The MARSHALL MATHERS LP 2
| Eminem
The MARSHALL MATHERS LP 2
The Marshall Mathers LP 2 is the eighth studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on November 5, 2013 by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. It serves as a sequel to his third album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000), and was recorded from 2012 to 2013 with several producers, including Rick Rubin, Luis Resto, Emile Haynie, and Alex da Kid. The Marshall Mathers LP 2 also features guest appearances from Skylar Grey, Rihanna, Nate Ruess, and rapper Kendrick Lamar. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
Show All-
Rolling Stone
just what the therapist ordered
-
Pitchfork
Eminem is a titan with wordplay, but MMLP2 once again finds him at a loss for how to apply his talents.
-
AV Club
The overall mood is lighter and more agreeable than anything Eminem’s released in ages.
-
Genius
Arguably Eminem’s best album since his hiatus, possibly one of the better albums in 2013.
-
Consequence of Sound
What makes MMLP2 a success is that it sounds like Em is having a ton of fun with his craft, with no particular chip or devil on his shoulder.
-
NME
he’s made a record that, while not quite a masterpiece, can sit alongside his best
-
The Guardian
His flows are exceptional (Rap God contains an unbelievable feat of double-time rhyming) and the wordplay dazzling.
-
Spin
But we get rhymes. So many rhymes. More rhymes than some rappers manage in a whole career.
-
Pretty Much Amazing
Sadly, it’s just not very good.
-
USA Today
he recaptures the original release's wild, clever, emotional brilliance in a flurry of caustic, brazenly honest, rapid-fire rhymes and aggressive beats
-
Slant Magazine
the album has tantalizing moments of vintage performance
-
Idolator
Eminem’s most earnest and most tongue-in-cheek album, a mammoth exercise in cognitive dissonance and po-mo referentialism.
-
I am Hip Hop Magazine
an astonishing return to form for one of the rap genre’s greatest ever performers
-
The 405
the subject matter is lacking the quality required to go up against other hip-hop albums we've heard this year
-
Direct Music Service
In displaying a series of arguably his greatest verses ever, and taking a back-to-basics approach to the production, Eminem has challenged himself, and succeeded.
-
ThoughtCo.
MMLP2 doesn't have those stellar cuts you loved on The Marshall Mathers LP, but it has its own moments.
-
Hip Hop DX
there is plenty of good here
-
The Christian Post
almost like a greatest hits of sorts, as the album touches on every part of Eminem's career
-
New-Transcendence
His lyrics are brilliant, his voice catchy and the beats even catchier.
-
Drowned in Sound
one of the most impressive, entertaining and addictive hip-hop albums of the year
-
UPROXX
a compelling return to form
-
Newsday
From a musical standpoint, all the looking back has promise
-
Music OMH
it is a testament to Eminem’s enduring talent that the album never feels laboured or even slightly dated
-
Spectrum Pulse
the flow and wordplay are some of the best you'll find in rap today, and it's such a welcome sight to have Eminem actually have something fresh to say
-
Bearded Gentlemen Music
without a doubt, one of the worst albums I have ever heard, and it has been an absolute chore to listen to it
-
Craig Reviews Music
the album is definitely progression over regression, making for an entertaining yet still somewhat harrowing release
-
Female First
with only minor blips throughout this album, he's shown that he has exactly what it takes to remain at the top of his game, and the game as a whole now, and for many years to come
-
Daily Beast
serves mostly as a reminder that there are much stronger records in his catalogue that you’d rather be listening to
-
The Sydney Morning Herald
If there's an underlying message to The Marshall Mathers LP 2 it's that he can't change, and once you sort through this record – a long and uneven journey back to where it starts – you can find the tracks that make that denial worthwhile.
-
The Cougar
The lyricism and concepts on this album are on-point, but it also possesses a lot of disjointedness and unbearable pop-rap filler tracks.
-
AXS
nostalgic, formulaic and overall just what his fans needed
-
Page 31
another great feat in an already legendary career
-
What Culture
Irksomely, there is a genuinely commendable successor to arguably the best rap album of the 00s in here somewhere, but it spends far too much time wrestling with the need to appeal to casual radio audiences with collaborative overkill to acknowledge its latency.
