ALBUM REVIEW: Shady Records 'Shady XV'

Rating:

Eminem’s never shied away from controversy but the Shady XV album, a celebration of the 15th anniversary of his label, Shady Records, wasn’t necessarily supposed to be about him. A few nasty comments from Eminem spoils a great album and cheapens some great bars with distasteful digs at celebrities, which frankly, he’s getting too old for.

Shady XV begins with its great eponymous single, picking up where the The Marshall Mathers LP 2 left off, superb rap music. The track begins with a great bouncing guitar riff accompanying Marshall who raps well, but sadly it takes just one track before making comments about Rihanna with whom he collaborated on ‘Monster’ and ‘Love The Way You Lie’, ultimately saving his career after a few poor years. I wouldn’t go burning bridges too soon Shady, you might need them later…

This problem persists throughout much of Shady XV. The majority of the album is strong, which is why it’s so aggravating to hear Eminem continue to blast celebs. After the well-balanced track ‘Die Alone’ you might hope that it was a one off, but it continues in the powerhouse track ‘Vegas’. For skill of rapping alone, ‘Vegas’ is the highlight of the album, which much like his smash hit ‘Rap God’ , sees Shady hitting warp speed with a series of bars which would have had Busta Rhymes nodding with approval. Again Marshall has to ruin it with the hugely controversial rape reference about Iggy Azealia. Yes, Eminem’s made a career of ripping on celebs, but surely he’s better than this. I remember the Eminem who once rapped “Slut, you think I won’t choke no whore, ’til the vocal cords don’t work in her throat no more?!” but that was a long time ago; not when he was a father or a man who’s closer to 50 than 30. Eminem is one of the best artists in the history of rap, he doesn’t need to say things like this, certainly not at his age. Leave it to Tyler The Creator. (As a side note, Tyler reviewed this album too and deemed it ‘Ass‘).

I feel it’s a shame that I’ve spent so much of my time talking about Eminem when this album is about the label. The likes of Slaughterhouse, Kobe, Yelawolf and Royce Da 5’9 play their parts well in Shady XV and tracks such as ‘Y’all Already Know’ and ‘Detroit Vs Everybody’ are solid. D12, too, give a strong account of themselves in ‘Bane’, which sees the gang fire off a barrage of rhymes which they do particularly well. There’s a variance in these tracks, with some resembling late-80s classics, whilst others seem more suited as club anthems, which is a credit to the artists currently signed to Shady Records.

Disc 2 is where the party starts for the die-hard fans. Within just a few tracks, the listener is taken back in time to a place where every twenty-something male could recite the whole of ‘Lose Yourself’ and 50 Cent was bearable. D12, too, are not to be forgotten on the second disc, as they dish out the hits, ‘My Band’, ‘Purple Pills’ and ‘Fight Music’.

Shady XV ultimately shows that there have been some quality tracks at Shady Records over the past 15 years and from what Eminem’s current roster shows , there will be so for a while now. The only criticism is Eminem’s lyrical content which in certain parts is no longer as funny as it used to be, and, in others, just uncalled for. Maybe it’s time to grow up Shady.

Keir Waller