It’s 10 years since Eminem’s Recovery dropped. Let’s reminisce on our past struggles as we revisit one of the angry blonde’s best pieces of work.
Anybody here who has never felt like “this is the worst time of my life” or been pushed so hard down to the ground that you can’t even make a gasp of fresh air? Who has never felt like they’re sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss? We all have our downs, losses, and times of despair. Sometimes this pain is much more distinct than actual physical illness. Luckily, we have music that leads us on the road to recovery, and today Eminem’s “Recovery” celebrates its 10th anniversary. What a time to reminisce and laugh at your past struggles as you revisit one of the angry blonde’s best pieces of work.
So, citing one of Rakim’s lyrics, “I’ll take you on a ride through hell. Freeze your dome, then let your eyeball’s swell”. I’ll take you on a walkthrough of the Recovery album that you have never been on. Revisiting tracks that normally wouldn’t get that much attention. Buckle up and hold onto your hats. Let’s celebrate the anniversary together.
AS THE COLD WIND BLOWS
We see Shady on the cover walking down a road. We all know where he is headed as the feisty wind blows against his face. Those are the troubles and tribulations you face on the road to recovery. “Cold Wind Blows” throws us right back into the picture.
Fuck your worms, you never seen such a sick puppy
Fuck it a sick duck, I want my duck sicked, mummy
And my nuts, licked, gobble ‘em up trick, yummy
Bitch you don’t fucking think I know that you suck dick dummy?
You’ll get your butt kicked, fuck all that love shit honey
Yeah I laugh when I call you a slut, it’s funny!
Aaaghh… The kind of wordplay that you would expect from a grandmaster of rap. Flipping vowels and consonants while spewing puns and metaphors venomously. Yet this time it’s a more serious approach. We are not just dealing with a wordy and nerdy maniac. Slim Shady is behind the lyrics while Marshall Mathers is behind the microphone. Now that’s a fucking rare combination. This is why this album is so unique. This is why it will live for another 10 years and another 10 years after that.
How long will I be this way? Shady until my dying day
‘Til I hang up the mic and it’s time for me to say
So long, ‘til then I drop the fucking bombs
Like I miss the pass when I went long
If you don’t like it you can kiss my ass in a lint thong
Now sing along, slut this, slut that, learn the words to the song
Oh bitches don’t like that, homie I’ll be nicer to women
When Aquaman drowns and the human torch starts swimming
NOT QUITE FINISHED YET
Wondering what the hell this is about? Let me take you on a walk down memory lane. It’s just that I’m kinda a fan of Em’s bonus tracks, and this one’s so incredible you can’t even give it a name 😉
‘Cause, you can bet your ass that we gon’ get it crackin’
Like the Kraken and Titans when they’re clashin’
Get your brains bashed in so bad
You gon’ have Kurt Cobain askin’
To autograph a bloodstained napkin
Unfashionable and ’bout as rational
As a rash on a fag’s asshole
Now let’s take that line, run it up the flag pole with Elton
See if he’s cool with it
Don’t stand there and look stupid at me, bitch
I ain’t in the mood for this shit
Get my dick, Google it ’til it pops up
Yeah, if you don’t get what the fuck is going on, I suggest you follow the advice and google it. Doesn’t take a genius to get the hang of Genius. But daaaang… That Kraken and the Clash of the
Titans line. I can’t get enough of the shit. Put it on repeat. And of course, we gonna play on some nerves, take some feminist fags, put em in a line and let Elton John pull the trigger. Genius, pure genius!
YOU GET NO LOVE
Wikipedia states that this song features Lil Wayne as a hype man. LOL. Fuck no. I’d argue that this song contains one of Lil Wayne’s greatest verses. I’ve noticed a long time ago that Marshall brings out the best of anyone on his collab tracks. Hey, imagine Lil Yachty on a track with Eminem… You think he would maybe deliver an actual rhyme of more than one syllable??
