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October 16, 2008

New Eminem - "I'm Having A Relapse"

thumbnail icon: New Eminem - "I'm Having A Relapse"

Kanye and his 808's & Heartbreak auto-tune have been taking up a lot of space on the site recently, but that doesn't mean Eminem isn't still alive. In fact, the once-retired rapper reportedly has a new album, a followup to 2004's Encore, on the way. It's called Relapse, and supposedly the majority was produced by steroid fan Dr. Dre. The first song we've heard is the title-echoing "I'm Having A Relapse." In it, Slim Shady paints a picture of a Xanax-poppin' serial killer. (Not to evoke Kanye again -- because there are more than two rappers in the world -- but in a twist of blood lust, West did say the "Love Lockdown" video was inspired by American Psycho.) Listen:

Rolling Stone reports Eminem brought Dre on as producer so he could concentrate on the lyrics. With that in mind, don't forget his forthcoming book The Way I Am. Also, some of "I'm Having A Relapse"'s lyrics: "How the hell did he manage to get more felony charges? / He's already got life in jail now what the hell is his problem / Well to be honest, the smell of these chronic leaves make me hella demonic / They compelled me to kill this elderly man an / I get these panic attacks, pop a Xanax relax / Tryna stick my fuckin' dick inside a mannequin's ass...," etc. Regarding a release date, RS noted:

Interscope/Aftermath are supposedly planning a "three-headed monster" as 50 Cent put it, with Fiddy's own Before I Self Destruct out December 9th, followed by Relapse in early 2009 and then Dr. Dre's long-rumored Detox shortly after that.

Posted at 11:38 AM by brandon
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75 Comments

What site is this again? Real Rap Talk?

Posted by: Ruben at 10/16/08 11:51 AM | Reply
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at least that didn't suck

Posted by: jc at 10/16/08 11:56 AM | Reply
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that sucked

Posted by: brian at 10/16/08 12:09 PM | Reply
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What the hell was that?

Posted by: Mac profile link at 10/16/08 12:40 PM | Reply
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People need to stop being produced by Dr. Dre. He always sounds 5 years behind the times.

Posted by: 6-3-2 at 10/16/08 12:41 PM | Reply
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Why does he sound different...no sir, don't like it

Posted by: EnchantingWizardofRhythm at 10/16/08 12:53 PM | Reply
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Yo Ruben, what's wrong with Rap on Stereogum? Music is music. It's not like they're playing Soulja Boy. This track is iight.

Posted by: LondonD at 10/16/08 1:14 PM | Reply
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ever since lil wayne came out all rappers do is try to be him and spit stream of consciousness raps that focus only on the rhyming of words instead of the actual content. also the beat sounds like an Encore-leftover. BUT there were some pretty descent rhymes, i just hate when he talks in that gay mexican voice.

Posted by: hiphopdude at 10/16/08 1:24 PM | Reply
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Lil Wayne finally came out?!?!?

Posted by: Nick in reply to hiphopdude's comment at 10/16/08 1:58 PM | Reply
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atleast when em does the "stream of consciousness" thing its bounded by a concept,

lil wayne asked em to do a song with him on carter III and em declined...makes sense

Posted by: gregory in reply to hiphopdude's comment at 10/16/08 3:03 PM | Reply
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Larry Dickman

I pray to God Eminem gets in a rap feud with Kanye.

Posted by: Larry Dickman profile link at 10/16/08 1:47 PM | Reply
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I hope Eminem gets in a rap feud with Oasis, or Radiohead (in which Marshall gets his ass handed to him).

Posted by: Geoff in reply to Larry Dickman's comment at 10/16/08 5:59 PM | Reply
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and fuck that I said "rap" feud... God damn it!

Posted by: Geoff in reply to Geoff's comment at 10/16/08 6:01 PM | Reply
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DUDE. there is no way the gallaghers could beat eminem in anything. ANYTHING.

Posted by: cherry in reply to Geoff's comment at 10/23/08 1:07 AM | Reply
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Two Headed Boy

Ugh. Why does Stereogum report on rap? Absolutely awful.

