Relapse
by Eminem
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 1078 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 889 out of 1078
  2. Mixed: 114 out of 1078
  3. Negative: 75 out of 1078

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  1. MMe
    Jun 18, 2009
    9
    As with most recent Eminem albums there's certain songs that should be taken in context, and not literally or seriously. The tunes are excellent, love it.
  2. LanceU
    Jun 2, 2009
    9
    I can't stand critics sometimes. Most of them either hate Eminem's guts or hip hop in general. If he would have made a real mature album crying and lamenting about his drug addiction and best friend dying or about KIm they would be saying he's whiny. Can't take the music for what it is, just a raw lyricist that hasn't gotten soft or lost a step. They want him to I can't stand critics sometimes. Most of them either hate Eminem's guts or hip hop in general. If he would have made a real mature album crying and lamenting about his drug addiction and best friend dying or about KIm they would be saying he's whiny. Can't take the music for what it is, just a raw lyricist that hasn't gotten soft or lost a step. They want him to go away but he keeps coming back. I love it. The fly that you can't swat. The biggest artist of this decade. Make a whole page of bad reviews and he still wins. That must really piss people off.… Expand
  3. RyanG
    Jun 22, 2009
    10
    This is is great album, I don't know what the hell is wrong with the critics. They must of been listening of too much of those crappy rappers like Souljaboytellem and Lil Wayne.
  4. ZackL
    Jun 29, 2009
    9
    Good, but not his best, and I'm not happy that he's titling his next album Relapse 2.
  5. ariang
    Jun 5, 2009
    9
    Very good album. razor sharp intelligent lyrics and fun to listen to. Dr.Dre's involvement very valuable and helps Eminem to concentrate on what he does best.
  6. EvgenyV
    Jun 6, 2009
    10
    This is the ultimate Eminem album, which pleases all the real Eminem supporters. His rhymes are on point and his flow is incredible, the wordplay is fantastic. I love it.
  7. blasblas
    Jun 7, 2009
    10
    Album is great, kinda on the trippy side, but damn he is one of the greatest. "Em" if you read this We all love your music we dont want you to stop but"Family" comes first. so we understand :)
  8. JoshF
    Jul 13, 2009
    10
    As an album its an awesome piece of work, tells a real deep story... lookin' forward to the next album!
  9. D.Tail
    Aug 13, 2009
    10
    F*cking brilliant album and a serious comeback...Next one lose the accent tho slim.
  10. jamesb
    May 23, 2009
    7
    If you like Eminem, you'll like Relapse. It's maybe not his best work - much of the middle of the album is amongst his weakest to date - but there's certainly enough to please his loyal followers.
  11. dant
    Jun 12, 2009
    10
    Fantastic, lyrically at his best with sick beats to back them up..eminem is finally back.
  12. AntonN
    Jun 2, 2009
    9
    This is exactly what HipHop needed! Back to the unique storytelling, the catchy hooks, banging beats and, head scratching wordplay! Eminem came with exactly with what I expected! Definately the best album of the year and one of my top three favorite Eminem albums no doubt!
  13. MarekW
    Jun 23, 2009
    10
    This CD is crazy! Lyrics and flow are world class. Definitely the best Eminem album ever, in my opinion.
  14. JosephA
    Jun 5, 2009
    8
    Awesome to hear Eminem again. The album is much better than Encore, if not for the beats alone (Dre), but his flow is really tight as well. As usual he's a ton more creative in terms of content and diversity in terms of delivery styles than 99% of the rappers out there (at least the ones I know). And though his schtick is a bit worn out, it's still a pretty entertaining album Awesome to hear Eminem again. The album is much better than Encore, if not for the beats alone (Dre), but his flow is really tight as well. As usual he's a ton more creative in terms of content and diversity in terms of delivery styles than 99% of the rappers out there (at least the ones I know). And though his schtick is a bit worn out, it's still a pretty entertaining album that transmits a good amount of urgency, schizophrenia and neurosis. It took me a couple of listens to really dig it. Too bad about the cover art, which I think sucks.… Expand
  15. ShaneD
    Jul 11, 2009
    9
    Relapse has Eminem hitting on all cyllinders dishing out the witty wordplay and complex rhyme schemes over generally exceptional Dr. Dre beats. One can only wish there were a few more serious songs. If the album had a couple more personal recaords it may have been a classic. The general syle seems like a combanation of the MMLP and The Eminem Show.
