BY JEN YANKO
Staff Writer
5 Stars

Marshall Mathers, better known by his stage name Eminem and his alter ego Slim Shady, has recently released a top-selling comeback album called Marshall Mathers LP2. The 41-year-old Eminem is known for being an outspoken and open person through his lyrical detail, largely inspired by his tough personal life before and after fame. Marshall Mathers LP2 does step out from the shadow of its predecessors in its choice of collaborators, with Dr. Dre sitting this one out.Eminem’s harsh life gives his songs true meaning and his fans find a source of motivation to succeed in life no matter the obstacle. On one of his most honest tracks, “Headlights,” he forgives his mother and regrets their distant relationship.

However, what many adolescent fans do not realize is that Eminem takes melodies from older songs and different decades and recycles these melodies into his own songs, with a hip hop twist. Some examples of this on Marshall Mathers LP2 are the songs “Love Game,” taken from the 1965 song “The Game of Love,” by Wayne Fontana and The Mind Benders, as well as “Rhyme or Reason,” influenced by the 1969 song “Time of The Season” by The Zombies, and “Berzerk,” inspired by the 1981 song “The Stroke” by Billy Squier.

Eminem was introduced to the music industry in 1995 with the release of his first album, Infinite. This album, unfortunately, was a flop. However, the album that introduced him to fame and popularity was The Slim Shady LP.

In most of his albums, especially Marshall Mathers LP2, Eminem justifies the reason for his anger. It’s safe to say that any listeners who feel discouraged would feel less alone as Eminem gives them someone to relate to.