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.

The sophomore jinx is a feared slump both for artists and fans alike. When an album has a certain degree of success, in terms of quality, expectations are raised exponentially for the second go-round. For some artists, this is welcomed pressure in that it forces them to craft an even tighter and more polished sound. For others, it is a recipe for disaster that ultimately results in them falling flat on their faces.

Several factors contribute to the sophomore jinx, from internal to external sources. An artist may become complacent from the positive reception of the debut, the label may rush out a second effort in order to strike while the iron’s hot (word to X), and others may just be unable to handle the pressure to perform. With J. Cole’s sophomore effort just around the corner, and fans all over the world hoping he lives up to the buzz surrounding Born Sinner, we think it might be useful to look at five other albums that were able to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. Each album differs in context and most of them were not as commercially successful as their predecessors, but they are still triumphs because they show artists rising above the pressure and maintaining their integrity.

Nas – It Was Written (1996)

Nas had released what would go on to be widely-considered one of the greatest albums in hip-hop history with Illmatic two years prior. It Was Written moved away from the raw sound of Nas’ debut in favor of a slightly more mainstream reach. Because of this, the album was initially panned by critics as a departure from what made Nas great. In hindsight, most of those criticisms fell by the wayside and It Was Written went on to be considered one of Nasir’s best efforts.

Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)

Marshall Mathers had taken the rap game by storm in 1999 with the success of the Slim Shady LP. For his sophomore effort, Em decided to forgo much of the cartoonish imagery from his debut in favor of  darker, more introspective lyrical content. Despite the fact that the album’s misogynistic content garnered massive scrutiny by activists, the Marshall Mathers LP proved to be a hit with fans and critics alike and is considered by many to be Eminem’s best.

Brother Ali – The Undisputed Truth (2007)

Following a poorly-circulated album three years earlier with Rites of Passage, Ali delivered his proper Rhymesayers debut in Shadows on the Sun in 2003. Shadows was widely-praised and four years later Ali would follow-up with the Undisputed Truth. Produced entirely by Ant of Atmosphere, the album shifted its focus from the battle raps and introspection found on Ali’s debut to a more global, political view. “Uncle Sam Goddamn” was extremely critical of the US government and ultimately got Ali kicked off a 2007 tour sponsored by Verizon. Ali addressed the situation on “Second Time Around,” saying, “Verizon dissed me too, ‘cause I was too political.”

Outkast – ATLiens (1996)

In 1993, Big Boi and Andre 3000 took a $15,000 advance from LaFace Records and recorded Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. The album encompassed the southern youth lifestyle at the time and was largely praised by critics. For their sophomore effort, Outkast expanded on their sound, creating much broader, spacier sounds. ATLiens also branched out lyrically, with more introspection from both men. While it didn’t propel them into mainstream fame (that would happen next with Stankonia), the album was more polished and mature and stands out as a pillar in the group’s catalog.

Clipse – Hell Hath No Fury (2006)

It took four years of label hell for Malice and Pusha to capitalize on their platinum-selling Lord Willin album. After a trio of mixtapes under their belt, they returned to the rap game with an angry, laser-focused product. With production handled entirely by the Neptunes, the Thorton brothers unleashed tales of coke, industry frustrations and some occasional stunting just for good measure. While Hell Hath No Fury failed to live up to the commercial success of their debut, it more than made up for with lyricism and consistency. The album is regarded by most — including Pusha T himself — as the Clipse’s masterpiece.

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