Posted by: Two Headed Boy profile link at 10/16/08 2:06 PM | Reply
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Scott

You're not curious about a new Eminem song? Next you'll tell me we shouldn't cover Linkin Park!

Posted by: Scott profile link in reply to Two Headed Boy's comment at 10/16/08 3:04 PM | Reply
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Hell yea LP

Posted by: devon in reply to Scott's comment at 12/09/08 9:31 AM | Reply
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I'm glad you guys talk about rap. Makes all the scenesters get puffy eyed and bitchy.

Posted by: nickbahula at 10/16/08 2:18 PM | Reply
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there's nothing wrong with rap, but eminem? talk about some stones throw artists, or hiero, or something to represent the genre better so the indie rock hipsters can at least see a better light of hip hop. Most indie rock scenesters hate rap simply because they've never been exposed to the good stuff.

Posted by: daver at 10/16/08 2:21 PM | Reply
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obviously you're the one trying to be hip by dismissing em's music. Sure some comes off a little lame occasionaly but he has written some of the most absurd and original lines in rap.

Posted by: buns profile link in reply to daver's comment at 10/17/08 2:27 PM | Reply
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We are not debating whether or not rap is 'good' in the year 2008. If you haven't heard Paid in Full, Chronic, or Illmatic by now, it's your own fucking fault.

You say Em tapped Dre to produce so he could concentrate on lyrics - this song doesn't bear that out. It sounds more like he's going to release another album with several decent singles and tons of piss-take one-offs like 70% of Encore. I wish something would piss him off or he'd lose all his money in alimony so he'd rap with some fire again.

Oh Marshal Mathers LP is the shit too - I don't care if the Queen of England bought that album, it's undeniably great.

Posted by: Fairfield at 10/16/08 2:35 PM | Reply
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Just for the record, I think Eminem did the stream of consciousness rap every word thing before Lil Wayne, and dare I say, better.

Posted by: Sean Jean at 10/16/08 2:48 PM | Reply
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When it comes to the best solo rappers of all time, Eminem has to be ranked in the top 15 if not top 10.

notable others:
B.I.G.
Pac
Jay-Z
Nas
Wayne
Snoop
KRS-ONE
Kanye
Big L
Common
Busta
Del
LL
Big Daddy Kane


(this excludes groups, and the people in them, like: Public Enemy (Chuck D), NWA (Dre, Cube), Wu-Tang (Redman, Ghostface, GZA, Raekwon), Geto Boys (Scarface), OutKast (Andre,Big Boi), Gang Starr, Black Star (Mos, Kweli), UGK, A Tribe Called Quest, Pharcyde, De la Soul, Mobb Deep, Eric B & Rakim, etc...)

Posted by: sonokrug at 10/16/08 2:52 PM | Reply
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if you're going to exclude rappers that were originally in a group, you shuold take KRS off that list (BDP anyone?)

And what the fuck is Kanye doing on a list of the best rappers? get learned, son

Posted by: me in reply to sonokrug's comment at 10/16/08 3:36 PM | Reply
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What, no Young MC?

Posted by: tk. profile link in reply to sonokrug's comment at 10/16/08 4:17 PM | Reply
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If Kanye is on there as an MC then Lupe is on there

Posted by: Andrew in reply to sonokrug's comment at 10/16/08 10:35 PM | Reply
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redman isn't in wu tang and he certainly isn't one of the best ever, you're thinking of method man.

Posted by: adub212 in reply to sonokrug's comment at 10/20/08 2:30 PM | Reply
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Redman is not in WuTang but is is definitely one of the best ever. He had one of the best 3 album runs in rap: Whut? Thee Album, Dare Iz a Darkside & Muddy Waters.


His new stuff is average at best but he was unstoppable in his prime especially with Erick Sermon on production.


Also, Method Man has had flashes of greatness on Wu albums and guest spots but doesn't have a single solo record that is good enough to stand up against any of these three.

Posted by: Nate in reply to adub212's comment at 10/22/08 10:51 AM | Reply
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the worst thing is trying to stick your dick in a mannequin's ass before the mold sets.

damn i miss sex.

