Having sat through a real long drought in the rap industry is anyone else super excited for the hopefully return to grace we might be enjoying in the next few months. All but confirmed by everyone else but Eminem himself has been his next studio solo album(either titled King Mathers of Empack) that's scheduled for a "fourth quarter of 2008" release. Now I know Encore wasn't really up to his normal standards but if anyone has heard some of his stuff off the Re-up he really seems to be motivated again and I'm really anticipating this after almost 3 years without an official solo release.

Now if that doesn't get you licking your lips Dr. Dre's Detox album which has been rumored since 2002 looks to finally be wrapped up and is also rumored for a late 2008 release. Now if there is anyone who can overshadow all these commercialized young 'rappers' that have run the game for the last few years it'll be the epitome of old school himself.

Hopefully if both of these albums live up to half their hype we'll have a change in the guard of the rap game soon and we won't have to be subjected to any more Souldja Boy and Lil' Wayne crappiness. *crosses fingers*

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I'll be sure to buy both these albums. Both 'Marshell Mathers LP' and 'C2001' are in constant rotation, and have been since they were released.

The latter is the best thing Eminem ever recorded, imo.

Not to bash anyone's interests, but what is up with rap? I just don't get it, especially lately, where it is all b1tches this and hoes that.

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Ready for a Bryan Danielson return.

Rap is fantastic when it's good, but when it's bad, or even mediocre, it just because an absolute chore to listen to.

The high quality stuff is well worth a listen though, Crow. This is the best mix CD I own, and i've been addicted to it for about 2 years. Filled with top notch hip hop, all mixed together by some very talented DJs.

http://www.amazon.com/Fabriclive-22-Scratch-Perverts/dp/B0009353PU

Absolutely agree. Although you do have to wade through a lot of sh!t to find some good stuff. And I hate to be one who pines for the good old days. But is it my imagination or was the less sh!t to wade through in the mid 80's. Seems like it to me.

Oh, and thanks for the link to Fabriclive. Getting it now

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SHHH! Quiet! You might piss somebody off!

Oh that's awesome, AW. It's a great album; a real mash of different styles. There's a bunch of awesome hip- hop, as well as some remixed gems from Radiohead and Pendulum, and some other great acts. Be sure to let me know what you think. As I said, it's my absolutely favourite mix CD.

^^^ Hey CBW, had a couple of listens to the album, and I can see why you like it so much. For me though, it is a little too "electronica" if you know what I mean, I prefer a more raw sound with scratching ala Grand Master Flash and Run DMC, but that's just my taste

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SHHH! Quiet! You might piss somebody off!

I have to agree with Soulja Boy being terrible, but Lil Wayne can't agree on that one. Soulja Boy is not even a rapper in my book. He and most other guys who make the same kind of music just do it for the club scene. It's basically dance music. Lil Wayne on the other hand is more of a lyricist. Sure people have their different opinions of him but the guy can clearly rap with the best in the game at this point.

Oh yeah, can't wait for the return of Dre. Eminem surely this will be an anticipated album that must be bought.

I'll agree with that. I'm not necessarily a fan of Lil Wayne but I shouldn't have put him into the same category with Soulja Boy. I actually even like Wayne's new song with Game.

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I want to strangle anyone that starts laying Soulja Boy, It is just so terrible, I an not stand it at all.

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Ready for a Bryan Danielson return.

After listening to I'm Having A Relapse and Crack A Bottle, Relapse looks like it will be a success and hopefully some of the old Eminem comes back to life with it too

As far as Detox, I think it will be a hit too but I don't know if it will be able to find as much success as The Chronic did. I hope Eminem, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, MC Ren and a few others play a part in Detox.

The version of Crack a Bottle I heard was very grainy, but the song itself has some very rank rhymes in it. I hope the rest of the album is tighter than that. To use a wrestling term, that songs sounds like Eminem just phoned it in.

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SHHH! Quiet! You might piss somebody off!

^ Theirs a new version with Dr. Dre & 50 Cent in it, the 1 u probably heard was the version that got leaked about 2 months ago where Em raps Dre's verse & there is no verse from 50. Though really the song is disappointing.

