Eminem’s solo catalogue includes 11 studio albums, one greatest hits album and at least two unreleased albums.
The story of one of them, “Relapse 2”, is one of those bittersweet stories that make hip-hop lore fascinating. HotNewHipHop decided to put this story into writing, tracing evidence, rumours and confessions.
Starting from revising the climate “Relapse” was recorded in, the publication reminds us that a comeback that was supposed to be triumphant – with its concept, with a new level of rapping skills that Eminem reached by that point, with his new sober dedication, – was met by critics with negativity. Only its second part was already done:
“Em had recorded so much material during the Relapse sessions that Fif recommended splitting it up, describing the project as thematically and sonically linked to its predecessor; “They tie together,” he had said, in March 2009, giving us reason to believe Em would be revisiting his serial killer’s attire for another go-around. With that in mind, it’s clear that one version of Relapse 2 existed before the first was even released”.
Even more than that, HNHH reminds that there were two “Relapse” sequels:
“At one point, there were actually two versions of Relapse 2. The original, made-up of Dr. Dre produced leftovers from the Relapse sessions. And the revised, which began to take shape after the Hawaii sessions, which found Eminem considering the possibility of steering the course in a different direction. After Dre left Hawaii to commence work on his own lost album Detox, Em was at a crossroads of sorts — he clearly had no interest in revisiting his older material, especially after a promising new batch of songs. In October 2009, producer Just Blaze confirmed that he had been spending the entirety of August and September working with Eminem on a project he described as Relapse 2. That same month, Eminem confirmed that Denaun Porter had “two tracks” on the album, furthering the narrative that “On Fire” was meant for the revised Relapse 2”.
However, it did not happen. Eminem’s creativity took another direction and the new path he had chosen suited him more. It is unlikely that he feels comfortable in old skin to release old tapes, especially considering how productive he is now.
Read the full story on HNHH
