Eminem’s right-hand man Mr. Porter, Compton heavyweight Dem Jointz, and Aftermath alum Focus… formed a supergroup of producers who also rap, write, and engineer every detail themselves.
Their new album, “Listen, It’s Too Late. The Jig Is Up”, is both a piece of art and a conceptual puzzle.
The title itself comes from the first three songs in sequence: “Listen”, “It’s Too Late”, and “The Jig Is Up”. Each track gets three separate versions, one by each producer. Fans get to hear the same foundation reimagined through the distinct styles of Focus…, Jointz, and Porter.
This mirrors the creative structure of their 2023 debut, “By The Time You Look Up N.C. What We Doin…”, where the lengthy title also strung together track names, except for the intro, narrated by Snoop Dogg.
Read The PDF is a unique collaboration of superproducers with a remarkable track record. These three legends have credits with Dr. Dre, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, and 50 Cent, just to name a few.
Interestingly, all three producers have a history of working with Eminem. Denaun, Mr. Porter, was there from the very beginning, producing Em’s independent debut “Infinite” in 1996 and continuing to collaborate with him ever since, while growing to prominence as a producer and performer in his own right. Dem Jointz contributed to “Music to Be Murdered By” with “Little Engine” and “Never Love Again”, and worked on Em’s feature on “Use This Gospel (Remix)” that DJ Khaled later used on “God Did”. Most recently, he delivered three cuts on “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)”: “Trouble”, “Road Rage”, and “Guilty Conscience ”.
Focus… first stepped into Em’s world in 2006 on “Eminem Presents: The Re-Up” with the track “By My Side”. Nearly a decade later, in 2015, he had a hand in Dr. Dre’s “Medicine Man”, which featured Eminem alongside Candice Pillay and Anderson .Paak. He is also credited on Slaughterhouse’s self-titled debut album, and his more recent work with Em can be heard on “She Loves Me” from “Music to Be Murdered By: Side B”.
For hip hop fans, “Listen, It’s Too Late. The Jig Is Up” is a masterclass in how three unique sonic identities can fuse into something brand new.
Listen to the album below:
