Eminem the last 2 years has lost his flow and delivery

[Phenom]

Eminem's **** was on point for The Eminem Show. He lost his fire after 8 Mile soundtrack. Maybe it has to do with losing testosterone.

He had drug problems and took too much time off Encore you could hear flashes of greatness in Mosh. Yellow brick road, toy soldiers, crazy in love, mockingbird but that was it

[Syf]

Em concentrates too much on lyrical perfection and not enough on melodic quality or musical content. He's a genius lyrically but sometimes that actually stands in his way as a musician. Add to the fact that he's filthy rich and quite frankly has very little to talk about anymore. Happens with a lot of people that make it.. they lose that "eye of the tiger"

That's why Tupac was truly great a legend of our time. He had lyrical superiority and melodic and Musical gift. A synergy of all the necessary elements. Pure Legend

[4Corners]

His worst album out of his prime, yeah, agreed

His worst albums career wise? The stuff i've heard from 09-13, I can't even listen to it tbh. At least Encore back in the day I could listen to it a little bit but always preferred MMLP which is a good album from top to bottom, Eminem Show is a great album as well

There is absolutely nothing on Relapse, Recovery, Hell the Sequel, MMLP2 that is as bad as Encore's 4 worst songs. But I will say there are a few song son Relapse, MMLP2, that are absolutely terrible. Just not as terrible.

Relapse was definitely his 2nd worst album. But the lyrics were far better than Encore. But there were vintage moments on that material. Have you listened to Deja Vu, Beautiful, Underground, Elevator, Insane???

Recovery, Eminem was nearly back. There was nothing egregious on there. Just a lot of OK stuff. But you heard Ridaz, Going Through Changes, his No Love verse??? He killed these

Hell the Sequel and MMLP2 actually got a better reception than anything he's done since 2002. Have you listened to Welcome 2 Hell, Fast Lane, The Reunion??? Or Bad Guy, Groundhog Day, Rap God, Brainless, Evil Twin???

I agree that he's never gonna be anywhere near his 97-02 material where everything was on point. But even from 2009-2013 there were vintage moments from Eminem. He just couldn't put it all together for an entire album. It's a shame that he couldn't continue his level if material from 1997-2002 where everything he touched was gold.

His music since though is ****ing horrendous.

[4Corners]

Em concentrates too much on lyrical perfection and not enough on melodic quality or musical content. He's a genius lyrically but sometimes that actually stands in his way as a musician. Add to the fact that he's filthy rich and quite frankly has very little to talk about anymore. Happens with a lot of people that make it.. they lose that "eye of the tiger"

That's why Tupac was truly great a legend of our time. He had lyrical superiority and melodic and Musical gift. A synergy of all the necessary elements. Pure Legend

Pacs gift wasn't lyrical genius really. He was never a Rakim, Nas, Big L, Em, KRS, G Rap level lyricist.

Pacs gift was song writing. He was so incredible at that, it made up for fairly average lyricism.

Em had perfect song writing and lyricism from 97-02. He fell off after that, but still had moments. The last couple years though he's so overly focused on the rhyming, that it sounds bad, and the music is ****. You are totally correct there that he's overly focused on rhymes to a fault.

[Syf]

Pacs gift wasn't lyrical genius really.

I knew someone would say this. Pac was very underrated as a lyricist. You see flashes of his lyrical brilliance here and there, but it was always well proportional to the song. The difference is he never sacrificed flow to kick science. Em has this strange desire to go ham with the lyrics, while sacrificing the musical potential of the song.

"Rap God" for instance. While that part where he goes supersonic is impressive from a delivery standpoint, but it lacks anything approaching the making of a song. That fast break down ends up being a novelty and very very "forced", as lyricists call it. It's sacrilege to some to say that but alot of Em's ish is more forced than a rape victim. Not that he needs to care, as before mentioned he's filthy rich and can rap however he pleases.

Back to Pac though, here's a lyric from a song that I thought was nice. From "how do you want it"

Positions on the floor it's like erotic, ironic 'cause I'm somewhat psychotic
I'm hittin' switches on bitches like I been fixed with hydraulics

Also we can look at "if I die tonight":

They say pussy and paper is poetry power and pistols
Plottin on murderin motherfucers 'fore they get you
Picturin pitiful punk bitchez coppin pleas
Puffin weed as I position myself to clock G's
My enemies scatter in suicidal situations
Never to witness the wicked shit that they was facin
Pockets is packed with presidents, pursue your riches
Evadin the playa hatin tricks, while hittin switches


And..

Polishin pistols prepare for battle pass the pump
When I get to poppin bitchez is droppin then they done
Callin the coroner come collect the fucin corpse
He got it by killer, preoccuppied with bein boss
Revenge is the method, whenever steppin keep a weapon close
Adversaries are overdosed over deadly notes

Pretty much all of "If I Die Tonight".


