes that the storyline of the song. He knows that the song could be a great single for him, yet he chooses to ruin it's chance at being on radio. That's the kind of bold decision making that made me fall in love with him in the first place and is making me fall in love with him once again, whether he likes it or not. He has finally gone back to the art: first, record sales: second mentality, and he has succeeded with flying colors, as someone with his phenomenal and natural ability will always have a hard time not achieving, no matter which route he wants to take.
Any pop culture geek such as myself would be able to appreciate the references, with the aforementioned Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Pee Wee Herman, Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, Jessica Simpson and best of all Rain Man all here for our listening pleasure. Also back are the skits featuring his manager Paul calling to complain about certain aspects of his album being to racy. These skits tend to get tiresome, but Eminem makes it work by having another skit where he calls back Paul while he's on the toilet and has a machine that makes him sound like he has a voice box as he explains to his manager why he has crossed the line once again. The results are once again side splitting. Kudos Eminem for staying fearless and avoiding the more obvious roads and staying on the ones that better suit you.
Highly recommended.
(I'm an underground hip-hop fanatic, so for something mainstream to grab my attention it's got to be good, and believe me, this is not just good, it's great, and after a few more listens I just might label it classic.)

- premature ejaculation | tantra +