Music Review: Relapse
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this album glorifyies rape and
murder, and many tracks portray Eminem as a serial killer.
Eminem also raps about his addiction to prescription drugs,
which includes the brand names of pills.
Families can talk about the effect that listening to songs that
celebrate raping and murdering women might have on young
listeners The songs are fiction, but do you think it's easy to
get wrapped up in the message and have trouble separating
fantasy from reality?
It's been several years since the world was exposed to Slim Shady's brand of warped rap. RELAPSE is a voluminous 20-track release that sees Eminem back on the music scene after recovering from an addiction to prescription drugs. The theme of addiction is at the center of this CD, but the usual Eminem themes of violence against women and shock-value lyrics play a big role.
Revolting, nauseating, even repulsive: just a few of the emotions that come up after listening to this CD. But that's exactly the reaction the rapper wants to elicit. The line, "How can he say that?" actually appears on one track. But the deplorable, misogynistic rhymes aren't the worst part of the album. Eminem's self-absorbed rehashing and bashing of staid topics make this album seem less than original. His usually inspired social commentary isn't timely or relevant here, and at a certain point his sociopathic self-aggrandizing becomes monotonous. The few glimmers of hope can be found on a few tracks like "Déjà vu" and "Beautiful," where the artist speaks chillingly and realistically about the continued battle against his addiction.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
