Eminem's sixth studio album
Encyclopedia
Relapse is the sixth studio album
by American rapper Eminem
, released May 15, 2009, on Interscope Records
. It is his first album of original material since Encore (2004), following a five-year hiatus from recording due to his addiction to sleeping pills and issues with writer's block
. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2007 to 2009 at several recording studios, and production was handled primarily by Dr. Dre
, Mark Batson
, and Eminem. Conceptually, Relapse concerns the ending of his drug rehabilitation
, rapping after a fictional relapse
, and the return of his Slim Shady alter-ego.
One of the most anticipated album releases of 2009, Relapse debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200
chart, selling 608,000 copies in its first week. It produced three singles that attained chart success and has been certified double platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
. The album received generally mixed reviews from most music critics, who were mostly divided in their responses towards Eminem's lyrics. It earned him two Grammy Awards and has sold 2.2 million copies in the United States. Worldwide the album has sold 4.5 million copies.
for other rap acts, especially for the artists signed on his own label Shady Records. However, Eminem entered his hiatus after cancelling the European leg of the Anger Management Tour
in the summer of 2005 due to exhaustion and an addiction to sleeping pills. In the following year, the rapper's remarriage to his former wife Kimberly Scott lasted only eleven weeks before a second divorce, while his closest friend and fellow rapper DeShaun "Proof" Holton
was later shot and killed during an altercation outside a nightclub in Detroit. Devastated, Eminem relapsed into prescription drug
abuse
and became increasingly reclusive. In a June 2009 interview for XXL
, Eminem elaborated on the impact of Proof's death on him, stating:
Speculation on an upcoming album by Eminem was reported since mid–2007 from announcements made by artists 50 Cent
and Stat Quo
, a current and former member of Shady Records respectively. Also, rapper Bizarre
— a member of the hip hop group D12
— stated that the release of the group's third studio album was on hold because Interscope Records
wanted to release Eminem's album first. By the end of the year, additional musicians associated with Shady Records, including The Alchemist
, Bishop Lamont
, Cashis
and Obie Trice
had confirmed on different occasions that the rapper was effectively working on a new album. On September 12, 2007, during a call at the radio station WQHT Hot 97, Eminem stated that he was in limbo and was not sure whether he would release any new material in the near future. He then elaborated that at that point he was constantly working in the recording studio and had come to terms with his personal issues. In December 2007, however, Eminem was hospitalized due to an overdose
of methadone
. In early 2008, he began a 12-step program to recover from his addiction; in a later interview, he said he has been sober since April 20, 2008.
and long-time Detroit collaborator Jeff Bass of the Bass Brothers
worked with Eminem on 25 tracks, for two years after the rapper had received treatment for his sleeping pill addiction in 2005. Depressed by Proof's death, Eminem fell into a period of "writer's block
", where he felt everything he wrote was not worth recording. To compensate for this, Bass chose to follow a production style that would allow the artist to rap "off the top of his head, as opposed to writing a story." Eminem would then freestyle
or record vocals one line at a time before interrupting and then recording another line. At the same time, according to Eminem's song rights supervisor Joel Martin, the rapper began collecting additional songs without noticing it, as he would often record or produce material initially intended for the musical projects of other artists, but end up with tracks he really liked. "Beautiful
", produced by Eminem, was the only song on Relapse that was recorded in these years while he was not sober.
Eminem purchased the Effigy Studio in Ferndale, Michigan
, in 2007, and ended his working relationship with much of his former production team of the 54 Sound recording studio
, including the Bass Brothers. He then continued recording the album with producer Dr. Dre
, who in September 2007 stated his intention to dedicate two months to the production of Relapse. Working with Dr. Dre allowed Eminem to concentrate on the processes of songwriting rather than the production, which was largely taken care of by Dre. The rapper justified his choice of using Dr. Dre for the vast majority of the production due to their long collaborative history and a musical "chemistry" only he and Dr. Dre shared. This allowed the rapper to pick the beats
from Dr. Dre's catalog that challenged him rhythm
-wise in order to experiment with different flows. The making of the album progressed at the Effigy Studio up to a year after, as recording sessions were then moved to Orlando, Florida
in September 2008. By then, Eminem had began to start writing verses again at such a pace that he often took more time to record the lyrics than write them. He credited sobriety
for his new creative run, acknowledging that his mind was free of the clutter that "blocked" him during his drug abuse in the last years. The song-writing process would start by Dr. Dre giving a number of his beats on a CD to Eminem, who in a separate room in the studio would listen and select the ones he preferred and inspired him the most. Eminem would then write lyrics to the instrumentals, while Dr. Dre and his production staff continued to create new music. Once he felt he had written lyrics for enough songs, Eminem would dedicate an entire day to record his songs to the point that he would lose his voice for the following days. At that point, the rapper would then begin to write lyrics for new songs. The process continued for the next six months, and allowed Eminem to have enough material also for a second album, Relapse 2
.
During this recording period, a handful of songs intended for Relapse were leaked
on the Internet, including an incomplete version of "Crack a Bottle
". The song was then finished in January 2009 with additional vocals from Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. Despite the leak, in February 2009 the album was being completed in a state of near-total secrecy, according to the British newspaper The Independent
. Even Polydor Records
, the multinational owner of Interscope, had no information on the album at the time. On April 23, Eminem suggested he and possibly Dr. Dre were the only ones in possession of the final copy of Relapse, while his manager Paul Rosenberg
added that even Eminem's record labels were not in possession of the music at less than one month from the release date in order to prevent possible bootlegging
.
, Eminem described the concept behind Relapse to be the ending of his drug rehabilitation
and thus rap as if he was on drugs again, as well as the return of his fictional alter-ego Slim Shady. According to the interviewer Datwon Thomas, Eminem's influences for the album came from his own past drug issues, as well as television shows and documentaries involving crime and serial killer
s, as the rapper was fascinated by "serial killers and their psyche
and their mind states". In a May 2009 interview for The New York Times
, Eminem discussed his view of serial killers, stating:
voices a drug counselor whose untrustworthiness causes Eminem to fall back to drugs and the return to his Slim Shady character. The skit leads to "3 a.m.
", where Eminem depicts himself as a serial killer during a murder spree. When "3 a.m." was released as a single prior to the album's own release, Eminem noted that the song closely mirrored what he believed was the overall dark tone of the album. On "My Mom", the rapper traces his addictive tendencies to his mother, and thus to have turned out to be a drug addict just like her. Eminem continues his family tales on "Insane", where he imagines himself as a victim of child molestation. For Eminem, the goal of "Insane" was to make song that would disgust the listeners and "make them puke", adding that he came up with this idea after thinking of the song's first line ("I was born with a dick in my brain/Yeah, fucked in the head"). Mariah Carey
, along with her current husband Nick Cannon
, are targeted in "Bagpipes from Baghdad", where Eminem raps over a pungi
loop
.