  16. BenP
    Jul 13, 2009
    6
    It has some keepers, some throwback into the lake songs. A sober Eminem trying to mix rehab/being sober with his old gimmick from his first albums. Not a good mix. I was hoping he'd lose the middle eastern accent, but it seems he can't shake it. It was good once in "Ass Like That". The accent ruins any song. It's nice to see him sober up, but I don't he'll ever be It has some keepers, some throwback into the lake songs. A sober Eminem trying to mix rehab/being sober with his old gimmick from his first albums. Not a good mix. I was hoping he'd lose the middle eastern accent, but it seems he can't shake it. It was good once in "Ass Like That". The accent ruins any song. It's nice to see him sober up, but I don't he'll ever be as golden as his first 3 albums.… Expand
  17. KgosiP.
    Aug 19, 2009
    9
    Eminem,the rhyme king of all time.big up to that flow you produced in this album!
  18. JamesV
    Aug 30, 2009
    7
    With Eminem gone from the game for 5 years, and with all the personal events that have happened in his life, I expected a more personal album addressing more serious issues. Instead, there are only 2 serious songs on this record. 'Beatiful" and 'De Ja Vu' are the only meaningful songs, and they are both great tunes. The rest of the album is filled with jokes and sick humor. With Eminem gone from the game for 5 years, and with all the personal events that have happened in his life, I expected a more personal album addressing more serious issues. Instead, there are only 2 serious songs on this record. 'Beatiful" and 'De Ja Vu' are the only meaningful songs, and they are both great tunes. The rest of the album is filled with jokes and sick humor. The accent he uses on every song except 3 is terrible, bringing songs like 'Bagpipes' from possibly enjoyable tunes, to barely listenable. From a hip hop perspective, Em still has it. His rhymes are very well crafted, he has good wordplay and some good lines on this album. But the retarded voice he chooses to use wrecks the record. There are a few really good songs, a few boring ones, and a few unlistenable ones. Maybe Relapse 2 will have more serious songs, and that's his idea, but if not I would've put at least a few more meaningful tunes on #1. Eminem still has it, but he didn't bring it on this album. At least he didn't bring everything we know he is capable of bringing.… Expand
  19. ChrisB
    May 19, 2009
    7
    Better than Encore, not as good as his first 3 albums. Old Time's Sake, Underground, Beautiful, and Same Song rate up there with his best. All three of his current singles are horrible though.
  20. SuleimanM.
    Jun 26, 2009
    7
    Relapse isn't the come back we were all hoping for, but it does more than enough to satisfy our Slim Shady needs. Excluding a few shallow tracks, Relapse is on the right track for what we hope will be an exceptional double album.
  21. JordanA
    Jul 27, 2009
    10
    Ok, any rating below an 8 is absolutely ridiculous. The album is great! Very creative. The lyrics are amazing. Every song has a meaning and tells a story. The album puts you in the shoes of the one and only Marshall Mathers. We get his point of view of what he was going through over the past couple of years. The critics need to stop expecting him to put out the "Greatest Album of Ok, any rating below an 8 is absolutely ridiculous. The album is great! Very creative. The lyrics are amazing. Every song has a meaning and tells a story. The album puts you in the shoes of the one and only Marshall Mathers. We get his point of view of what he was going through over the past couple of years. The critics need to stop expecting him to put out the "Greatest Album of All-Time". Lower your expectations for goodness sake. He's not Einstien. What he is though, is the Greatest Rapper of all-time and he is back and will be at the top of hip-hop once again.… Expand
  22. Chris
    Aug 24, 2009
    10
    Eminem comes in 2009 to make things better in hip hop and he's coming with a great album.he begins with his bloody "3 a.m." and continues with the songs "My Mom" and "Insane" which he blames his mothers for for his recent drug abuse and tells us in a genius way about his problems with his stepfather.The lbums has a lot of songs that he explains us what he went through during his Eminem comes in 2009 to make things better in hip hop and he's coming with a great album.he begins with his bloody "3 a.m." and continues with the songs "My Mom" and "Insane" which he blames his mothers for for his recent drug abuse and tells us in a genius way about his problems with his stepfather.The lbums has a lot of songs that he explains us what he went through during his addiction with drugs.He is more honest that anyone would expected.The songs "Deja Vu", "Beautiful" and "Underground" are (for me) masterpieces!!His intelligence and his skills can be seen in these songs.Surely better than Encore, Relapse is an awesome work from Eminem and is sure that fans are going to love it!… Expand
  23. ghostfacekillah
    Dec 3, 2010
    9
    It was a great album, hands down. I really don't understand why so many people hate it. It's a creepy, tingling, funny and horror filled album. Some songs ought to be omitted, but the album in general is just great.
