MMLP2 track by track review

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First of all, these ratings are on the Eminem scale. So an 8/10 in comparison to other Em tracks is really a 10/10 in comparison to everyone else.

Bad Guy

An amazing track that works well as a nostalgic revisit to Stan, as well as a metaphor for the theme of karma coming for him as a result of his offensive antics in his younger days.

Ridiculous third and fourth verses. Great beat. Only thing that hurts this track slightly is the second verse, which sounds a bit awkward and doesn't stack up to the quality of the other three.

Perfect way to start the album.

9/10

Rhyme or Reason

A hugely enjoyable track with amazing production and some seriously impressive rapping. His flow is ridiculously smooth on this and suits the beat perfectly. Also features a great Em hook and some extremely witty lines.

Downside to this track for me is the unfocused nature of its lyrics. He's rapping a lot, but not actually saying that much. Which I don't actually have a huge problem with - but a classic song needs to be more focused.

8.5/10

So Much Better

On my first play through of MMLP2, this was the stand out track for me. I think it was mostly because of the TES beat and the old school Em wit found on the hook and a few lines.

I think this tires a lot quicker than most of the album though, not sure exactly why. There are some bad/unfunny lines amongst the great ones which probably contribute.

The luh, luh, luh, lesbian and machine gun lines are worth the price admission on their own here. Good song.

7/10

Survival

This song has been dissected to hell so won't say too much.

Okay song. Good, if a little generic, rapping with some great moments. Awful, awful hook. Shouldn't be on the album. Especially when Baby, Groundhog Day and Don't Front are sitting on the bonus disc.

5.5/10

Legacy

Awesome, powerful track. Love the rain effect and the cinematic feel. Some great verses here that are emotional and uplifting. Rhyme scheme that lasts the entire track is actually ridiculous.

Nitpicking but I feel like the 'EXHAUST FUMES' at the end doesn't sound great and detracts from the awesome momentum he has coming into the last few lines. It's also just a touch formulaic I think.

Great song.

8/10

Asshole

A huge shame that he chose to lay these lyrics over such a shitty beat.

Some very clever and awesome lyrics and a sublime flow are wasted on a song that's just not pleasant to listen to for me because of the beat. It's a song I normally skip, and that's annoying given some of the great content here.

6/10

Berzerk

Same deal as Survival - been discussed to death so I won't go into too much depth.

Awesome production, fun track with a monster hook and some cool moments in each verse. Happy to see Em experiment this much. Cool song.

7/10

Rap God

Not that much needs to be said about this one. His lyrics, voice and flow on this are ground breaking. A masterpiece. I have a slight gripe with the siren noise in this one but that just about goes unnoticed when Em is on top of his game like this.

Love the awesome intro too. I can't help but think he should have done more of that (ie Brainless, Groundhog Day). It makes the album sound more cinematic and cohesive, which is one of the problems with MMLP2 as a whole.

9/10

Brainless

Incredible song. As mentioned above - the intro sounds amazing and sets the mood perfectly. The beat is amazing and proves once again that Em is a sick producer capable of making extremely atmospheric beats.

The rapping on this one is heavenly, and the majority of the lyrics are spot on and capture a very old school Em humour that was absent on Recovery.

The hook is also exceptional, which completes the puzzle and makes this an Eminem song I'll be coming back to for years and years.

9/10

Stronger Than I Was

An enjoyable song that could have been much better had it featured a better verse. Not that his verse is bad - but it doesn't elevate the song to be something special like it could have - like Em's verse on Hailie's Song.

A decent Eminem song.

6.5/10

The Monster

If this was another rapper and I heard this song on the radio, I would say that it was a cheesy but catchy song I didn't mind listening to. As an Eminem song, I find this track to be mildly upsetting. As someone who's been a fan since MMLP1, I find it extremely disappointing he felt the need to put this shit on his album.

And I'm not someone who blindly hates songs because they have a pop element. I actually like Rihanna well enough and think they could make a great song together. But this is fucking shallow and certainly isn't it.

3.5/10

From my least favourite song on the album to probably my favourite.

This one took a few listens for me to start to appreciate. It's left of centre, and comes across as a little strange at first. But fuck is it good.

10/10 production with an incredible and original beat, classic Em humour, flow, delivery and voice. I love that it isn't formulaic.

This has unlimited replay value for me. Potentially a classic Eminem song in my book.

9.5/10

Love Game

Probably my most anticipated song on the album - and it ended up being about the furthest thing from what I expected.

But again, a fucking awesome track. Exceptional, very original production and some incredibly impressive and humorous verses. Em kills it, K Dot kills it.

The only thing that stops this from being amongst the best tracks on the album is that it just sounds a little too busy for me. I think if they toned down the craziness just a touch it could have been on another level. Excellent track.

8/10

Headlights

Holy shit - who else in music can encapsulate this amount of emotion and demonstrate it in a way that is as moving and as mind blowingly talented as this?

This track is every bit as good as his old 'emotional' type songs. His flow, voice and lyrics are perfect, which I find surprising given that this song would have been shouted annoyingly had it been recorded a short time ago in the Recovery era.

One of my favourites on the album - despite the fact that it's generally the more humour/rap focused songs I normally prefer from Em. Only issue with this track is that there isn't a third verse.

9/10

Evil Twin

Awfully jarring transition from Headlights to this which is a shame and a blight on the album. Could have been solved by using an intro like the one before Brainless.

Having said that - one of the best songs on the album. Really cool, heavy beat, and some of the best rapping we've heard from Em since his comeback.

Can't express how much I love:

'What was your name again? Hi!..... faggot'.

Downsides to this track are the fact that the GOAT chorus only appears once, and that he doesn't focus more on the Evil Twin concept.

Awesome track and finish to the album.

9/10

I'm only going to give my thoughts on a few of the bonus tracks, because I haven't listened to the others enough to from an opinion just yet.

Baby

Absolutely immense in terms of rhyming and wordplay. Really reminiscent of the Relapse era. Specifically 'Oh No'.

Slap on a better hook and this would have been one of the highlights on the main album.

8/10

Groundhog Day

Incredible production on this one - and Em still manages to steal the focus with some of his best rapping on the album.

Can't believe this isn't on the standard album.

9/10

Don't Front

Never thought I'd get the chance to hear 2013 Em on a beat like this. So fucking good. Rides the smooth beat perfectly and has a ridiculously cool old school vibe. Will be listening to this one for a very long time.

Love the Rocky line.

8/10


Overall, a hugely enjoyable Eminem album which is his best since TES for me, edging out Relapse.

Some weaker tracks and a lack of cohesion keep this from being a classic IMO (same trap Relapse fell into), but it's definitely an incredible album and one I'll be listening to for decades.

[xSingfortheMoment]

I pretty much agree with everything give or take, esp what you said about The Monster. Pointless song and I'm already sick of hearing it everywhere lol. Honestly it seems like he just wanted to prove he can take over the radio one more time with that one.