I dont get how you anyone could say the rap industry is in trouble (i only just read this thread), Lil Wayne sold a more then a million in a week, thats almost more then the rock industy has sold this year (besides Metallica & AC/DC), T.I.'s paper trail is one of the best overall albums of the last 5 years & we got some solid albums from the likes of Ludacris, Nas, The Game & Young Jeezy (plus others). Also 'Low' was the highest selling single of all time & Kanye has successfully been able to branch out into another genre of music.

I agree with everyone saying that these two albums will be big, but i am looking forward to Detox more then Relapse (Em's album), especially after hearing Crack A Bottle, which i thought was sub par & left me disappointed.

50's Before I Self Destruct is also going to be a big album imo, I base this on a couple of songs ive heard that have been leaked online. Should be a big year for Aftermath records & the rap genre in general

Big Eminem news coming out in the last few days. Not only was it announced that Relapse is coming May 19th and that the first single was debuting April 7th, but that there is actually going to be a Relapse 2 also in 2009! After 4 years away we get two Eminem albums in the same year! Oh man, I'm really excited about this.

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Eh...
I'm not the hugest rap fan out there, but Eminem is straight up disappointment. The spark is gone. Even with Dre on it, Crack A Bottle is awful. There's nothing new or innovative about it. If I've heard it once, I've heard it half a dozen other times (and possibly even done better). Encore started the decline of Eminem, and this seems to only solidify the end of the Eminem era.

Shelve Before I Self Destruct...before I self destruct. I don't think I can handle another 50 album.

The Dre album on the other hand...I'm expecting greatness out of it.

^^ Crack-A-Bottle was only a street hype song to begin with & managed to get a positive enough response from online hip hop communities that it got released as a single. If the single that he releases in April is crap, than yes I may start agreeing with your theory that Eminem is declining as a rapper.

Dr. Dre's much anticipated Detox is the album that I'm most looking forward to this year (as well as 'the saviour of the west coast' Bishop Lamont's, The Reformation). Though I don't expect a huge amount of Dre rapping on the album as there is meant to be a massive amount of guest features.

As for 50 Cent, I still have faith that the guy can come out with a good album like 'The Massacre', though the expectations of him releasing another 'Get Rich or Die Trying' are all but gone from most Hip Hop fans.

I think the thing that made Encore not as great as his other works was that Eminem had kind of run out of things to say. Lyrically, he hasn't really lost a step but regardless of how well you can rhyme if you're not saying much it's going to get old quick. When he did have a message, like in Toy Soldiers, he still seemed just as good as ever though.

If that is the case I really think this hiatus of his was just the thing he needed. He took four years off now he's got all that time worth of pent up emotion to let out. If he ends up with another album mostly about nothing though then I think a strong case could be made against him 'losing it'.

As for 50 Cent, yeah he's never going to get another Get Rich or Die Tryin'. I think he's a decent rapper, no more no less, who just happened to have had one of the greatest debut albums ever.

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^^ I agree that Em has done the best possible thing for his long term career by taking the 4 year hiatus, though I still dont think he's going to be able to re-capture his best work as a lyricist. I have a feeling that both these Relapse albums will have a large dependence on great production, something that Em has never really been reliant on.

I think its going to be hard for Em to keep his 'Greatest Rapper Alive' Crown after 2009, there's suddenly a good number of guys that I think are equal if not better then Eminem in the lyrics department. Lupe Fiasco, Nas, Lil Wayne, Ludacris & T.I. are 5 guys who I currently consider better rappers then Eminem, though my opinion will change if this 4 year hiatus from rap turns Eminem back into the genius he once was.

Eminem hasnt been that good 4 a while

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Super excited right now, Em's first single is offically coming out tomorrow! It's going to be called "We Made You" and there is a picture floating around from the music video:

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So Fonz what do you think of 'We Made You'. I thought it was quite disappointing, the beat from Dr. Dre is to generic for my taste, the hook is annoying & Eminem has no real message in his lyrics (which is his real strength). I dunno yet if i prefer this to Crack A Bottle.

