1000mgs of WTF: A review of "Relapse"

Whether it involves rapping exclusively about diamonds or cars or putting every vocal through an auto-tuner, rap music has a tendency to get into creative slumps. And one artist puts out a fresh idea, the whole year becomes a quest for every other artist to recreate that song. Sometimes fans need rappers to talk about something different like... felching?

Eminem's fifth major-label solo album, "Relapse," plays like a Chuck Palahniuk sing-a-long. The medley of sex crimes, drug abuse, manic-depressive murder sprees and caricatured celebrities marks Eminem's re-emergence as the Slim Shady alter-ego and his reunion with Dr. Dre, who produces or co-produces every track besides Eminem-produced "Beautiful".

Lyrically, Eminem goes berserk. His delivery is at its cleanest on songs like "It Must be the Ganja," where Eminem gives a detailed description of how to file the works of your favorite serial killers, and psychotic style fests like "3 a.m." and "Same Song and Dance." He couples his lyrical fluidity with his signature mixing of real-life and gross absurdities on tracks like "Insane," where Eminem not only describes his molestation by his stepfather, but also the finer points of excrement-based erotica. This could be his most volatile song since his work on "The Marshall Mathers LP." It's also hilarious. With 10 of the 15 songs featuring some medieval form of murder, rape or both, it's safe to say that if he couldn't be before, Eminem can now be classified as horror-core rapper

Amidst this drug-induced massacre, Eminem actually gives some meaningful insight on a couple of topics. He uses "celebutantes" and reality stars as clay pigeons in the single "We Made You." Em picks apart stars whose only reason for being celebrities is that we put a camera in front of them and called them celebrities.

He also uses his real battle with prescription drugs in songs like "My Mom" and "Déjà Vu." "My Mom" is another exaggeration of his childhood, but deals mostly with his predisposition to addiction.

"Déjà Vu" is where Eminem shines on the album; his words are purposeful and poignant in his recollection of his personal battles after friend, Proof, died in 2006. (Maybe an ice-cold brew, what's a beer? / that's the devil in my ear, I've been sober a f---ing year)

This is why we have celebrities like Eminem: He is the equivalent of Dennis Leary or Andrew Dice Clay. We gawk at their revolting profanities like a freak show and condemn them for their perversions until they drop a nugget of wisdom at our feet.

The beats provided by Dr. Dre are solid and mixed flawlessly. However, they do leave the listener wondering if we have seen the highest evolution of Dre's production. None of the tracks break new sonic ground.

It is reported that "Relapse" is the first of two albums Em is releasing this year. Perhaps it would have been best for him to combine the best tracks of both albums into one because "Relapse" is plagued with filler. Some tracks on "Relapse" are just repetitious visions of deranged antics that actually get boring. Also, there are unnecessary formulaic singles like "Beautiful" and "Crack a Bottle" that prove to be nothing more than annoying. Overall, "Relapse" is a pretty good album and rap fans will take heed to Eminem's rhymes, but if you let anyone under the age of fourteen listen to it, you are a bad person and Jesus hates you. (not really, but you may not get a Christmas card).