After "Hello", where Eminem re-introduces himself after years of being absent "mentally", he continues his violent fantasies on "Same Song & Dance", where he abducts and murders Lindsay Lohan
and Britney Spears
. The upbeat rhythm of "Same Song & Dance" reminded Eminem of a dance track, which inspired him to write something in order to "get women to dance to it and not really know what the fuck they're dancing to" without listening to the lyrics. On the ninth track of the album, "We Made You
", Eminem mocks several celebrities and plays the role of a "pop star serial killer". Eminem noted that his various "celebrity bashings" were not meant to be seen as personal attacks, but rather it was him "picking names out of a hat" that rhymed with the words he wanted to use during the writing process. On "Medicine Ball" Eminem mocks and impersonates deceased actor Christopher Reeve
, in order to get his audience to "laugh at it, and then almost feel bad for laughing". The next track is "Stay Wide Awake", in which Eminem raps about assaulting
and raping
women. Dr. Dre also has a guest appearance
on "Old Time's Sake
", a duet Eminem described as a "fun, yet reminiscent record old times" with him and Dre rapping back and forth between each other, advocating the use of marijuana for creative and financial benefits. The song is followed by "Must Be the Ganja" where Eminem raps that working in the recording studio is like a drug and an addiction for him.
After the skit "Mr. Mathers", where Eminem is recovered to a hospital, "Déjà Vu" addresses his overdose in 2007 and drug dependency during his hiatus from music. On the song, Eminem also explains how this has affected him in the last five years, to the point where his daughter becomes scared of her father's behavior. "Beautiful", a ballad
which samples "Reaching Out" by Rock Therapy
, also deals with the same time period where Eminem believed he had "reached rock bottom" and lost hope for his future. Eminem felt it was important to include "Beautiful" on the album as a reminder to himself as well as "anybody who is in a dark place [...] that you can get out of it". After "Crack a Bottle", a collaboration with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, Relapse ends with "Underground". On the final track of the album, Eminem sought to bring back to his music and lyrics the subject matter and punchlines reminiscent of "The Hiphop Shop times" (The Hiphop Shop was a clothing store in Detroit where local rappers, including Eminem, would compete in freestyle battles), before he had become famous and thus did not have worry about the explicit content of his lyrics.
interview with Eminem on April 23, 2009, Relapse 2 was to be a continuation of Relapse. During the interview Eminem also confirmed "It's extremely close to being finished, it just depends on how many songs I want to put on it." Eminem also explained the album was more "emotionally driven" than Relapse, which was, as he explains, "[just] rap records". Guest apparences were expected to come from the likes of Dr. Dre
, 50 Cent
, D12
, Royce da 5'9", Lloyd Banks
and Cashis
. The album was subsequently pushed back for an early 2010 release, so Eminem decided to re-release Relapse as Relapse: Refill with seven new tracks, including the single "Forever
" (originally on More Than a Game soundtrack
) and "Taking My Ball" (released with DJ Hero
), as well as five previously unreleased tracks. On its re-release, Eminem stated "I want to deliver more material for the fans this year like I originally planned. Hopefully these tracks on The Refill will tide the fans over until we put out Relapse 2 next year".
The only tracks from the original Relapse 2 project which surfaced were entitled "Insult to Injury", in which Eminem performs in his normal voice, as somewhat of a sequel to "Underground," the final track from Relapse and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" featuring D12, despite the loss of Proof. However, on April 13, 2010, Eminem tweeted "There is no Relapse 2", thus announcing that the album has been scrapped in favor of his new project Recovery. While recording Relapse 2 and witnessing the mixed reaction of his precessor among fans and critics alike, Eminem decided to throw away most of the recorded material, starting from scratch. The result did not seem to him as continuation of Relapse, but more of an individual project, deserving its own name. Eminem said "I had originally planned for Relapse 2 to come out last year. But as I kept recording and working with new producers, the idea of a sequel to Relapse started to make less and less sense to me, and I wanted to make a completely new album. The music on Recovery came out very different from Relapse, and I think it deserves its own title." The now renamed album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200
chart, with first-week sales of 741,000 copies in the United States. As of September 25, 2011, the album had sold 4,040,000 copies in the United States and was also it was also the best-selling album of 2010 worldwide, as well as earning a Grammy Award
for Best Rap Album.
to celebrate the publication of Eminem's autobiography The Way I Am
, the rapper confirmed his plans to release a studio album by the title of Relapse. During the party, he also previewed to the audience a song called "I'm Having a Relapse".
In regards to the album's release date, Rolling Stone
wrote in the issue of October 2008 that Virgin Megastores had planned to distribute Relapse on November 27, 2008, coincidentally on Thanksgiving
in the United States. On October 27, a spokesperson for Interscope explained that there was no official date at the time, and that any release dates that had been posted on any website were unfounded. In a phone conversation during the finale of Total Request Live
on November 16, 2008, Eminem asserted that Relapse would be released during the first quarter
of 2009, precisely during either of the first two months of the year, explaining that he was in the process of selecting the songs for the album.
Despite the leak two months before, "Crack a Bottle
" was eventually released for legal paid digital download
as well as a promotional single
on February 2, 2009, and also reached the number one position on the US Billboard Hot 100
, while, according to Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg, a music video for the song had been produced and directed by Syndrome, and released in several parts of the world from May to early June. At the time of the release, various contradicting reports disputed whether the song would be included on Relapse, but a press release from head label Universal Music Group
eventually confirmed the single's inclusion on the album. In similar press statements after March 5, Universal made public the regional release dates for Relapse: as early as May 15, 2009, in Italy and the Netherlands; most other European countries and Brazil on May 18; and the following day in the United States and Australia as well. Additionally, the record label also announced a second album by Eminem, then called Relapse 2 but later titled Recovery, which was to be released by the end of the year, but now expected in June 2010. Eminem explained that he and Dr. Dre had recorded a considerable amount of music and thus, by releasing two albums, would allow listeners to have access to all of his music.
After the release of "Crack a Bottle", the music video of the single "We Made You
" was aired on April 7, and became available for purchase a week later on April 13. The video was directed by Joseph Kahn
and premiered simultaneously on several MTV
channels, as well as MTV's website. On April 28, the third overall single for the album, "3 a.m.", was released once again for paid music download. A music video for "3 a.m." was directed by Syndrome and filmed in Detroit. It premiered on May 2 on Cinemax
, several days after a trailer
for the video was posted online. Two more singles were distributed prior to the album's release, as "Old Time's Sake
" and "Beautiful
" went on sale on the iTunes Store
on May 5 and May 12 respectively. "My Darling" and "Careful What You Wish For" were made available upon purchase of the Premium version of the album. The track "Insane" peaked at position 85 on the US Billboard Hot 100
chart on the albums release via iTunes.