-
Cryptic Rock
Mathers has mastered how to continue his musical plot, stories, and timelines 5/5
-
The Skyline View
not the greatest of his albums, but it surely rests alongside his best works
-
Golden Plec
It is a bit all-over-the-place but it is by far the most interesting thing he has put out in years.
-
Neon Tommy
The best selling rap artist of all time has proven that he is back, and he’s here to stay.
-
34th Street
definitely a step in the right direction—away from his last three albums—and a thoroughly solid listen
-
NY Times
relentless, demanding and often convincing seventh major-label album
-
The Guardian - UCSD
an adequate record — certainly a respectable addition to his discography
-
Entrippy!
Do I think MMLP2 is a good album? The short answer is: No. Does it still have some compelling songs and ideas? Indeed it does.
-
The Skinny
more than a disappointment – it feels like a betrayal, a waste of everyone's time, including Marshall's
-
Rap Reviews
a great representation of Marshall Mathers III throughout the ages
-
The Young Folks
richly deserves its place on any list of the greatest rap albums of all time
-
RedEye Sound Board - Chicago Tribune
a frustrating record
-
Kill the Music
a perfect sequel to an album that was hard to beat
-
York Vision
undeniably his most consistent and well-crafted album since 2002
-
Off the Tracks
The Marshall Mathers LP 2 didn’t need to happen. That’s its biggest crime.
-
Pop Crush
'MMLP2' doesn't disappoint. At all.
-
The Pop Break
this album is another great addition to an already legendary discography
-
Hilite
Recurring dark and personal accounts of his helpless childhood, resentment from his absent father and violence in his community complements with the witty wordplay and quick jabs at touchy subjects. These matters bring both of the “MMLP” albums together.
-
The Dailyer
incredibly solid, with some incredible beats backing up Eminem’s lines
-
Royal Purple news
the culmination of everything Eminem has accomplished during his impressive career
-
The Line of Best Fit
Eminem is unquestionably the most technically gifted rapper alive (and perhaps of all time), and over the course of MMLP2, he proves it again and again.
-
Nappy Afro
its hard to objectively score an album when you’re comparing it to one of the greatest of all time
-
TmeOut
Full credit to Eminem, then, for crafting a sequel that relates to its predecessor in more than just name.
-
Concrete-Online
For every positive, there’s something dragging it down.
-
The Ledge
simply outstanding and a breath of fresh air for Eminem fans
-
The Highlander
proves to be one heck of an emotional and psychological ride. It’s that craziness, originality and willingness to publicly display his emotions that make him and this album so special.
-
The B-Side
Authentic, yet masterfully poetic
-
Courier Journal
Everything he does best is here
-
Tone Deaf
Despite the supposed negatives, the album sports plenty of positives.
-
Spectrum CUlture
excellent music production, catchy breaks and unrelentingly radio-friendly pop hooks
-
News OK
one of his strongest performances in the last decade
-
TN2 Magazine
shows that Eminem can still rap to a phenomenally high degree, as evidenced by the first single, Rap God, which would make any hip-hop aficionado’s head spin
-
Big Ghost
a solid album witta couple mediocre moments
-
entertainment.ie
Mathers is acutely aware of the fact that he can't recapture lightening in a bottle, and so the next best thing he can do is to remind listeners why they loved him in the first place
-
Renowned for Sound
Eminem reconfirms himself as one of the best contemporary wordsmiths of our time with a clever, inventive, and well though out album.
-
The album is either good or really good, depending on how you look at it.
-
Rocksucker
So, lots of self-examination and willfully offensive schtick; the usual Slim Shady fare, and it’s still gripping even after all these years.
-
Rock and Roll Fables
I know what I like and I know I don’t like this!
-
NY Daily News
the album offers a resounding return to the gory comedy and free embrace of psychosis that first made Em the antihero of our age. It's his funniest album in years, as well as his fastest, verbally.
-
Her Campus at Boston University
This album solidifies Eminem's top spot as a "rap god," reminding everyone that although he is no longer a punk kid living in the '90s he can still rhyme like no other.
-
The Arts Desk
Marshall Mathers shows increased maturity yet loses none of his youthful exuberance
-
OCOLLY
This album is not only worth a listen, but quite possibly a purchase, too.
-
The Hip Hop Guru
It’s easy to see that he still has a true passion for rapping, and that he’s still pretty damn good at it, too. ... However, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 doesn’t make the best use of Em’s skill, as it lacks lyrical substance, strong production, and the ingenuity that helped make the original MMLP one of the best hip-hop albums of all time.
