by BeaconofTruth » Sep 1st, '14, 21:46
The blame for "Welcome To: Our House" falls on everyone - SH themselves, Eminem, and everyone behind the scenes.
They all made the album together, and made compromises. No one person is the bad guy. No matter what SH said in the press, they did not have "free reign" to do what they wanted. That's BS PR talk. They did some of what they wanted, and then they bent the knee to Em and the label to give them some of they wanted - whether the Em & label suggestions made the album better or worse, who knows. But they're all in it together. And what we got was a mediocre album aping the Recovery sound where every other was a failed swing at a single. Maybe some SH members wanted that, like Royce & Crook - he sounded inspired on every song. But we know Joey didn't. And Joell dropped some really horrible bars on the album, like he wasn't even trying.
Some of you guys liked the SH Shady album, but obviously, most people did not, and especially SH fans. (Not Eminem fans who glommed onto SH just because Eminem.) I've been to SH concerts, and seen the tepid reaction to Hammer Dance & My Life, in contrast to Microphone and Onslaught 2.
Anyway, this Re-Up 2014 / Shady XV thing is a great idea, that should have been done right at the signing, then 2.0 boys dropped. Shady Records 2.0 could use a lot more synergy - it's RIDICULOUS that Yela & SH go missing from Eminem albums (no, iTunes bonus tracks don't couldn't.) Em used to get Obie & D12 & 50 & even Stat Quo & Bobby Creek on his solo albums - why not Yela & SH?
But Em can only do so much. Yela and SH have to stand out on their own. Remember when Jay-Z spent, like, a decade trying to make Memphis Bleek a thing? How did that turn out? Yela and SH have to 1) satisfy their core fans and 2) make a catchy crossover song that doesn't suck, or they're toast.
Shady Records sucks balls, anyway. I hope they go independent. I hope Em goes independent too, actually. Maybe we'd have more songs like "Don't Front" and less songs like "Survivor."