Eminem Presents The Re-Up

In the '90s, Eminem's unique balance of nose-picking offensiveness and finger-pointing defensiveness was refreshingly funny and flavourful. But then he started dressing like Annie Lennox circa "Sweet Dreams" and ditching Dre's bumping beats for his own ticking drums and slithering goth pianos. By 2004's Encore, Em's decade-old Christopher Reeve jokes and too-little-too-late anti-Bush anthem were officially irrelevant. What was next? Vietnam War protests? Thankfully, no. Though Eminem does make a Bill Clinton crack on the title track, it seems like a sly acknowledgment of his waned significance. Rather than courting this lost relevance, Em passes the mic to 50 Cent, Obie Trice, D-12, Stat Quo and new Shady signees Bobby Creekwater and Cashis on a string of new songs (Eminem's paranoid "Public Enemy #1") and remixes (Obie's "Cry Now" and Fiddy's excellent "Ski Mask Way," which suffers from Em's new treatment). While each performer is proficient, none are particularly special, save for Fiddy and, of course, Em, who rides his beats like no one else. Irrelevant or not, Eminem is still an intriguing artist, unique in sound and subject.

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