Eminem: Curtain Call- The Hits

HHH Official rating: 4/5

Eminem's Retiring? Oh HELL NO!

Written by: Redman122...The talk of Brooklyn

Yes ladies and gents, the great white hope, the king of Detroit, the MTV king, the Real Slim Shady, Eminem, aka Marshall Mathers, aka your favorite rappers favorite rapper, and the "illest lyricist to ever grace a mic" according to Dre, might be hangin up the mic. Slim Shady in his controversial rap career has still managed to gain the respect of credible rappers such as Jay-Z, Jadakiss, Nas, Fat Joe, LL Cool J, Fabolous, 50 Cent, Outkast, Juelz Santana, Lil Wayne, Mobb Deep and even Canibus, who all have stated at one point or another that Eminem is one of the top 5, dead or alive (XXL magazine, Interviews). Even Rakim proclaimed that "if Eminem were black, he'd be the next Muhammad Ali." You know you've made it when you have the God MC giving you props. However, the white boy who has managed in his 6 years in mainstream hip hop to win a grammy, sell over 70 million records, start his own label, his own clothing line, own a radio station, star in an award winning movie, win an oscar, and bury "the sauce" magazine, has decided that the "fire has died and expired at 30" as he proclaimed on 'Soldier' off The Eminem Show. So, think of this review as a tribute to, whether you hate him or love him, one of the more talented MC's to grab a mic.

Im usually against reviewing a greatest hits set as the songs arent new, and have been reviewed before. Furthermore, Ive been critical of Em lately and hadnt been checking for him in a good minute. Nevertheless, when I found out there were going to be some new tracks on the album and his possible retirement hanging in the balance, I said 'hey, why the fuck not.' If this is indeed Eminem's last solo offering, might as well review it, especially after I killed Eminem for his last offering, Encore. Looking back on it, Encore wasnt as bad as I personally made it out to be. Eminem's experimentation just didnt go over too well with his root fans. Thats the problem I have when reviewing rappers I like. Usually people overrate releases from their favorite MC's. I on the other hand, am way too critical of rappers I like because I usually expect perfection. The Slim Shady LP, MMLP, and The Eminem Show, were all dope albums. So when Encore dropped, I was taken back at first and completly disgusted, when in fact, there were some dope cuts, and even come classic tracks off that release. Nonetheless, with that being said, two of the three new tracks off this 'greatest hits collection' seem to be left-over from Em's last album, but Ill address those two cuts in a bit.

When Eminem's latest single, 'When Im Gone' was released, I was extremly impressed at the emotion and passion that was shown from Marshall. People have been proclaiming that Eminem has fallen off and should hang up the mic. With this song, however, Eminem shows that he still has the ability to make a great song, and still has some fire left inside him. Now critics and haters alike will ultimatly criticize eminem for using the same content again, spittin about his daughter hailey and their relationship. I too have criticized Marshall for this. But I ask you haters and critics this, as well as myself: Is this no different from every other rapper spittin about hoes, guns, drug dealin, and murder in almost ALL their tracks? Thinking about it, I much rather listen to a song about a rappers love for his family then about lovin some bopper at 3 a.m in a hotel room. But thats just me....

As for the other two new releases off this collection, well "stick a gerbil in your ass, with a tube." The first track off this album, 'FACK,' finds Eminem asking listeners to do exactly what I just typed. This song might be the worst track Eminem has ever put out. Yes Eminem ,I know you have money, I know you've done everything you could have possibly imagined, but please: PUT IN SOME F'IN EFFORT, FOR DRE'S SAKE! Sorry, I got alittle carried away there. Eminem tries to be somewhat creative and shockful, and in turn, ruins a dope beat with grotesque, childish, and just strange lyrics. Peep this verse for yourself:

Ok I'm done, I already came twice/
You aint gonna make me cum/
Im all out of gas, wait not so fast!/
Ah' your finger just went in my ass/
Ah that hurts, take it out now/
Oh wait a minute, put it back in/
In, in, in/
This dont mean I'm gay, I dont like men/
I like boobs....boobs, boobs, boobs/


I was even expecting Eminem to pull what he did on 'Rainman' off Encore and address listeners at the end of the track, laughing, while stating "I can't believe you just listened to this shit." On 'Rainman,' he stated "I just did a whole song and I didnt say shit." Eminem knows these songs are crazy and obsurd and basically offensive to his true, core fans. Likewise, he knows he can make a song about absolutly nothing and people will still bump it. But if you ask Em, there's a real reason behind his mayhem. In a XXL interview regarding some songs off Encore, he stated, "I enjoy getting in the studio and rapping about retarded shit to get a reaction out of Dre. I want him thinking 'what the fuck was that' after some of my songs." Eminem is crazy, and thats putting in lightly. And how 'FACK' is the opener on a greatest hits set is beyond me.