Previously on April 4, 2009, Eminem was featured on CBS
during the network's coverage of the 2009 NCAA Final Four
, in segment where he recited the spoken word
"Love Letter to Detroit". Later on the same day, the rapper inducted the hip hop group Run-D.M.C.
to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
. Adam Graham of The Detroit News
described this as "all part of the calculated promotional push" for Relapse. The rapper performed live at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards
on May 31, while he appeared on the covers of hip hop magazines Vibe and XXL
in their respective issues of June 2009; the second of which was created by a deal struck with Eminem and Marvel Comics
, where the rapper would pose as Marvel's main vigilante The Punisher if Marvel created an issue starring him and The Punisher in order to promote Relapse. An iPhone
game to accompany the album was released on May 19, 2009.
While on the Never Say Never tour, fellow group members Swifty and Kuniva (D12) along with Royce Da 5'9" stopped by KISS 100FM for a live interview and spoke on Relapse. Royce stated that the album will be a game changer, and jokingly said he might have to push his own album back three years after Eminem drops his. Kuniva added that D12 recorded many tracks for Relapse but wasn't sure if they would make the album or not. Swifty then confirmed that Eminem would in fact be dropping two albums in 2009, Relapse 2 following Relapse. Relapse was re-released on December 21, 2009, as Relapse: Refill, with seven bonus tracks, including the single "Forever
" (originally on More Than a Game soundtrack
) and "Taking My Ball" (released with DJ Hero
), as well as five previously unreleased tracks. On its re-release, Eminem stated "I want to deliver more material for the fans this year like I originally planned. Hopefully these tracks on The Refill will tide the fans over until we put out Relapse 2 next year".
for Relapse was first published through Eminem's Twitter
account on April 21, 2009. It illustrates a head shot of the rapper composed by a mosaic of thousands of pills. A sticker on the cover resembles a prescription drug label, on which the patient is Eminem and Dr. Dre is the prescribing doctor. Gil Kaufman of MTV News
described the cover as a reference to the rapper's struggle and addiction to prescription drugs, adding that it follows Eminem's habit of displaying personal issues in his art. The album booklet and back cover follow a pill prescription design. On the backside of the booklet is a dedication to Proof, where Eminem explains that he's sober and that he tried to write a song for him, but none were good enough therefore he dedicates the whole album to him. The CD itself is meant to represent the lid on a bottle of prescription pills, grey with the big red inscription "Push Down & Turn". The cover for Relapse:Refill is basically the same, only with the background colour changed from black to white. The prescription drug label is scratched out and the writing "Refill"is posed next to it.
chart, selling 608,000 copies in its first week of release. In Canada, the album sold 64,000 copies in its first week and debuted at #1 on the Canadian Albums Chart
. Outside of North America, Relapse managed to reach the number one spot in its first week in various other countries including Australia, France, Norway, Denmark and New Zealand, while climbing into the Top 5 in many other countries, including Germany, Italy, Finland, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden. In its second week the album stayed at number one and sold a further 211,000 taking its total to 819,000 to become the fifth best-seller of the year. In the third week Relapse dropped to number two selling another 141,000 copies, bringing the total sales of the album in the US to 962,000 in only three weeks, Relapse dropped to number three in its fourth week selling 87,000 to push its total sales to 1,049,000 in the US. The next week, Relapse went down to number four and sold 72,000 units. In its sixth week Relapse was at the number five spot and sold another 47,000 copies, pushing its total sales to 1,169,000 in the US. Relapse dropped down to the number nine in its seventh week gaining sales of 39,000 taking its total US sales up to 1,207,000. Relapse remained at number nine in its eight week selling a further 34,000 copies pushing its total US sales to 1,241,000. It became the best selling rap album of 2009. By June 2010, the album had sold over 1,986,000 copies in the United States. Relapse had sold more than two million copies in the US. The album was certified double platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
on August 27, 2010.
. Despite calling it an "impressively focused and clever work", Los Angeles Times
writer Ann Powers
gave it a generally mixed review and found its music "not transcendent", stating "Eminem could have pulled his music into a new category. What he presents is still powerful, but narrowly cast". NME
s Louis Pattison gave Relapse a 5/10 rating and found Eminem's wordplay "wicked in the depths of its depravity", but ultimately felt that "the overriding feel is of an album just too jaded, too joyless to truly count as a return to form". In his consumer guide for MSN Music
, critic Robert Christgau
gave the album a B- rating and named it "dud of the month", indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought. At the upper level it may merely be overrated, disappointing, or dull. Down below it may be contemptible". Christgau expressed a negative response towards Eminem's lyrics and accused him of sensationalism
, stating "this is not a Slim Shady album. Slim Shady had a lightness about him". The Village Voice
s Theon Weber panned its sensationalist lyrics, stating "a dank echo chamber wherein he continues his "shock tactics" in pointless isolation".
Giving it 4 out of 5 stars, Rolling Stone
writer Rob Sheffield
called it a "more painful, honest and vital record", viewing it as on-par with Eminem's acclaimed fourth album The Eminem Show
. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
of Allmusic described the album as "musically white-hot, dense, and dramatic" and said "his flow is so good, his wordplay so sharp, it seems churlish to wish that he addressed something other than his long-standing obsessions and demons". The Daily Telegraph
lauded the album's honest way of showing Eminem's drug addiction and overuse. Entertainment Weekly
s Leah Greenblatt gave it an A- rating and stated "Relapses real resonance comes from the fragile, harrowing genius that lies behind that painted-on grin". Vibes Benjamin Meadows-Ingram perceived the album's concept as "spotty", but praised Eminem's lyricism, writing "Em works wonders with words, expanding the boundaries of the art of rap itself ... the composition is experimental and abstract, a master toying with form". In contrast, Alan Ranta of PopMatters
gave Relapse a 3/10 rating and wrote "being insane is simply not a good enough excuse to spread chauvinistic hate-speech like this, especially not when delivered in such a formulaic casing. All in all, Relapse is not much more than a brightly polished turd of old-hat hate, incompatible with the direction society is headed." Sputnikmusic
's John A. Hanson gave it 1 out of 5 stars and perceived Eminem's lyrics as lacking substance. At the 52nd Grammy Awards
, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album
.
On his following album Recovery (2010), Eminem makes reference to Relapse and criticizes it in the second verse of the song "Not Afraid
": "In fact, let's be honest/ That last Relapse CD was 'ehh'/ Perhaps I ran them accents into the ground/ Relax, I ain't going back to that now". He expresses further criticism of the album in the song "Cinderalla Man", saying "Fuck my last CD, that shit's in my thrash".
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American rapper Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
, released May 15, 2009, on Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
. It is his first album of original material since Encore (2004), following a five-year hiatus from recording due to his addiction to sleeping pills and issues with writer's block
Writer's block
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked"...
. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2007 to 2009 at several recording studios, and production was handled primarily by Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
, Mark Batson
Mark Batson
Mark Batson is an American record producer, arranger, and songwriter from Bushwick, Brooklyn, now based in Los Angeles.As a co-writer and producer with Dr. Dre, he is responsible for Jay-Z's 2006 single "Lost One", as well as tracks for Eminem, 50 Cent, Game and Snoop Dogg. As a co-writer and...
, and Eminem. Conceptually, Relapse concerns the ending of his drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
, rapping after a fictional relapse
Relapse
Relapse, in relation to drug misuse, is resuming the use of a drug or a dependent substance after one or more periods of abstinence. The term is a landmark feature of both substance dependence and substance abuse, which are learned behaviors, and is maintained by neuronal adaptations that mediate...
, and the return of his Slim Shady alter-ego.
One of the most anticipated album releases of 2009, Relapse debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, selling 608,000 copies in its first week. It produced three singles that attained chart success and has been certified double platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. The album received generally mixed reviews from most music critics, who were mostly divided in their responses towards Eminem's lyrics. It earned him two Grammy Awards and has sold 2.2 million copies in the United States. Worldwide the album has sold 4.5 million copies.
Background
Since 2005, Eminem had intended to take a break from recording his own music in order to become a hip hop producerHip hop production
Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music. Though the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music, it's most commonly used to refer to the instrumental, non-lyrical aspects of hip hop. This means that hip hop producers are the instrumentalists involved in a work...
for other rap acts, especially for the artists signed on his own label Shady Records. However, Eminem entered his hiatus after cancelling the European leg of the Anger Management Tour
Anger Management Tour
The inaugural Anger Management Tour was founded and started in the fall 2000 by Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, and after the release of The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem. Originally targeted at both rap and rock fans, the first "Anger Management" outing took place in 2000. It had two separate legs.The...
in the summer of 2005 due to exhaustion and an addiction to sleeping pills. In the following year, the rapper's remarriage to his former wife Kimberly Scott lasted only eleven weeks before a second divorce, while his closest friend and fellow rapper DeShaun "Proof" Holton
Proof (rapper)
DeShaun Dupree Holton better known as Proof his stage name, was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he was a member of the groups Goon Squad, 5 Elementz, Promatic, and most notably D12...
was later shot and killed during an altercation outside a nightclub in Detroit. Devastated, Eminem relapsed into prescription drug
Prescription drug
A prescription medication is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a medical prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to distinguish it from over-the-counter drugs which can be obtained without a prescription...
abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
and became increasingly reclusive. In a June 2009 interview for XXL
XXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.In 1997, XXL was founded by former Source staffers as well as other Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own magazine about the hip-hop music and culture using the model developed by the founders of The Source...
, Eminem elaborated on the impact of Proof's death on him, stating:
Speculation on an upcoming album by Eminem was reported since mid–2007 from announcements made by artists 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
and Stat Quo
Stat Quo
Stanley Benton, better known as Stat Quo, is an American rapper. Benton worked his way to college and attended University of Florida, where he majored in economics and international business in 2000. Benton was contemplating law school, until veteran Southern rapper Scarface encouraged him to rap...
, a current and former member of Shady Records respectively. Also, rapper Bizarre
Bizarre (rapper)
Rufus Arthur Johnson , better known as Bizarre is an American recording artist best known for his work with Detroit hip-hop group D12. His songs are often about subjects which create shock value such as rape and drugs.-Early life:Bizarre was born as Rufus Arthur Johnson on July 5, 1976 in Detroit,...
— a member of the hip hop group D12
D12
D12, an acronym for The Dirty Dozen, is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. D12 has had chart-topping albums in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia...
— stated that the release of the group's third studio album was on hold because Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
wanted to release Eminem's album first. By the end of the year, additional musicians associated with Shady Records, including The Alchemist
The Alchemist (producer)
Alan Daniel Maman , better known as The Alchemist, is an American hip hop producer, DJ and rapper. He hails from Beverly Hills, California...
, Bishop Lamont
Bishop Lamont
Philip Martin , better known as Bishop Lamont is an American rapper from Carson, California. He was signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label but left in 2010.-Biography:...
, Cashis
Cashis
Ramone Johnson, better known by his stage name Cashis , is an American rapper who was born and raised in Chicago, but moved to Irvine, California. He was featured on the Shady album Eminem Presents: The Re-Up and released the County Hound EP in 2007...
and Obie Trice
Obie Trice
Obie Trice III is an American rapper and songwriter. He began rapping at the age of 11, and is most known for his time spent signed to Shady Records. Obie Trice has formed his own record label, Black Market Entertainment.-Biography:...
had confirmed on different occasions that the rapper was effectively working on a new album. On September 12, 2007, during a call at the radio station WQHT Hot 97, Eminem stated that he was in limbo and was not sure whether he would release any new material in the near future. He then elaborated that at that point he was constantly working in the recording studio and had come to terms with his personal issues. In December 2007, however, Eminem was hospitalized due to an overdose
Drug overdose
The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced...
of methadone
Methadone
Methadone is a synthetic opioid, used medically as an analgesic and a maintenance anti-addictive for use in patients with opioid dependency. It was developed in Germany in 1937...
. In early 2008, he began a 12-step program to recover from his addiction; in a later interview, he said he has been sober since April 20, 2008.
Recording
In the initial recording stages of Relapse, record producerRecord producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and long-time Detroit collaborator Jeff Bass of the Bass Brothers
Bass Brothers
Bass Brothers is the professional name for the team of Mark and Jeff Bass, the Detroit producers responsible for grooming megastar Eminem in his early days and collaborating on much of his subsequent music. Before that they worked with George Clinton...
worked with Eminem on 25 tracks, for two years after the rapper had received treatment for his sleeping pill addiction in 2005. Depressed by Proof's death, Eminem fell into a period of "writer's block
Writer's block
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked"...
", where he felt everything he wrote was not worth recording. To compensate for this, Bass chose to follow a production style that would allow the artist to rap "off the top of his head, as opposed to writing a story." Eminem would then freestyle
Freestyle rap
Freestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a acapella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or "off the top of the head"...
or record vocals one line at a time before interrupting and then recording another line. At the same time, according to Eminem's song rights supervisor Joel Martin, the rapper began collecting additional songs without noticing it, as he would often record or produce material initially intended for the musical projects of other artists, but end up with tracks he really liked. "Beautiful
Beautiful (Eminem song)
"Beautiful" is the third and final official single from American rapper Eminem. It was released on May 12, 2009 on iTunes as a digital download. "Beautiful" entered the UK Singles Chart on May 17, 2009 at #38 and re-entered at #31 due to massive airplay and was released as the third UK single after...
", produced by Eminem, was the only song on Relapse that was recorded in these years while he was not sober.
