Eminem’s Relapse has turned 5 years old (you can read our review and ranking of the album here). To commemorate Marshall’s return to the game after a self-imposed five-year hiatus, here is a promotional shot from the album drop of Eminem as Heath Ledger’s Joker character from The Dark Knight. The character was a very fitting image for Relapse, given the fact that the album was full of jokes that had very dark and sinister undertones.

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The Rap God’s official return to the game is less than 24 hours away. The follow-up to 2010’s quintuple-platinum Recovery is supposed to be a revisit of the rapper’s 2000 classic, The Marshall Mathers LP. With this in mind, much like we did with Yeezy, we’ve decided to rank Eminem’s discography.

Even with the acceptance of Em’s legendary status in the rap game at this point, the quality of his body of work remains highly debated. His catalogue ranges from classics to critical duds, though no real commercial duds. Some of the material can easily be choked up to battles with drug addiction, however that does not excuse many records which Em himself has said belong “in the trash.” Thankfully, we’ve seen a resurgence in the past few years of a true-to-form Marshall Mathers. Note: Infinite is not listed here, given the fact that it would most likely be considered a simple mixtape if it were to drop in today’s market. So where does your favorite – and least favorite – Eminem album rank? Read on.

6) Encore (2004)

Eminem’s much-maligned pre-hiatus, pre-overdose album is a veritable hodgepodge. The album has flashes of the brilliance many fans had come to expect over the first three albums, such as “Like Toy Soldiers,” “Yellowbrick Road” and “Mockingbird,” but is ruined by head-scratchers like “Big Weenie,” “Ass Like That” and “Rain Man” (sorry, Danny Brown). Encore went on to be Em’s lowest-selling album out of his first four, and eventually led to a five-year disappearance while he battled a pill addiction. Album sales typically only tell some of the story, sometimes none of the story at all, but in this case, there’s a reason it didn’t take off.

5) Recovery (2010)

Think of Recovery as Eminem’s White Album. It’s conservative, safe, and may even feel overtly-satirical when played next to his earlier work. Despite demonstrating some much-needed growth in his song making, which you can see in songs likes “Going Through Changes” and “Talkin’ 2 Myself,” the majority of the album veered into the pop lane and it felt oh-so-wrong for an Eminem LP. Nevertheless, Recovery was a mainstay on the charts and racked up seven total weeks at #1 while spawning hit singles in “Not Afraid” and “Love the Way You Lie.” But again, the charts don’t lie, but they don’t really tell the truth either.

4) Relapse (2009)

Eminem’s return to the rap game after five years proved to be as polarizing as ever. The loosely-conceptual Relapse found his grim alter-ego Slim Shady running more freely than ever before. Endless serial killer verses turned many people off, and the album failed to birth a true hit single (despite “Crack a Bottle” hitting #1). However, the rapping on Relapse is nothing short of masterful. Eminem said he had to teach himself how to truly rap again following his overdose and if you listen to the album with that in mind, you know he’d get rave reviews on RateMyProfessor. “Stay Wide Awake” and “Must be the Ganja” are vintage Slim and contain head-spinning flows and structure, while “My Mom” and “Same Song & Dance” bring the listener back to the late ’90s without feeling stale. We also get a vividly-detailed portrait of Em’s hiatus on “Deja Vu.” Complex’s EIC, Noah Callahan-Bever, compiled a hybrid Relapse/Refill playlist that should certainly change minds on the album’s quality.

3) The Slim Shady LP (1999)

We were introduced to Marshall Mathers with a simple greeting on “My Name Is…” and the world would never be the same. The Slim Shady LP gave us a man who could certainly rap, but who was angry at the world, had more than his fair share of childhood baggage and had an intoxicatingly dark sense of humor. Records like “Role Model” and “My Fault” had parents in an uproar and kids in a tissy, while records like “Brain Damage” and “Rock Bottom” showed critics that we had barely scratched the surface on what was to come.

2) The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)

Eminem had shocked the world a year prior, but on the Marshall Mathers LP he was out to prove that he was more than a flash in the pan. Most of the humor from his debut was gone, and the masses were introduced to Marshall as a man. That man was dark and constantly battling demons. He was also pretty good at rapping. The album would go on to launch Eminem into another stratosphere, spawning three massive singles and eventually going diamond. The album also spawned one of the darkest and most haunting songs in the genre, with “Kim.” Em’s sophomore effort led to more public drama between he and his wife, his mother, and even GLAAD for its lyrical content. No matter the scrutiny, the album still received rave reviews and went on to be considered a classic.

1) The Eminem Show (2002)

We examined this album in depth upon its 10-year-anniversary. While most would list MMLP as Em’s best work, it simply is not. His sophomore album may be his most loved and talked about, but it is his junior effort that is the essence of Marshall Mathers. At this point in time, Eminem was the king of the ring. He was successful beyond his wildest dreams, he was a respected emcee and he was even starring in a major motion picture about his life. One would imagine an album made during this time period would reflect the bright side of fame, however it did just the opposite. The Eminem Show found the Detroiter at his most vulnerable and struggling with the limelight. Records like “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” found Marshall already plotting his exit, while “Cleaning Out My Closet” and “Hailie’s Song” put his life on display more than ever before. Throughout the album, we are also treated with moments of humor, which solidifies it as Em’s most well-rounded. With 8 Mile just a few months away, fans were handed a second classic album for the summer.

The Marshall Mathers LP 2 arrives in stores tomorrow. Where do you think it will be ranked?

The post Ranking Eminem’s Albums From Worst to Best appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.