Fresh from a (slight) return to form through Recovery, Slim teams up with old pal and fellow Detroit emcee Royce Da 5'9 to bring fans "Hell: The Sequel". For those of you who remember Scary Movies or happened to have heard the recently released Fast Lane, this collaboration seemed to be more of a gift to the fans than an attempt at commercial success for which I couldn't be happier about.
Bad Meets Evil let their intentions be known from the start, with the aptly named Welcome to Hell setting the pace and theme for the rest of album. The first thing listeners will realise, even from track one is that this is not the Eminem fans have seen in a long time, this is Slim Shady, this is incredible. To say the old Eminem is back would be be a disservice to how impressive Slims pace is on the album, not to mention the kind of dark humour that many fans, including myself fell in love with. (look out for a cheeky Nicki Minaj request in Fast Lane).
Listeners may be forgiven for thinking this is an Eminem album featuring Royce Da 5'9 but this is way off the mark; in fact, what I love more than anything about this album is the fact that at no point in Hell: The Sequel does Royce get overshadowed by Eminem; he spits just as much fire with an equally impressive delivery on every single track.When Royce gets the opportunity to go it alone is when the listener really gets to see Royce for what he is - an incredible standalone rapper who for some reason is yet to get the reconition he deserves. For examples of this, look no further than Above The Law and Take From Me.
Everything was going swimmingly; I loved the beats (particularly the eery offering from superbly diverse producer Bangladesh), Em was back and on top of all this I was properly introduced to Royce Da 5'9. Just as I was starting to think this was a truly special album POW! Bruno Mars' voice cuts through me like a knife...WTF?! He has no place here, this was supposed to be for the fans, a middle finger to commercial albums yet here is a song that is clearly built for the radio, I wouldn't of minded too much but even the verses were weak. I honestly feel a little cheated with this track, so unnecessary.
The Bruno track kinda resonated with me for the rest of the album and cracks started to appear. The guest spots were not particularly memorable and there were glimpses of 'Relapse/Recovery Eminem through a few weak verses and tediously long choruses a'la I Need A Doctor, Royce actually has to rescue a few tracks for Slim.
Judging the album purely on the Royce and Eminem tracks, this is an amazing album and welcomes a true return to form for Slim Shady. However, the additional collaborations, particularly with Bruno Mars have kind of tainted Hell: The Sequel for me which meant it wasn't the incredible album I originally thought it was. Nevertheless, it has to be said, that for the most part, the album sets the bar for rap collaborations of 2011 and with Jay-Z and Kanye's "Watch The Throne" right around the corner, Jigga and Ye' need to sit up and take notice.
4/5