Eminem purchased the Effigy Studio in Ferndale, Michigan
Ferndale, Michigan
Ferndale is adjacent to the cities of Detroit to the south, Oak Park to the west, Hazel Park to the east, Pleasant Ridge to the north, Royal Oak Township to the southwest, and Royal Oak to the north....
, in 2007, and ended his working relationship with much of his former production team of the 54 Sound recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
, including the Bass Brothers. He then continued recording the album with producer Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
, who in September 2007 stated his intention to dedicate two months to the production of Relapse. Working with Dr. Dre allowed Eminem to concentrate on the processes of songwriting rather than the production, which was largely taken care of by Dre. The rapper justified his choice of using Dr. Dre for the vast majority of the production due to their long collaborative history and a musical "chemistry" only he and Dr. Dre shared. This allowed the rapper to pick the beats
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
from Dr. Dre's catalog that challenged him rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
-wise in order to experiment with different flows. The making of the album progressed at the Effigy Studio up to a year after, as recording sessions were then moved to Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
in September 2008. By then, Eminem had began to start writing verses again at such a pace that he often took more time to record the lyrics than write them. He credited sobriety
Sobriety
Sobriety is the condition of not having any measurable levels, or effects from, alcohol or other drugs that alter ones mood or behaviors. According to WHO "Lexicon of alcohol and drug terms..." sobriety is continued abstinence from alcohol and psychoactive drug use...
for his new creative run, acknowledging that his mind was free of the clutter that "blocked" him during his drug abuse in the last years. The song-writing process would start by Dr. Dre giving a number of his beats on a CD to Eminem, who in a separate room in the studio would listen and select the ones he preferred and inspired him the most. Eminem would then write lyrics to the instrumentals, while Dr. Dre and his production staff continued to create new music. Once he felt he had written lyrics for enough songs, Eminem would dedicate an entire day to record his songs to the point that he would lose his voice for the following days. At that point, the rapper would then begin to write lyrics for new songs. The process continued for the next six months, and allowed Eminem to have enough material also for a second album, Relapse 2
Relapse 2
Recovery is the seventh studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on June 18, 2010, by Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Production for the album took place during 2009 to 2010 at several recording studios and was handled by various record producers, including...
.
During this recording period, a handful of songs intended for Relapse were leaked
Internet leak
An Internet leak occurs when a party's confidential information is released to the public on the Internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, and artistic works such...
on the Internet, including an incomplete version of "Crack a Bottle
Crack a Bottle
"Crack a Bottle" is a hip hop song by American rappers Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent from Eminem's sixth studio album Relapse. On February 12, 2009, the song broke the first week digital sales record with 418,000 downloads, topping the previous record held by "Live Your Life" by T.I. featuring...
". The song was then finished in January 2009 with additional vocals from Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. Despite the leak, in February 2009 the album was being completed in a state of near-total secrecy, according to the British newspaper The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
. Even Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
, the multinational owner of Interscope, had no information on the album at the time. On April 23, Eminem suggested he and possibly Dr. Dre were the only ones in possession of the final copy of Relapse, while his manager Paul Rosenberg
Paul Rosenberg (music manager)
Paul Rosenberg is an American music manager known for his association with hip hop artists Eminem, The Knux and pop punk band Blink-182. As well as managing said artists, Rosenberg is also the co-founder of hip hop record label Shady Records, founded in 1999...
added that even Eminem's record labels were not in possession of the music at less than one month from the release date in order to prevent possible bootlegging
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
.
Music
In an interview for XXLXXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.In 1997, XXL was founded by former Source staffers as well as other Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own magazine about the hip-hop music and culture using the model developed by the founders of The Source...
, Eminem described the concept behind Relapse to be the ending of his drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
and thus rap as if he was on drugs again, as well as the return of his fictional alter-ego Slim Shady. According to the interviewer Datwon Thomas, Eminem's influences for the album came from his own past drug issues, as well as television shows and documentaries involving crime and serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
s, as the rapper was fascinated by "serial killers and their psyche
Psyche (psychology)
The word psyche has a long history of use in psychology and philosophy, dating back to ancient times, and has been one of the fundamental concepts for understanding human nature from a scientific point of view. The English word soul is sometimes used synonymously, especially in older...
and their mind states". In a May 2009 interview for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Eminem discussed his view of serial killers, stating:
Content
Relapse opens with the skit "Dr. West", where actor Dominic WestDominic West
Dominic Gerard Fe West is an English actor best known for his role as Detective Jimmy McNulty in the HBO drama series The Wire.-Film and TV:...
voices a drug counselor whose untrustworthiness causes Eminem to fall back to drugs and the return to his Slim Shady character. The skit leads to "3 a.m.
3 a.m. (Eminem song)
"3 a.m." is the second official single by American rapper Eminem from his album Relapse. The single was produced by Dr. Dre. The song was released onto the iTunes Store April 28, 2009. The music video was released on May 2 at 10:00 p.m. via Cinemax....
", where Eminem depicts himself as a serial killer during a murder spree. When "3 a.m." was released as a single prior to the album's own release, Eminem noted that the song closely mirrored what he believed was the overall dark tone of the album. On "My Mom", the rapper traces his addictive tendencies to his mother, and thus to have turned out to be a drug addict just like her. Eminem continues his family tales on "Insane", where he imagines himself as a victim of child molestation. For Eminem, the goal of "Insane" was to make song that would disgust the listeners and "make them puke", adding that he came up with this idea after thinking of the song's first line ("I was born with a dick in my brain/Yeah, fucked in the head"). Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, along with her current husband Nick Cannon
Nick Cannon
Nicholas Scott "Nick" Cannon is an American actor, comedian, rapper, entrepreneur, record producer, radio, and television personality. On television, Cannon began as a teenage sketch comedian on All That before going on to host The Nick Cannon Show, Wild 'N Out, and America's Got Talent...
, are targeted in "Bagpipes from Baghdad", where Eminem raps over a pungi
Pungi
The pungi, also called the been, or bin is a wind instrument played by snake charmers in India. The pungi is similar to the Chinese Hulusi but has only two reed pipes, known as the "jivala". The pungi was improved to produce the Shehnai. The pungi originated in India and is still played by snake...
loop
Music loop
In electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
.
After "Hello", where Eminem re-introduces himself after years of being absent "mentally", he continues his violent fantasies on "Same Song & Dance", where he abducts and murders Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
and Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
. The upbeat rhythm of "Same Song & Dance" reminded Eminem of a dance track, which inspired him to write something in order to "get women to dance to it and not really know what the fuck they're dancing to" without listening to the lyrics. On the ninth track of the album, "We Made You
We Made You
"We Made You" is a song by American hip hop musician Eminem. It was released as the first single from his sixth studio album Relapse on April 7, 2009. Produced by Dr. Dre and co-produced by Doc Ish and Eminem himself, the song samples "Hot Summer Nights" by Walter Egan. Eminem performed this song...