Posted by: zap at 10/16/08 2:53 PM | Reply
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Uh, where'd you get those lyrics from?

Posted by: Rockabye at 10/16/08 2:55 PM | Reply
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I hope he talks with that faux Jamaican accent in real life now, too. Like when Madonna went British. That would be awesome.

Posted by: barry at 10/16/08 3:08 PM | Reply
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I PEE GOLD

Im just going to say it, Eminem sucks.

Posted by: I PEE GOLD profile link at 10/16/08 3:23 PM | Reply
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Marshall was cute in the 90s when it was seen as cool to be against boy bands, and he was even cool in the early 2000s when people were still fascinated with his whole trailer park trash motif. But now...

...not so much.

Posted by: Will3 at 10/16/08 3:38 PM | Reply
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any person, of any sex or race, who listens to hip-hop and takes it seriously knows Eminem has put out atleast two classic albums and brought the entire genre to new heights with lyricism, controversial subject matter, music videos, etc... everything about his was different and he exhaustingly copied by all rappers, black, white, etc...

sure he isn't my favorite rapper but he is one the greatest so don't talk about him like some fad in the 90s. jesus

Posted by: shut up in reply to Will3's comment at 10/16/08 4:08 PM | Reply
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hey now, shut up.. it's ok, we can let him live in his popstar world where he only listens to "my name is" and "the real slim shady". because, like, that's the only thing eminem did, right?

fuckin wankers.

Posted by: it's ok in reply to shut up's comment at 10/16/08 4:28 PM | Reply
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Just to reiterate: I think Eminem sucked, and there were much better rappers of the 90s than just Eminem. Screaming as many obscenities as you can in hopes of drumming up controversy is the lamest form of "rap" there is, which as some of you are suggesting, was pioneered by Mr. Mathers.

He was a fad for rebellious 90s punks, end of story.

Posted by: Will3 in reply to Will3's comment at 10/17/08 1:32 AM | Reply
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entitled to your opinion, I s'pose.. but you still aren't acknowledging that em is a great hip hop artist.. he doesn't scream obscenities for the face value.. there's a method behind it that was unprecedented and quite brilliant really. duh.

Posted by: no you're still wrong. in reply to Will3's comment at 10/17/08 7:01 AM | Reply
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"Will Smith don't gotta cuss in his raps to sell records. Well I do so fuck him and fuck you too."

This little diddy sums up "Will3's" point, I think.

Eminem was all face value.

Posted by: Louis in reply to no you're still wrong.'s comment at 10/18/08 4:50 AM | Reply
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I don't know how to respond to what you said because there is irony behind his lyrics. it's not just what he says. especially the lyric you just gave. if I really have to digress on the meaning behind his writing then you need to take a trip back to 10th grade literature. no really. think about it .

Posted by: you are dumb in reply to Louis's comment at 10/18/08 2:30 PM | Reply
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No amount of immature (10th grade-ish) name-calling is going to make your opinions any more credible, but thanks though.

I believe that Eminem is a great rapper, but I also believe that he used many of the techniques that he used (death threats against Senators, homosexuals, boy bands etc.) for controversy to drum up sales (sometimes also called face value).

Posted by: Louis in reply to you are dumb's comment at 10/18/08 8:10 PM | Reply
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that wasn't "immature name-callin".. I'm just pointing out that they have no concept of higher thought or deeper meaning if they take what em says literally.

Posted by: sigh in reply to Louis's comment at 10/19/08 2:03 PM | Reply
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LOl this is a free style... but he does sound kind of weird

Posted by: hihihi at 10/16/08 4:26 PM | Reply
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Brohams rejoice! Looks like you'll have some new jams for your ragtop jeep before the year is out.

Posted by: The White Shadow at 10/16/08 5:18 PM | Reply
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Last night, my friends and I were just sitting around when my shuffle played "Criminal," which launched an immediate conversation about how great Eminem was. You can't fuck with his first two LP's, and the Eminem Show is good too. Anyone who ever gave Em a legit chance and knows that he's so much more than his white trash media image. The Marshall Mathers LP is one of the smartest and most relevant meditations on mainstream artistic responsibility to date. Let's not also forget, the dude's fucking hilarious.

That said, what the hell is this song? The envelope he pushes on every album is controversy, but when you're just talking about perscription pills, violence, and mannequin fucking without any insight or satire, why should we care? And what the fuck happened to his voice?

Posted by: Paralyzed by Normal Life at 10/16/08 5:50 PM | Reply
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I know exactly what you mean. I HATE when people rap/sing about mannequin fucking without any insight. The least they can do is draw some philosophical conclusions about the practice or express some emotional complexity.

Posted by: ooo in reply to Paralyzed by Normal Life's comment at 10/18/08 4:40 PM | Reply
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this is the first freaking track we've heard from the new album. do you gaytards think he's going to pretend to be a rastafarian on every single track? wait to hear more than just one song before judging the whole damn album.

Posted by: phone at 10/16/08 6:25 PM | Reply
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i love that idea of eminem and kanye having a feud/cat fight for title of "Most Overrated Crap Music Artist of the Decade" I think i go with Eminem winning because i think Kanye actually realizes that he's an annoying ass who creates controversy to hide the actual music behind.

Posted by: BA at 10/16/08 7:04 PM | Reply
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i love that idea of eminem and kanye having a feud/cat fight for title of "Most Overrated Crap Music Artist of the Decade" I think i go with Eminem winning because i think Kanye actually realizes that he's an annoying ass who creates controversy to hide the actual music behind.

Posted by: BA at 10/16/08 7:06 PM | Reply
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Why report on rap? What do the "hipsters" want this site to be? One that ignores people that actually influence music? Whether you like him or not, the posting got people in love and hate mode. I am pretty sure you are the same people that listen to something over and over, but then do it just so you can ACT like you hate it, afraid to not be cool because it isn't "indie". If you don't like eminem or other reports, don't click on it! These stories are never up for more then a day or so. You are afraid that the site might get "mainstream", or that you have to hear about someone that actually made it and made more money then you!

Posted by: You are awesome at 10/16/08 7:23 PM | Reply
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"I used to give a fuck, now I give a fuck less. What do I think of success? It sucks" I heard this lyrics on Jay-Z's American Gangster last year, and then I went on to listen to some early Eminem and sure enough the lyrics appear on I'm Back from the Marshall Mathers LP. His lyrics were immature but provocative and funny, and when he had that prepubescent voice his flow was much quicker. He's still immature but he's no longer young enough to pull it off. It's clear he's fresh out of ideas and has resorted to self plagiarism to get by. R.I.P. Slim Shady.

Posted by: mitchell at 10/16/08 8:17 PM | Reply
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I'm sorry but I'm pretty sure American Gangster came out after the Marshall Mathers LP. Way after. And that would suggest Jay-Z ripped off Eminem. Which would suggest that Eminem's easily one of the sickest rappers still rapping.

Posted by: Lenny Muckle in reply to mitchell's comment at 12/07/08 12:57 PM | Reply
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Yeah, that was pretty weak.

Posted by: G at 10/16/08 10:36 PM | Reply
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It's easy to hate Eminem and Dr. Dre because of their idiot mainstream fanbase, but that's unfair.

I don't like Eminem, but it's pretty undeniable that he's a virtuoso MC. Anyone who knows anything about MCing will probably agree.

Dre's early stuff is some of the most groundbreaking hip-hop production of all time, and he still puts out good beats. Stack up stuff like Dre's "Natural Born Killaz" against anything that was going on in mainstream music in the early 90s, and you'll realize that he was way ahead of his time.

Posted by: steve at 10/17/08 11:20 AM | Reply
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can't wait to read more posts under the category of "rappers white indie hipsters think are notable"

Posted by: grover at 10/17/08 6:59 PM | Reply
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You know, some of us aren't constantly 100% aware of hipster behavior and motives and we really don't care. A lot of us can sincerely enjoy music, lots of different kinds of music, without being self-conscious of who else likes it and how we're going mask our opinions about it. And I know this might sound crazy, but we also listen to different genres of music indiscriminantly because of our enthusiasm for the art form.

