What was your opinion of "prime" Eminem?

[C-Styles]

I might be in the minority but RELAPSE is my favorite album from him. I think that's probably his most complete and cohesive album of his career. Most would say the accent was corny but i think that added to the element of the theme. Dre was focused as i've heard in his production and Deja Vu has gotta be his top 3 song. Then he went on to Recovery and MMLP2 and it was like waittt what are you doing... he had some flashes of brilliance but for the most part it was like

 

[TransJenner]

Songs like that are why I'm instantly to anyone caping for present day Em. This guy used to be so nice and the shyt he puts out now it's like he forgot how to rap.

Another thing you gotta realize he's been a multi millionaire half his life and makes music completely sober


What's he gonna rap about

 

[Busby]

One of my favorite MC's of all time.

I can listen to your music but I can't really be a fan of yours if you don't impress me or flat out make me jealous of your talent. Em is one of those rappers that made me go "I wish I could do that". And it wasn't just the technical shyt, I loved how he went from just being able to rap pretty good to actually digging down into his pain and into his story and making something of it, something I wasn't really able to do.

I will fukk with anybody who has ever given me that feeling til the day I'm up outta here.

Pretty much all of this. From 2000-2005 Eminem was THE greatest rapper alive and there was no debate. He had the skill and the sells to back it up.

He was unique to me cuz he didn’t rap like anybody else. He was his own thing and he stayed his lane. From MMLP to 8 Mile, Em was on another level.

He single handily RAN hip-hop. Don’t let these revisionist nikkas tell u any different. Anybody he co-signed went platinum or gold at the least.

When i listen to his stuff now and compare it to back then it’s like listening to 2 different rappers


It can be so damn frustrating to me cuz i KNOW he can still rap when he feels like it. I heard it on Relapse..i most definitely held it on the bonus tracks on MMLP2. But then i’ll listen to his raps on Shady XV, his features, the Southpaw soundtrack, and other stuff and it’s like “Breh why u rapping like that? “

Even listening to Revival i heard some of his vintage flow on a few songs as well as that remix and it’s like why can’t u rap like this more often?!


He says he isn’t as angry anymore then how he used to be back in that era. It’s like his anger gives him power. But when it’s not there..he sounds like a whole other rapper...

I wish he didn’t listen to y’all and drop Relapse 2 and kept doing what he was doing...

 

[DaveyDave]

His flow used to be one of the best but it turned into jibberish words just to fit the flow. His albums never had replay value for me tho. Id listen to it a lot for a couple of months then barely ever since

 

[Mike the Executioner]

He was a killer. When I hear Eminem in his prime rap, I'm just wondering how he can do that. His flow was impeccable, and he knew how to utilize his emotions in the best way. Even when he was angry and shouting, it added to the song instead of sounding awkward and pointless. Plus, his features were phenomenal in those days. Honestly, he could have been way better in terms of the music he made. He always had those goofy songs, but at some point, I feel like he should have outgrown them and fully utilized his talent. But then he doubled down on Encore and it was never the same after that.

If he was still making music at the level of the first MMLP and The Eminem Show, I wouldn't hesitate to put him in my top five. But he didn't just decline, he lost almost everything that made his music special.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

As much as I hate on Em on this board for his lack of ear and lack of musicality, prime Em was dope as fukk, and one of the best rhymers ever.

Em was great and in some ways maybe I got fukked up by actually getting into the game. Once I started working for producers and in the studio, and caring more about production, and how albums were made, I started liking Em less.

But in his prime (200-2003 IMO) as a spitter? He was elite.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

One of my favorite MC's of all time.

I can listen to your music but I can't really be a fan of yours if you don't impress me or flat out make me jealous of your talent. Em is one of those rappers that made me go "I wish I could do that". And it wasn't just the technical shyt, I loved how he went from just being able to rap pretty good to actually digging down into his pain and into his story and making something of it, something I wasn't really able to do.

I will fukk with anybody who has ever given me that feeling til the day I'm up outta here.

I've never heard that perspective on anyone before but that's pretty dope way of looking at it.

 

[Danie84]

That he bit Treach style

 

[Tim2520]

I always thought he was corny, his music just never connected with me . "My name is" came out when I was in 7th grade I thought it was funny and I looked at him as a joke. I'm from NYC and besides his work with G-Unit I've never heard an Eminem song at a party, a backyard barbecue ,a dice game or when nikkas was in the hood just chilling etc . Also none of my friends listened to his music either, only dudes I know that listen to him are non-black and usually from the suburbs(not trying to be funny). He clearly got right on renegade, 8 mile and a few others but homie was always super overrated to me

 

[letti cook]

top 5 for me after Eminem Show....and fukk it, he still somewhere in the 10..i basically act like Eminem Show was his last joint

i dont hold a rappers flabby era against him..i just tune it out and enjoy the prime piff

 

[OHSNAP!]

Cringeworthy, cheesy, animated, rebel-without-a-cause junkie

 

[Soymuscle Mike]

I was fresh in high school when Em popped up. Honestly I was the only dude in my group really fukking with Em.

Rock Bottom and I Just Don't Give a Fukk

I couldn't fukk with the mom-songs on his albums, but other than that SSLP-MMLP-TES were all for me.
AFter that I really only fukk with Relapse (heavy though, my favorite Em album).

In his prime he wasn't my favorite rapper ever, not even at the time - I was fukking more with Mos Def/DMX than Eminem. I definitely respected the hell out of him and his talent, I had mad arguments defending him around that time (until he became undefendable for a while).

Overall he's probably like top 25-30 for me, back in his prime years he was probably in the top 10 rappers I was checking for.

 

[DrHackenbush]

Great MC..Content wise eh. His freestyles from that 98-2002 era were always crazy, still listen to them now and am amazed how well he used to rap

 

[cartierhoe]

One of my favorite MC's of all time.

I can listen to your music but I can't really be a fan of yours if you don't impress me or flat out make me jealous of your talent. Em is one of those rappers that made me go "I wish I could do that". And it wasn't just the technical shyt, I loved how he went from just being able to rap pretty good to actually digging down into his pain and into his story and making something of it, something I wasn't really able to do.

I will fukk with anybody who has ever given me that feeling til the day I'm up outta here.

Yeah the way he could tell a story while being on point with his bars and flow is what I always used to fukk with from Eminem. Dude could do it so effortlessly too. I ain't gon lie I put prime Em up there with the greats. But dude just ain't been doing it for me for the past several years. Hes always been a great mc, but now it just seems like that's all he's worried about instead of making dope songs like he used to.

 

[Poitier]

Its cool to hate and some of his music didn't age well but...

Dope. SSLP and MMLP.

He was like the rap Timothy Leary with the druggie raps but highly introspective with a rebellious juvenile mindset, absurdist, and a dash of horrorcore. A good gumbo.

Good technical ability, good songwriting, and mic presence.