", Eminem mocks several celebrities and plays the role of a "pop star serial killer". Eminem noted that his various "celebrity bashings" were not meant to be seen as personal attacks, but rather it was him "picking names out of a hat" that rhymed with the words he wanted to use during the writing process. On "Medicine Ball" Eminem mocks and impersonates deceased actor Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve
Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
, in order to get his audience to "laugh at it, and then almost feel bad for laughing". The next track is "Stay Wide Awake", in which Eminem raps about assaulting
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
and raping
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
women. Dr. Dre also has a guest appearance
Guest appearance
In show business , a guest appearance is a participation of an outsider performer , usually called guest artist , in an event , i.e., the participation of a performer which does not belong to the regular crew In performance...
on "Old Time's Sake
Old Time's Sake
-Musical personnel:*Eric "Jesus" Coomes – guitar, bass*Mark Batson – keyboards*Dawaun Parker – keyboards*Trevor Lawrence, Jr. – keyboards-Charts:...
", a duet Eminem described as a "fun, yet reminiscent record old times" with him and Dre rapping back and forth between each other, advocating the use of marijuana for creative and financial benefits. The song is followed by "Must Be the Ganja" where Eminem raps that working in the recording studio is like a drug and an addiction for him.
After the skit "Mr. Mathers", where Eminem is recovered to a hospital, "Déjà Vu" addresses his overdose in 2007 and drug dependency during his hiatus from music. On the song, Eminem also explains how this has affected him in the last five years, to the point where his daughter becomes scared of her father's behavior. "Beautiful", a ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
which samples "Reaching Out" by Rock Therapy
Queen + Paul Rodgers
Queen + Paul Rodgers was a supergroup collaboration between Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen and Paul Rodgers...
, also deals with the same time period where Eminem believed he had "reached rock bottom" and lost hope for his future. Eminem felt it was important to include "Beautiful" on the album as a reminder to himself as well as "anybody who is in a dark place [...] that you can get out of it". After "Crack a Bottle", a collaboration with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, Relapse ends with "Underground". On the final track of the album, Eminem sought to bring back to his music and lyrics the subject matter and punchlines reminiscent of "The Hiphop Shop times" (The Hiphop Shop was a clothing store in Detroit where local rappers, including Eminem, would compete in freestyle battles), before he had become famous and thus did not have worry about the explicit content of his lyrics.
Relapse: Refill and Relapse 2
Because Eminem recorded far more material then he could use for one album and feeling that he had to offer his fans more music after staying on hiatus for so long, it was confirmed by fellow D12 member Swift that Eminem in fact had planned to put out two albums the same year, following with Relapse 2 in late 2009. According to Angela Yee's Shade 45Shade 45
Shade 45 is Eminem's uncensored Hip-Hop/Rap-heavy urban contemporary channel. Eminem Brings On-Air show hosts. It debuted with a hip hop format in 2004, changing to its current incarnation when it was added to XM channel 66...
interview with Eminem on April 23, 2009, Relapse 2 was to be a continuation of Relapse. During the interview Eminem also confirmed "It's extremely close to being finished, it just depends on how many songs I want to put on it." Eminem also explained the album was more "emotionally driven" than Relapse, which was, as he explains, "[just] rap records". Guest apparences were expected to come from the likes of Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
, 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
, D12
D12
D12, an acronym for The Dirty Dozen, is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. D12 has had chart-topping albums in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia...
, Royce da 5'9", Lloyd Banks
Lloyd Banks
Christopher Charles Lloyd , better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper and member of the rap group G-Unit. Raised in South Jamaica, Queens, he dropped out of high school in 1998. G-Unit released two albums, Beg for Mercy in 2003 and T.O.S. in 2008...
and Cashis
Cashis
Ramone Johnson, better known by his stage name Cashis , is an American rapper who was born and raised in Chicago, but moved to Irvine, California. He was featured on the Shady album Eminem Presents: The Re-Up and released the County Hound EP in 2007...
. The album was subsequently pushed back for an early 2010 release, so Eminem decided to re-release Relapse as Relapse: Refill with seven new tracks, including the single "Forever
Forever (Drake song)
"Forever" is a single by rapper Drake. The song features verses by rappers Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Eminem. The song is released as a single from the soundtrack to LeBron James's More Than a Game documentary....
" (originally on More Than a Game soundtrack
Music Inspired by More Than a Game
Music Inspired by More Than a Game is the official album name for music taken from and inspired by the film More Than a Game. The film is centered around the life of LeBron James and was released in October 2009. The soundtrack and film were both executive produced by Harvey Mason, Jr. on behalf of...
) and "Taking My Ball" (released with DJ Hero
DJ Hero
DJ Hero is a music video game, developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision as a rhythm game spin-off of the Guitar Hero franchise. It was released on October 27, 2009 in North America and on October 29, 2009 in Europe...
), as well as five previously unreleased tracks. On its re-release, Eminem stated "I want to deliver more material for the fans this year like I originally planned. Hopefully these tracks on The Refill will tide the fans over until we put out Relapse 2 next year".
The only tracks from the original Relapse 2 project which surfaced were entitled "Insult to Injury", in which Eminem performs in his normal voice, as somewhat of a sequel to "Underground," the final track from Relapse and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" featuring D12, despite the loss of Proof. However, on April 13, 2010, Eminem tweeted "There is no Relapse 2", thus announcing that the album has been scrapped in favor of his new project Recovery. While recording Relapse 2 and witnessing the mixed reaction of his precessor among fans and critics alike, Eminem decided to throw away most of the recorded material, starting from scratch. The result did not seem to him as continuation of Relapse, but more of an individual project, deserving its own name. Eminem said "I had originally planned for Relapse 2 to come out last year. But as I kept recording and working with new producers, the idea of a sequel to Relapse started to make less and less sense to me, and I wanted to make a completely new album. The music on Recovery came out very different from Relapse, and I think it deserves its own title." The now renamed album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, with first-week sales of 741,000 copies in the United States. As of September 25, 2011, the album had sold 4,040,000 copies in the United States and was also it was also the best-selling album of 2010 worldwide, as well as earning a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Rap Album.
Release and promotion
In 2007, Shady Records rapper Cashis discussed the album, referring to it by the title King Mathers, adding that it would be released later that year. However, Eminem's publicist Dennis Dennehy would later deny this, stating that "there [was] no album scheduled for a 2007 release" and that as of August 2007 there was no confirmed title either. No other official statement was made for over a year, when on September 15, 2008, at an event held by Shade 45Shade 45
Shade 45 is Eminem's uncensored Hip-Hop/Rap-heavy urban contemporary channel. Eminem Brings On-Air show hosts. It debuted with a hip hop format in 2004, changing to its current incarnation when it was added to XM channel 66...
to celebrate the publication of Eminem's autobiography The Way I Am
The Way I Am (autobiography)
The Way I Am is an autobiography by American rapper Eminem, published on October 21, 2008. It is a collection of Eminem's personal stories, reflections, photographs, original artwork, and lyric sheets...