-
Awards Watch
Mathers still has the most brilliant flow of any rapper I’ve ever heard, a conversational lilt that makes it so easy to fall in love with his music… and then he does everything in his power to lose you.
-
Amgerst Wire
a fantastic listen
-
Arena
If Eminem has been boxed in since Encore, he left a lit firecracker in MMLP2.
-
Exclaim!
https://arena.com/article/eminem-marshall-mathers-lp-2
-
The Couch Sessions
Eminem has realized the after effects of a nostalgic high: while you may be able to go home again, it’s best you don’t.
-
Hip Hop Speakeasy
if The Marshall Mathers LP 2 were to be the final masterpiece by the artistic poet, it would be a beautifully consummate work for Eminem to leave on
-
303 Magazine
definitely a step up for Eminem
-
Metro
there is always enough to set Eminem apart and keep listeners hooked
-
The Rock
it is clear to see that he still very much cares about the sound of each of his tracks and how they work together to create an album
-
faygoluvers.net
In this album we see the growth of Eminem not only as a lyricist but also as a person.
-
The Flash
the MMLP 2 wasn’t just second in time but second in quality.
-
The Washington Free Beacon
The most disappointing thing about MMLP2 was that it didn’t have to be this way.
-
The Music Ninja
you get an album that is still better than Recovery and Relapse but is more of an industry ploy to sell units than to be called a continuation to one of Eminem’s greatest works
-
Rare Reminder
MMLP2 isn’t the “Great White Comeback’ we hoped for, but it has some exceptional minutes.
-
The Shelter
His rapping skills are honed to the point of perfect. The dude can't stop with his lyrics.
-
Music Is My Oxygen
it ultimately amounts to a raw display of the sheer talent that has made its maker rap’s wunderkind
-
The Up Comong
It’s bad from the get-go
-
Live in Limbo
Eminem does have the capability of releasing a stellar album again and truly returning, but for now, the album he quickly presumed would be that return is anything but.
-
Thought for Your Penny
Overall, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 isn’t Eminem’s worst album to date (Relapse), but it’s a far cry from the Marshall Mathers of old.
-
Mind Equals Blown
If he’s going to break any new ground, Eminem is going to need to stop treading ground that he walked on 13 years ago and take some steps forward. Otherwise, albums like MMLP2 will begin crowding what was otherwise an amazing rap career.
-
Ham & High
his best album in years
-
George Devereaux
when studied in depth and appreciated on all its merits, it is incredible
-
Paul db Watkins
showcases Eminem rapping (faster than ever) with more incendiary and viciously vivacious lyrics than he has rhymed in ten years
-
The Oxford Student
No amount of lyrical gymnastics and technical prowess can hide MMLP 2’s tired beats and even more strained thematic core.
-
New England Music Reviews
As a whole, the Marshall Mathers LP 2 will be largely heralded as one of the best albums of the year, and one of the best releases from Eminem.
-
2nd Floor Commons
If you strip away the bad stuff, you are left with 10 or so fantastic tracks, which is more than you get out of most mainstream hip-hop albums.
-
New Noise
definitely one of the rapper’s most unique and different albums yet
-
Quench
doesn’t quite have the consistency of the original, but even some of the filler tracks prove to be interesting listens
-
Sypher Sights
He shows through his own performance that he’s still talented enough not to need to conform to the current pop trends, although he does it anyway.
-
Arena
Marshall Mathers LP 2 is the most fun Em's had on the microphone in 10 years
-
Hollywood Life
a true return to form for the megastar — more than delivers
-
News OK
This plays more like “Gran Torino” than the next great chapter in hip-hop — it's like Eminem wants us all to get off his lawn.
-
Neo, Post-Progressivecore Music Thoughts
this album isn’t as emotional as its predecessors and is likely to be appreciated more on a technical level, where it’s highly impressive
-
We Plug Good Music
Is it a good, fun album to listen to? Yes. Really, that’s all I want from Eminem at this point.
-
Pear Shaped
This album is a must-have for any hip-hop connoisseurs.
-
Paste Magazine
It’s impossible to take Em seriously on MMLP2, not because he’s a bitchy multi-millionaire but because he just doesn’t sound invested anymore.
Rate This Album and Leave Your Comments