Eminem: Relapse (Aftermath/Interscope)

Eminem is known for both his rock-star antics—like feuding
with doggy hand-puppets and storming out of the MTV Movie Awards after
getting up close and personal with Sacha Baron Cohen’s
package—and his talent as a rapper. He’s counting on
Relapse to resuscitate our interest by his preferred methods: 1)
being one of the best rappers in the game and 2) using unnecessary
shock tactics to generate “controversy.”

Apparently, homosexuality is shocking to most Americans, or at least
that’s what Eminem is counting on, because Relapse contains the
most references to gayness of any rap album, ever. This makes sense
when you remember that he retaliated to charges of homophobia by
ingratiating himself to Elton John. He’s still dropping the word
“faggot” all over the place, especially on “Underground.” Then he’s
quoting The Silence of the Lambs‘ murderous tranny on “3 a.m.”
and spinning a lurid tale of incest that explicitly focuses on anal
penetration on “Insane.”

When he’s not rapping about nonconsensual rear-entry, Eminem is
obsessively worrying about his own relevance; he even dedicates one of
the album’s best songs, “Hello,” to the issue. He’s right to worry: His
cultural references seem very five minutes ago (rapping about Sarah
Palin?), as if his five years “in rehab” have left him a half-step
behind.

But we can thank Eminem for delivering a strong new record that
reminds us of his incredible talents while also reminding us that gay
people exist—which in this cultural climate could be considered
politically radical, even if he’s calling us faggots and pedophiles the
whole time.

This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2009.