, the rapper confirmed his plans to release a studio album by the title of Relapse. During the party, he also previewed to the audience a song called "I'm Having a Relapse".
In regards to the album's release date, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
wrote in the issue of October 2008 that Virgin Megastores had planned to distribute Relapse on November 27, 2008, coincidentally on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
in the United States. On October 27, a spokesperson for Interscope explained that there was no official date at the time, and that any release dates that had been posted on any website were unfounded. In a phone conversation during the finale of Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
on November 16, 2008, Eminem asserted that Relapse would be released during the first quarter
Calendar year
Generally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day. By convention, a calendar year consists of a natural number of days. To reconcile the calendar year with an astronomical cycle , certain years...
of 2009, precisely during either of the first two months of the year, explaining that he was in the process of selecting the songs for the album.
Despite the leak two months before, "Crack a Bottle
Crack a Bottle
"Crack a Bottle" is a hip hop song by American rappers Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent from Eminem's sixth studio album Relapse. On February 12, 2009, the song broke the first week digital sales record with 418,000 downloads, topping the previous record held by "Live Your Life" by T.I. featuring...
" was eventually released for legal paid digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
as well as a promotional single
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
on February 2, 2009, and also reached the number one position on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, while, according to Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg, a music video for the song had been produced and directed by Syndrome, and released in several parts of the world from May to early June. At the time of the release, various contradicting reports disputed whether the song would be included on Relapse, but a press release from head label Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
eventually confirmed the single's inclusion on the album. In similar press statements after March 5, Universal made public the regional release dates for Relapse: as early as May 15, 2009, in Italy and the Netherlands; most other European countries and Brazil on May 18; and the following day in the United States and Australia as well. Additionally, the record label also announced a second album by Eminem, then called Relapse 2 but later titled Recovery, which was to be released by the end of the year, but now expected in June 2010. Eminem explained that he and Dr. Dre had recorded a considerable amount of music and thus, by releasing two albums, would allow listeners to have access to all of his music.
After the release of "Crack a Bottle", the music video of the single "We Made You
We Made You
"We Made You" is a song by American hip hop musician Eminem. It was released as the first single from his sixth studio album Relapse on April 7, 2009. Produced by Dr. Dre and co-produced by Doc Ish and Eminem himself, the song samples "Hot Summer Nights" by Walter Egan. Eminem performed this song...
" was aired on April 7, and became available for purchase a week later on April 13. The video was directed by Joseph Kahn
Joseph Kahn
Joseph Kahn is an American music video, advertising, and feature film director.-Early life:Kahn was born in Jersey Village, Texas, a suburb of Houston. He is of Korean ancestry. He spent part of his childhood growing up in Livorno, Italy until his family moved to Texas...
and premiered simultaneously on several MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
channels, as well as MTV's website. On April 28, the third overall single for the album, "3 a.m.", was released once again for paid music download. A music video for "3 a.m." was directed by Syndrome and filmed in Detroit. It premiered on May 2 on Cinemax
Cinemax
Cinemax, sometimes abbreviated as simply "Max", is a collection of premium television networks that broadcasts primarily feature films, along with softcore erotica, original action series, documentaries and special behind-the-scenes features. Cinemax is operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a...
, several days after a trailer
Teaser trailer
A teaser campaign is an advertising campaign which typically consists of a series of small, cryptic, challenging advertisements that anticipate a larger, full-blown campaign for a product launch or otherwise important event. These advertisements are called "teasers" or "teaser ads"...
for the video was posted online. Two more singles were distributed prior to the album's release, as "Old Time's Sake
Old Time's Sake
-Musical personnel:*Eric "Jesus" Coomes – guitar, bass*Mark Batson – keyboards*Dawaun Parker – keyboards*Trevor Lawrence, Jr. – keyboards-Charts:...
" and "Beautiful
Beautiful (Eminem song)
"Beautiful" is the third and final official single from American rapper Eminem. It was released on May 12, 2009 on iTunes as a digital download. "Beautiful" entered the UK Singles Chart on May 17, 2009 at #38 and re-entered at #31 due to massive airplay and was released as the third UK single after...
" went on sale on the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
on May 5 and May 12 respectively. "My Darling" and "Careful What You Wish For" were made available upon purchase of the Premium version of the album. The track "Insane" peaked at position 85 on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart on the albums release via iTunes.
Previously on April 4, 2009, Eminem was featured on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
during the network's coverage of the 2009 NCAA Final Four
2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:First and Second Rounds: Thursday and Saturday, March 19 and 21, 2009-Qualifying teams:-Brackets:Results to date * – Denotes overtime periodAll times in U.S. EDT....
, in segment where he recited the spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
"Love Letter to Detroit". Later on the same day, the rapper inducted the hip hop group Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C...
to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
. Adam Graham of The Detroit News
The Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
described this as "all part of the calculated promotional push" for Relapse. The rapper performed live at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards
2009 MTV Movie Awards
The 2009 MTV Movie Awards were presented on Sunday, May 31, 2009, at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. Andy Samberg served as host for the 18th annual ceremony.- Performers :* Eminem — "We Made You" and "Crack a Bottle"...
on May 31, while he appeared on the covers of hip hop magazines Vibe and XXL
XXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.In 1997, XXL was founded by former Source staffers as well as other Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own magazine about the hip-hop music and culture using the model developed by the founders of The Source...
in their respective issues of June 2009; the second of which was created by a deal struck with Eminem and Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, where the rapper would pose as Marvel's main vigilante The Punisher if Marvel created an issue starring him and The Punisher in order to promote Relapse. An iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
game to accompany the album was released on May 19, 2009.
While on the Never Say Never tour, fellow group members Swifty and Kuniva (D12) along with Royce Da 5'9" stopped by KISS 100FM for a live interview and spoke on Relapse. Royce stated that the album will be a game changer, and jokingly said he might have to push his own album back three years after Eminem drops his. Kuniva added that D12 recorded many tracks for Relapse but wasn't sure if they would make the album or not. Swifty then confirmed that Eminem would in fact be dropping two albums in 2009, Relapse 2 following Relapse. Relapse was re-released on December 21, 2009, as Relapse: Refill, with seven bonus tracks, including the single "Forever
Forever (Drake song)
"Forever" is a single by rapper Drake. The song features verses by rappers Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Eminem. The song is released as a single from the soundtrack to LeBron James's More Than a Game documentary....