Oh, and get this: some of the people I'm referring to have blogs.

Posted by: Skronk profile link at 10/18/08 12:14 PM | Reply
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The new album is called "Relapse". This is not the first single, officially, but is a snippet of a freestyle he did at a Shade45 radio station event recently. Dr. Dre's "Detox" is due out December 9th I think, with "Relapse" to follow closely after in the first quarter of 2009.

hmm

Posted by: hmm at 10/18/08 3:09 PM | Reply
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some rappers cuss at home but scared to use profanity when up on da microphone

Posted by: matthew at 10/18/08 11:27 PM | Reply
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was that Tony Jay at the beginning?!

Posted by: Jenn.Kastatic at 10/19/08 12:22 AM | Reply
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Thats because he is writing about me - GOD

Sorry for the pain and suffering. Smoke weed. It is natures cure.

Pop a Xanax relax, then try an stick my dick in a fuckin manequins ass

Posted by: []D[][]V[][]D at 10/19/08 2:12 AM | Reply
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eminem is a guilty pleasure of mine, thanks for the heads up ;p

Posted by: davedavedave at 10/19/08 10:25 PM | Reply
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fools, this a freestyle.

Posted by: ethan at 10/20/08 9:49 AM | Reply
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amazing song. itis about time a new eminem song came out

Posted by: dbmcswai at 10/20/08 11:39 AM | Reply
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It will be interesting to see what type of stuff he releaases seeing as he has done sod all for so long

Posted by: dansargent profile link at 10/21/08 7:46 AM | Reply
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M&M's lyric about "Tryna stick my fuckin' dick inside a mannequin's ass then I get manic depressed" makes a phrase association similar to the lyric from title track of Marilyn Manson's 1999 plastic metal masterpiece Mechanical Animals "you were my mechanical bride / you were phenobarbidoll / a MANNIQUEEN OF DEPRESSION / with the face of a dead star"

Posted by: bjørn halden parramoure at 10/22/08 6:04 AM | Reply
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TICAL... classic

Posted by: Allnicker at 10/22/08 12:38 PM | Reply
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sounds like a cholo

Posted by: boner at 10/22/08 8:40 PM | Reply
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you dont actually think this will be on the new CD do you ... sounds like they were just pissing around on the mic ... and its not produced ... DRE's beats are always crisp ... peace people

Posted by: al at 10/22/08 10:40 PM | Reply
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Yea really looks like he's focusing on his lyrics... stick a dick in a mannequin's ass, hella demonic?.... wow. beautiful poetry there. inspiring..... hahha

Posted by: EddieMat profile link at 10/23/08 1:29 AM | Reply
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eminen has most definitely released some crap, but he is without a doubt a great rapper when he does just that. listen to dead wrong on the posthumous big album (the first one) and tell me he can't flow.

Posted by: mattn7 at 10/23/08 10:55 AM | Reply
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Woot?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_qHNPKlDco

Posted by: Gtru at 10/24/08 2:40 PM | Reply
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you ppl are fkd.this aint a fuking track or single of the new album its just a freestyle of shade 45.fuking muppets

Posted by: G-UNITisHADY at 10/25/08 7:41 AM | Reply
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WAIT EMINEM IN NOT TRYING TO BE LIL WAYNE. EM HAS BEEN DOING THIS WAY LONGER THAN WEEZY. GET THE FACTS STR8. EMINEM IS A GENIOUS AND IS NOOOOOOOOOOT TRYING TO BE WAYNE IN ANY FASHION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Billy Joe bob at 11/06/08 12:20 AM | Reply
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Lil Wayne sucks...he raps about Doritos and how he cant make appointments....the guy makes no sense and yet he gets 150 grand a verse? hes all hype, he sucks

Posted by: LOLWTFBBQ at 11/12/08 2:24 AM | Reply
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Eminems' the best raper alive!

Posted by: Josh at 12/18/08 11:16 AM | Reply
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Eminem the best! Can't wait for this to come out!

Posted by: Rich at 12/27/08 3:14 AM | Reply
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