Those are just a few. Pac could definitely stack rhymes when he wanted to. Combine that with all his other gifts and he was a force of nature on the mic.

[nubianpiye]

Anyone who knows me here knows I'm a big fan of Em. Dude's run from 1997-2002 with the Slim Shady EP, Slim Shady LP, Marshall Mathers LP, Devils Night with D12, Eminem Show, 8 Mile, and all those dope features was one of the greatest runs in the history of hip hop.

He kinda fell off a bit with the drugs and what not from 2004-2008. Encore had 4 terrible, awful songs. His rhyming wasn't near as complex as he used to be. But still there were vintage moments on that album, and the album overall was mediocre though. Then more of the same on minor releases like Curtain Call and The Re Up. While Curtain Call had amazing stuff like When I'm Gone, he also dropped the worst song he's ever released in Fack. While The Re Up had an arguably Top 25 Em song ever with No Apologies and another dope track in Public Enemy #1, it also had just overall mediocre recordings from him.

Then he made a comeback with Relapse, his rhyming was top notch and the delivery was perfect. Unfortunately he was rapping with accents on half the damn album. While the album had brilliant vintage moments like Beautiful, Deja Vu, Underground, it contained trash like Bagpipes From Baghdad and We made You. Better than Encore because the rhymes but not as good as his older material. But then Em started dropping dope features again. Psycho, Forever, Drop the World, Airplanes 2, etc. And he dropped Recovery, which for all intents and purposes was his best work since 2002 easy. The delivery and flow was perfect, there was nothing too terrible, with Love the Way You Lie being the worst offering. It was a pretty good album aside from the production, which was hit and miss.

Then he dropped Hell the Sequel with Royce as Bad Meets Evil. Which topped Recovery easily. It was straight fire, and Em sounded like he couldn't be touched. Easily his best work since 2002 yet again. But then he started doing features where his delivery sounded off. And I was worried about MMLP2 coming out. But Em surprised and dropped all around his best material since Eminem Show and 8 Mile yet again. Aside from The Monster, Berzerk, Stronger Than I Was, the other 18 songs we got were pretty dope. Bad Guy, Groundhog Day, Rap God, Brainless, Evil Twin, Baby, etc. I mean there was vintage classic Em there. Not as amazing as his prime material but for modern Em he was spitting fire and making dope songs.

But......everything since, meaning Shady XV compilation album, his features, and this new track.....is mediocre at it's best. It's like he's too overly focused on syllables and rhymes. He's pausing throughout his verses to showcase every rhyme, trying to rhyme as many things as possible. He's way, and by way I mean WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY to focused on cramming as many syllables as he can into every bar to sound complex with his rhyme schemes. They sound forced. It's mind boggling how someone who had one of the best deliveries and flows in the rap game, even on his less stellar albums like Relapse and Recovery his flow was ****ing flawless, that he can't seem to figure that one aspect out in 2014 and now again this year.

This song is like a 5/10 at best. I'll take Survival over this easily. Listen if you want to, let me know if you agree. But the 2nd verse is easily the best part. Idk why the dude won't just flow like that.

This sad oaf is such a big Eminem fan he lied about what race he was to defend him. Said he was Mixed race when a few people on the forum said only white guys were big Em fans and then said he tried it on with a black girl but she wasn't interested in the white guy later what a fraud.

[ItsStevieWonder]

Doo&59010&('cmak

[punchr]

Pacs gift wasn't lyrical genius really. He was never a Rakim, Nas, Big L, Em, KRS, G Rap level lyricist.

Pacs gift was song writing. He was so incredible at that, it made up for fairly average lyricism.

Em had perfect song writing and lyricism from 97-02. He fell off after that, but still had moments. The last couple years though he's so overly focused on the rhyming, that it sounds bad, and the music is ****. You are totally correct there that he's overly focused on rhymes to a fault.

!VIVA MEXICO! is, in part, right. The absence of Dr. Dre as Em's producer coincided with the decline of his energy, writing, and -- most importantly -- delivery. Your song can be produced in your neighbor's garage and be off the chain as long as the delivery is on point.

[SunSpace]

I knew someone would say this. Pac was very underrated as a lyricist. You see flashes of his lyrical brilliance here and there, but it was always well proportional to the song. The difference is he never sacrificed flow to kick science. Em has this strange desire to go ham with the lyrics, while sacrificing the musical potential of the song.

"Rap God" for instance. While that part where he goes supersonic is impressive from a delivery standpoint, but it lacks anything approaching the making of a song. That fast break down ends up being a novelty and very very "forced", as lyricists call it. It's sacrilege to some to say that but alot of Em's ish is more forced than a rape victim. Not that he needs to care, as before mentioned he's filthy rich and can rap however he pleases.