The third new release, 'Shake That', is an improvement 'FACK,' featuring the king of the hook (sorry Akon), Nate D-O double G, and is a sure club banger/single. Eminem's rapping is limited, and his lyrics are definitly dumb down, but his flow is on point. Nate Dogg carries the song, however, and is bound to get girls "shaking that ass" for him in the clubs. This is not Slim at his best, but like most of his stuff, its still better and more lyrical then ALOT of club songs. The opening to his second verse is pretty ill, with the lines:

Im a menace, a dentist, an oral hygentist/
so open your mouth for 'bout 4-5 minutes/
take alittle bit of this fluoride rinence (rinse)/
swish, but dont spit it/
swallow and I'll finish/

Typical club stuff, but still lyrically and flow wise, on point.

Now onto the actual "hits" part of the compilation. Now, anyone who was hoping that Eminem would leave off some of his more commercial songs that got played out faster then madona's vagina is kidding themselves. Songs such as "My Name Is," "The Real Slim Shady," and "Without Me" made Eminem the huge artist that he is today so why wouldn't these tracks be on this album? Ive always accepted everyone's complaints that Eminem's lead singles were too corny. However, I have always stated that Marshall has released some of the most lyrical singles of any rapper, and that includes those "corny" first singles. Try and tell me that "My Name Is," "The Real Slim Shady" and "Without Me" arent lyrically on point. Peep the third verse from the second song mentioned and see for yourself:

"Im like a head trip to listen to cause im only giving you/
things to joke about with your friends inside your living room/
only difference is, I got the balls to say it in front of ya'll/
and i dont gotta be false or sugarcoated at all/
i just get on the mic and spit it/ and whether you like to admit it (err) i just shit it/
better then 90 percent of you rappers out there/
and you wonder how these kids eat up these albums like valums/"

Now his last lead single, "Just Lose It," is definitly an exception. The song is wack. Enough said. (pause) But, you will find it on this album and it WAS a "hit" of sorts so cant blame Em there. All his other popular singles are there as well. You'll hear classics such as "The Way I Am," "Guilty Conscience," "Lose Yourself," "Like Toy Soldiers," and two versions of in my opinion one of the best hip hop songs of all-time, "Stan." You get both the album version and the live performance with Elton John from the Grammy's. Of course theres also other popular cuts such as "Cleaning Out My Closet," and "Mockingbird."

Dont worry hip hop heads, theres songs for you too on this album. The deluxe version comes with a "Stan's Mixtape" with 7 dope cuts, showing Eminem at his finest. You get the classic collabo's with Jay and Biggie, both "Renegade" and "Dead Wrong" respectivly. Also, there's raw Eminem songs such as "Kill You," "Just Dont Give a Fuck," "Criminal" and D-12's first song, and one of their best, "Shit on You." Although Eminem left off some dope tracks such as "Til I collapse," "Bitch Please II," "Rock Bottom," and "White America," Marshall included one of my favorite Eminem songs, "Role Model." This "Stan's Mixtape" makes Curtain Call a whole lot better and makes up for the points lost from "FACK."

I know some of you reading this are wondering: Why the hell would I buy an Eminem greatest hits cd when I can just make my own cd of my own favorite Em songs and download the three new tracks? I agree with you. Sometimes these cd's are a waste of money. Needless to say, however, I always thought of greatest hits cd's as more of a chance for hip hop listeners who arent huge fans of a rapper to pick up the cd because they more than likely dont own all the albums from that rapper. So if you are a casual fan of Eminem and dont have all his albums, pick this up, but be sure to get the Deluxe version with the "Stan's Mixtape."

As for Eminem retiring, well he definitly doesnt have the same fire and passion inside to keep making hot song after hot song. However, the talent is still there; just listen to "When Im Gone," and his verse off the new Biggie cd. If the desire to keep rapping is no longer there for Marshall, then maybe he should lay low for a bit and concentrate on his "soldiers," Obie Trice and Stat Quo, and working on improving his production. Who knows, maybe next year he'll come back as Rainman and drop a classic like the Marshall Mathers LP. One reviewer can only hope.


Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. FACK (1.5/5)
3. The Way I Am (5/5)
4. My Name Is (3.5/5)
5. Stan (5/5)
6. Lose Yourself (5/5)
7. Shake That ft. Nate Dogg (3/5)
8. Sing For the Moment (4.5/5)
9. Without Me (4/5)
10. Like Toy Soldier's (5/5)
11. Real Slim Shady (4.5/5)
12. Mockingbird (4/5)
13. Guilty Conscience ft. Dr. Dre (5/5)
14. Cleaning Out My Closet (3.5/5)
15. Just Lose It (2/5)
16. When Im Gone (4.5/5)
17. Satn (live) ft. Elton John (5/5)

Disc 2
1. Dead Wrong with Biggie (4.5/5)
2. Role Model (4.5/5)
3. Kill You (5/5)
4. Shit On You (4/5)
5. Criminal (5/5)
6. Renegade with Jay-Z (5/5)
7. Just Don't Give a Fuck (4/5)