Anyways, here’s what I’m talking about:
Throw dirt on me and grow a wildflower
But it’s “fuck the world”, get a child out her
Yeah, my life a bitch, but you know nothing about her
Been to hell and back, I can show you vouchers
I’m rolling Sweets, I’m smoking sour
Married to the game but she broke her vows
That’s why my bars are full of broken bottles
And my night stands are full of open Bibles
On comes Marshall and slaughters in the second verse:
Cold-hearted from the day I Bogarted the game
I so started to rock fellow
When I’m not even in my harshest
You can still get roasted ’cause Marsh is not mellow
‘Til I’m toppling from the top I’m not gonna stop
I’m standing on my Monopoly board
That means I’m on top of my game and it don’t stop
‘Til my hip don’t hop anymore (shit)
When you’re so good that you can’t say it
‘Cause it ain’t even cool for you to sound cocky anymore (shit)
People just get sick ’cause you spit
These fools can’t drool or dribble a drop anymore
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LET’S HOPE THAT HE’S NEVER OVER
Such a shame that we lost arguably the best naturally gifted freestyle rapper in hip-hop. As Eminem would later mention in a track from his latest album, “Kamikaze”, “the moment that Proof died, so did the group”. He’s speaking about D12, of course, and he’s speaking the truth. Proof was the heart of everything. It’s so hard to lose your best friend…
For you I wanna write the sickest rhyme of my life
So sick it’ll blow up the mic, it’ll put the dyna in mite
Yeah it’ll make the dopest MC wanna jump off a bridge and shit himself
Tap-dancing all over the beat, it’ll jump off the page and spit itself
Guess that the best thing I could do right now, Doody, for you is to rap
So I’m gonna fuck ’til I die, yeah, I’mma do it to death
And instead of mourning your death I’d rather celebrate your life
Elevate to new height
Step on the gas and accelerate, I’mma need 2 mics
Almost fucking cried when I heard those rhymes. The best thing you can do for somebody close to you that you’ve lost is become the best version of yourself. Marshall’s accomplished that in abundance. Proof is certainly proud. And as the title of the track says, I hope that Eminem is never over as well. Keep at it, man!
NOT TO FORGET WHY WE ARE NOT AFRAID
I just can’t not put this track into the list. It takes a man to admit your problems and put up a fight. Then come out of the water clean and dry. Eminem has battled through his childhood, his marriage, his addiction, the loss of his best friend and came out on top as the winner. “Not Afraid” is the track that he uses to communicate that you can do the same. Don’t run away from your problems, face them head-on!
It was my decision to get clean, I did it for me
Admittedly, I probably did it subliminally
For you, so I could come back a brand-new me you helped see me through
And don’t even realize what you did, ’cause believe me you
I’ve been through the wringer, but they could do little to the middle finger
I think I got a tear in my eye, I feel like the king of
My world, haters can make like bees with no stingers
And drop dead, no more beef lingers
No more drama from now on, I wanna promise
To focus solely on handling my responsibilities as a father
It’s a great anthem. The visuals that Eminem created together with Rich Lee are awesome as well. It’s no surprise that these works of art scored Marshall a Grammy Award and the best male video prize at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.
IT AIN’T OVER YET!
It may seem that Eminem is in a good place right now, with all the accolades stacked around his belt and the struggles he overcame. However, this is life and the battle is never over. We’ve already heard of that in the track “My Life” by 50 Cent where Marshall made his guest appearance and spit something you might not expect:
I swear to God I put my heart and soul in this more than anybody knows
I’m trapped, so all I do is rap, but every time I rap I’m more trapped
And I rap myself right to this bubble, oh oh, I guess it’s bubble wrap
It’s like a vicious cycle, my life’s in a crisis
Christ, how was I supposed to know shit would turn out like it did?
Feels like I’m going psycho again
And I might just blow my lid
Shit, I almost wish that I would have never made Recovery, kid
Cause I’m running in circles with… My life …
Let’s hope that Eminem’s battle royale and full recovery is yet to come. After all, as he once mentioned, he needs drama in his life to create and we are always waiting for the living legend’s new creation.