Back to Pac though, here's a lyric from a song that I thought was nice. From "how do you want it"

Positions on the floor it's like erotic, ironic 'cause I'm somewhat psychotic
I'm hittin' switches on bitches like I been fixed with hydraulics

Also we can look at "if I die tonight":

They say pussy and paper is poetry power and pistols
Plottin on murderin motherfucers 'fore they get you
Picturin pitiful punk bitchez coppin pleas
Puffin weed as I position myself to clock G's
My enemies scatter in suicidal situations
Never to witness the wicked shit that they was facin
Pockets is packed with presidents, pursue your riches
Evadin the playa hatin tricks, while hittin switches


And..

Polishin pistols prepare for battle pass the pump
When I get to poppin bitchez is droppin then they done
Callin the coroner come collect the fucin corpse
He got it by killer, preoccuppied with bein boss
Revenge is the method, whenever steppin keep a weapon close
Adversaries are overdosed over deadly notes

Pretty much all of "If I Die Tonight".


Those are just a few. Pac could definitely stack rhymes when he wanted to. Combine that with all his other gifts and he was a force of nature on the mic.

I second that Tupac was extremely talented at writing. His music even helped me with poetry (of which Hip Hop derives, of course); his assonance, consonance, and alliteration clearly display how how the limits can be pushed, while still keeping flow.

Drop upon drop, fate bangs away
On imminent loss: liquid evaporating.
We only go up, condense our beings,
To unavoidably fall
Through insipid fleeing.

A cycle undeniable, casual
In how reliable our reactions are.
Failure to question all rituals
Tipping healthiness to lard.

Spars for a farce—
Wars through a marsh—
Horses that tarnish
Themselves at the smallest
Of sparks.

Bars for the heart—
Limbs in tar—
Are enough to collect
All beliefs, regret
In a jar.

That's my stuff there, but it wouldn't be possible, if I had no idea it could be. Most poets are aren't even rhyming nowadays, forget making it anything meaningful. "I went to the lake last week, and while I was there, I heard a bird squeak." Heck, that might be better than what they actually come up with, because at least it rhymes.

Then, again, music, poetry--everything is subjective. Someone could turn around and say that the people writing about birds squeaking are 1000x better than I am. It's even likely to happen because, instead of sitting down to actually think about a poem, they want everything handed to them on a plate. So, they "don't understand."

Same thing kinda happens in Hip Hop, too, I guess; that's why guys like Lil Jon exist.

YEEEEAAAAH



I find Lil Jon's music funny and entertaining, by the way; I'm just sayin'...

[4Corners]

I knew someone would say this. Pac was very underrated as a lyricist. You see flashes of his lyrical brilliance here and there, but it was always well proportional to the song. The difference is he never sacrificed flow to kick science. Em has this strange desire to go ham with the lyrics, while sacrificing the musical potential of the song.

"Rap God" for instance. While that part where he goes supersonic is impressive from a delivery standpoint, but it lacks anything approaching the making of a song. That fast break down ends up being a novelty and very very "forced", as lyricists call it. It's sacrilege to some to say that but alot of Em's ish is more forced than a rape victim. Not that he needs to care, as before mentioned he's filthy rich and can rap however he pleases.

Back to Pac though, here's a lyric from a song that I thought was nice. From "how do you want it"

Positions on the floor it's like erotic, ironic 'cause I'm somewhat psychotic
I'm hittin' switches on bitches like I been fixed with hydraulics

Also we can look at "if I die tonight":

They say pussy and paper is poetry power and pistols
Plottin on murderin motherfucers 'fore they get you
Picturin pitiful punk bitchez coppin pleas
Puffin weed as I position myself to clock G's
My enemies scatter in suicidal situations
Never to witness the wicked shit that they was facin
Pockets is packed with presidents, pursue your riches
Evadin the playa hatin tricks, while hittin switches


And..

Polishin pistols prepare for battle pass the pump
When I get to poppin bitchez is droppin then they done
Callin the coroner come collect the fucin corpse
He got it by killer, preoccuppied with bein boss
Revenge is the method, whenever steppin keep a weapon close
Adversaries are overdosed over deadly notes

Pretty much all of "If I Die Tonight".


Those are just a few. Pac could definitely stack rhymes when he wanted to. Combine that with all his other gifts and he was a force of nature on the mic.

You didn't get what I said. Pac wasn't an overly lyrical emcee like those others mentioned. He was a decent lyricist as far complexity goes, but a very good lyricist when it came to writing lyrics that merge well with his song writing. Pac wasn't half the rapper, in terms of just spittin', that any of the other Top 10 ATG's are. But his song writing was second to none which is what made him special. Pac was a decent rapper, but an amazing song writer.

Even the stuff you posted was fairly elementary lyrically compared to L, Em, Nas, Rakim, etc.

I'm not taking anything away from Pac, he's in my top 5 all time.