In a big new interview with New York magazine, Eminem spoke on his critics, his Trump-bashing, his catalog and more.
During the discussion, he revealed what he thinks are his worst and best albums
"Encore was mediocre," said Eminem. "And with Relapse — it was the best I could do at that point in time. [Relapse] was a funny album for me because I was just starting back rapping after coming out of addiction. I was so scatterbrained that the people around me thought that I might have given myself brain damage. I was in this weird fog for months. Like, literally I wasn’t making sense; it had been so long since I’d done vocals without a ton of Valium and Vicodin. I almost had to relearn how to rap."
As for his best ...
"I am forever chasing The Marshall Mathers LP," said the Detroit rapper. "That was the height of what I could do. I just don’t have the rage I did back then. If I did, the music would be the same, and I hope it’s changed. And if I still had that rage it would mean I wouldn’t have grown as an artist or a human being. Technically I feel like I’m better at rhyming than I’ve ever been."
Em dropped his ninth album Revival last week. So far the critics have been lukewarm and the sales have been good, but not Shady-like.
When asked by New York to assess Revival, Eminem was noncommittal.
"I don’t know," said Em. "I feel good enough to put it out. I guess we’ll have to see what the reaction is."
How would you rate Em's albums, best and worst?