  24. HeyImBenMiles
    Mar 2, 2011
    7
    "And eight years later, I'm still at it/Divorced, re-married, a felon, a father, sleeping pill addict" If you skip the first, say, nine tracks, it's actually quite listenable, which is remarkable when you consider the aforementioned quote.
  25. wazzy
    Aug 25, 2011
    10
    I don't see what all the hate is, people are just assuming because there are a few bad songs on the album he deserves a crappy rate. You may think this album is crap, but I think at this time he is still the Genius he ever was. You've been taking advantage of his music, and of his talent and as his last albums may have shined the brightest you seem to have been blinded.
    I have every eminem    I don't see what all the hate is, people are just assuming because there are a few bad songs on the album he deserves a crappy rate. You may think this album is crap, but I think at this time he is still the Genius he ever was. You've been taking advantage of his music, and of his talent and as his last albums may have shined the brightest you seem to have been blinded.
    I have every eminem album and the songs in relapse have more plays than any other on my ITunes. So before you come on here, spilling your hate on a few songs go back replay an amazing song like Beautiful and you'll be reminded the true talent of the artist.    … Expand
  26. snowcold
    Oct 5, 2011
    7
    I mean, we can be unrealistic and give it a 10, but no.. I like the album as a whole, but listening only one song ruins it. ''Beautiful'' is definitely the best song on the album, and it's long version is even better. Listening to singles, I like them, but ''3 a.m.'' is as dark as a song can be, so it kind of reveals how hard the whole album is right on the start. I didn't like the accentI mean, we can be unrealistic and give it a 10, but no.. I like the album as a whole, but listening only one song ruins it. ''Beautiful'' is definitely the best song on the album, and it's long version is even better. Listening to singles, I like them, but ''3 a.m.'' is as dark as a song can be, so it kind of reveals how hard the whole album is right on the start. I didn't like the accent on some song, but on some of them it is really perfect, like on ''Stay Wide Awake''. Once again, Em' did a good job, but not as good as The Eminem Show and The Marshall Mathers LP.… Expand
  27. spadenx
    Jan 13, 2012
    2
    Both lyrically and vocally, This is Eminem at his worst. IMO its easily his worst album. The only good song on the album was Underground (it was only good because it was Eminem in his old style). Truely one trashy album.
  28. RonaldOVOXO
    Feb 4, 2012
    9
    I love this CD only song i didnt like Was "Same Song & Dance" Other than that it was the best album of 2009. I dont understand why people didnt like this album it's a classic hopefully eminem will make a Relapse 2 in 2012 or the near future
  29. RedAFX
    Apr 11, 2012
    8
    Artistically produced with Eminem's lyrical content in mind, Dr Dre teases listeners with his fidelic beats and goes into the darkness with Mathers to bring some his most disturbing realities and fantasies to life.
    Unfortunately certain singles inserted into the mix of the album which feel out of place with it's concept.
  30. axelkoch
    Nov 16, 2012
    7
    So the beginning is awesome, but tracks 3 to 8 are poor. But after that, there's no bad song left and the album gives you entertaining songs. It's not his best album, but what are critics complaining? His rap skills are still great and he also got a couple of good wordplays in here. So what? I had a good time with Relapse, it's a good CD. Deep, sad and also the other side, which I wouldn'tSo the beginning is awesome, but tracks 3 to 8 are poor. But after that, there's no bad song left and the album gives you entertaining songs. It's not his best album, but what are critics complaining? His rap skills are still great and he also got a couple of good wordplays in here. So what? I had a good time with Relapse, it's a good CD. Deep, sad and also the other side, which I wouldn't describe as funny, let's rather say entertaining. PS: In 'Stay Wide Awake' he's rapping the whole second verse ending on -me - This is just fantastic!… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Most Discussed Album of 2009
5
#5 Most Shared Album of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 27
  3. Negative: 4 out of 27
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    Thankfully, producer Dr. Dre is there to temper the lyrical bloodletting, laying heavyweight hooks over even the most scabrous tales of family disturbia, and setting 'Bagpipes From Baghdad,' Em's inspired riff on rumored ex Mariah Carey, to snake-charming woodwind squiggles.
    Read full review
  2. Los Angeles Times
    60
    It's an impressively focused and clever work. But this music is not transcendent. It's still stuck in Marshall Mathers' muck, his fundamental mistrust of pleasure and love.
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  3. Rolling Stone
    80
    By letting Dr. Dre take over the low-end-funk production, and rhyming about things he actually cares about, he comes up with a more painful, honest and vital record than anyone could have expected at this late date, up there with "The Eminem Show" or maybe even better.
    Read full review
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