If the rest of Relapse is like the two tracks ive heard so far, He wont be considered the greatest rapper alive for much longer.

It's not horrible but I was disappointed, definitely Em's weakest first single. To its credit the song is very catchy(whether that's a good thing or a bad thing I'm still deciding) but after so much anticipation his first song should have screamed "I'm Back!" instead of just being there.

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That's pretty much what I wanted from Em, a single that screams hit instead of being just a average hip hop track.

New song, heard it was leaked but the "leak" was on 50 Cent's official website so I'd be shocked if this wasn't on purpose. As far as the actual song goes it's pretty good, much darker then "We Made You"(which has grown on me quite a bit). Apparently 'Em has said that this song is a more realistic representation of Relapse and most of the Album is in the same vein as this song.

http://thisis50.com/profiles/blogs/emin ... nload-link

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Yeah I heard 3 AM a week or so ago & it still dosnt live up to the standard that Eminem has set.

There is another track called 'Old Time Sake' Featuring Dr. Dre that is set to be leaked/released in the coming days. It will be interesting to see how that ends up sounding.

Another track called 'Beautiful' is set to be leaked before the release of Relapse

check out http://www.hotnewhiphop.com in the coming days for the track.

FINALLY a track on Relapse that I actually like. Old Time Sake is a pretty solid song imo & both verses from Dre & Eminem are more then solid. The beat is a little old school (most Dre beats are a tad old school), but I still like it.

Listened to Relapse a few times since it released and I'm happy to call it absolute classic Eminem. We get a really great hybrid of the raunchy lyrics of The Slim Shady LP("My Mom", "Same Song & Dance" and "Medicine Ball") and and the serious content the Marshall Mathers LP("Beautiful" and "Deja Vu") which create an end result that's just fantastic. Also make sure to get your hands on the bonus tracks, "My Darling" could possibly be one of my favorite EM tracks ever, it's ridiculous!

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I hear the 'drought in rap' thing all the time but I think this year has seen a nice resurgent in good music, hip hop wise. is the mainstream radio/tv as bad as it's ever been? yes of course and it will be like then until they stop playing every song that features Lil' Wayne or has a new dance made for it. but i think there has been a ton of quality music been put out whether on mixtape or album, especially coming from down here in the south and actually a group in my state just put out a certified classic. They're called G-Side and if you're a true hip hop fan then I suggest you check out both of their albums, "Sumthin To Hate" and "Starshipz & Rocketz" that just dropped. They got a new underground album about to come out too. Maino and Fabolous both just dropped very good conceptual albums. Willy Northpole, who I thought was going to be horrible, actually dropped a gem that not many will even here. Haystak just dropped a really good album and Archie Eversole dropped an incredible mixtape (Yep the "We Ready" guy). I could go on and on but that's just a few of the good stuff that's been released in the last month or two.

As far as Eminem & Dre. Eminem really blew me away with his lyrics on "Relapse", it was an extremely dark album and he stuck to the theme of "relapsing" to the Slim Shady persona, but he obviously shined the best on songs like "Deja Vu" and "Beautiful" and I am really looking forward to Relapse 2. As far as Dre goes, I've been anticipating "Detox" since 2003 or 2004 so it's gotten to the point I won't believe the damn thing is coming out until I hear a single. Then I will get excited because I know it'll be nothing short of a classic.

Moving to Dre & Em's boy, 50 Cent though. I've been a HUGE 50 Cent fan since the first time I heard "Wanksta" in the summer of 2002. I felt 50 has gotten a little lazy in the last couple of years dropping great stuff when he wants to ("G-Unit Radio Pt. 25: Sabrina's Baby Boy" and "Elephant In The Sand") but really disappointed me with "Curtis" he had several really good songs but too many fillers like he was just throwing it out there to be throwing out there, but in 2 weeks 50 dropped 2 CLASSIC Mixtapes with "War Angel" and "Forever King" and he sounds about as hungry as I've ever heard him and I am HIGHLY anticipating "Before I Self Destruct" which should be crazy.

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