" (originally on More Than a Game soundtrack
Music Inspired by More Than a Game
Music Inspired by More Than a Game is the official album name for music taken from and inspired by the film More Than a Game. The film is centered around the life of LeBron James and was released in October 2009. The soundtrack and film were both executive produced by Harvey Mason, Jr. on behalf of...
) and "Taking My Ball" (released with DJ Hero
DJ Hero
DJ Hero is a music video game, developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision as a rhythm game spin-off of the Guitar Hero franchise. It was released on October 27, 2009 in North America and on October 29, 2009 in Europe...
), as well as five previously unreleased tracks. On its re-release, Eminem stated "I want to deliver more material for the fans this year like I originally planned. Hopefully these tracks on The Refill will tide the fans over until we put out Relapse 2 next year".
Artwork
The album coverAlbum cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
for Relapse was first published through Eminem's Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account on April 21, 2009. It illustrates a head shot of the rapper composed by a mosaic of thousands of pills. A sticker on the cover resembles a prescription drug label, on which the patient is Eminem and Dr. Dre is the prescribing doctor. Gil Kaufman of MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
described the cover as a reference to the rapper's struggle and addiction to prescription drugs, adding that it follows Eminem's habit of displaying personal issues in his art. The album booklet and back cover follow a pill prescription design. On the backside of the booklet is a dedication to Proof, where Eminem explains that he's sober and that he tried to write a song for him, but none were good enough therefore he dedicates the whole album to him. The CD itself is meant to represent the lid on a bottle of prescription pills, grey with the big red inscription "Push Down & Turn". The cover for Relapse:Refill is basically the same, only with the background colour changed from black to white. The prescription drug label is scratched out and the writing "Refill"is posed next to it.
Commercial performance
One of the most anticipated albums of 2009, Relapse was also the top-selling hip hop album of the year. Upon its release, the album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, selling 608,000 copies in its first week of release. In Canada, the album sold 64,000 copies in its first week and debuted at #1 on the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
. Outside of North America, Relapse managed to reach the number one spot in its first week in various other countries including Australia, France, Norway, Denmark and New Zealand, while climbing into the Top 5 in many other countries, including Germany, Italy, Finland, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden. In its second week the album stayed at number one and sold a further 211,000 taking its total to 819,000 to become the fifth best-seller of the year. In the third week Relapse dropped to number two selling another 141,000 copies, bringing the total sales of the album in the US to 962,000 in only three weeks, Relapse dropped to number three in its fourth week selling 87,000 to push its total sales to 1,049,000 in the US. The next week, Relapse went down to number four and sold 72,000 units. In its sixth week Relapse was at the number five spot and sold another 47,000 copies, pushing its total sales to 1,169,000 in the US. Relapse dropped down to the number nine in its seventh week gaining sales of 39,000 taking its total US sales up to 1,207,000. Relapse remained at number nine in its eight week selling a further 34,000 copies pushing its total US sales to 1,241,000. It became the best selling rap album of 2009. By June 2010, the album had sold over 1,986,000 copies in the United States. Relapse had sold more than two million copies in the US. The album was certified double platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
on August 27, 2010.
Critical response
Upon its release, the album received mixed reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 59 based on 27 reviews from MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Despite calling it an "impressively focused and clever work", Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
writer Ann Powers
Ann Powers
Ann Powers is an American writer and pop music critic.Powers has been writing about popular music and society since the early 1980s...
gave it a generally mixed review and found its music "not transcendent", stating "Eminem could have pulled his music into a new category. What he presents is still powerful, but narrowly cast". NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
s Louis Pattison gave Relapse a 5/10 rating and found Eminem's wordplay "wicked in the depths of its depravity", but ultimately felt that "the overriding feel is of an album just too jaded, too joyless to truly count as a return to form". In his consumer guide for MSN Music
MSN Music
MSN Music was a part of the MSN web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. In 2004, Microsoft created an MSN Music download store to compete with Apple's iTunes Music Store, though its sales in comparison were...
, critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave the album a B- rating and named it "dud of the month", indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought. At the upper level it may merely be overrated, disappointing, or dull. Down below it may be contemptible". Christgau expressed a negative response towards Eminem's lyrics and accused him of sensationalism
Sensationalism
Sensationalism is a type of editorial bias in mass media in which events and topics in news stories and pieces are over-hyped to increase viewership or readership numbers...
, stating "this is not a Slim Shady album. Slim Shady had a lightness about him". The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
s Theon Weber panned its sensationalist lyrics, stating "a dank echo chamber wherein he continues his "shock tactics" in pointless isolation".
Giving it 4 out of 5 stars, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
writer Rob Sheffield
Rob Sheffield
Rob Sheffield is an American music journalist and author. He is currently a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, writing music reviews and essays on pop culture. Prior to that, he was a contributing editor at Blender before the print version of the magazine folded in 2009, and at Spin...
called it a "more painful, honest and vital record", viewing it as on-par with Eminem's acclaimed fourth album The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released in 2002. It was the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States, with sales of 7.6 million copies. At the Grammy Awards of 2003 it was nominated for Album of the Year and became Eminem's third LP in four years to...
. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic described the album as "musically white-hot, dense, and dramatic" and said "his flow is so good, his wordplay so sharp, it seems churlish to wish that he addressed something other than his long-standing obsessions and demons". The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
lauded the album's honest way of showing Eminem's drug addiction and overuse. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Leah Greenblatt gave it an A- rating and stated "Relapses real resonance comes from the fragile, harrowing genius that lies behind that painted-on grin". Vibes Benjamin Meadows-Ingram perceived the album's concept as "spotty", but praised Eminem's lyricism, writing "Em works wonders with words, expanding the boundaries of the art of rap itself ... the composition is experimental and abstract, a master toying with form". In contrast, Alan Ranta of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
gave Relapse a 3/10 rating and wrote "being insane is simply not a good enough excuse to spread chauvinistic hate-speech like this, especially not when delivered in such a formulaic casing. All in all, Relapse is not much more than a brightly polished turd of old-hat hate, incompatible with the direction society is headed." Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
's John A. Hanson gave it 1 out of 5 stars and perceived Eminem's lyrics as lacking substance. At the 52nd Grammy Awards
52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast...
, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album
Grammy Award for Best Rap Album
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
.
On his following album Recovery (2010), Eminem makes reference to Relapse and criticizes it in the second verse of the song "Not Afraid
Not Afraid
Not to be confused with Eminem's Not AfraidNot Afraid is the debut studio album by Christian pop rock singer Stephanie Smith. It was released on May 27, 2008 through Gotee Records...
": "In fact, let's be honest/ That last Relapse CD was 'ehh'/ Perhaps I ran them accents into the ground/ Relax, I ain't going back to that now". He expresses further criticism of the album in the song "Cinderalla Man", saying "Fuck my last CD, that shit's in my thrash".
Track listing
Sample credits- "Insane" contains interpolations from "Jock Box" written by Rhonda Bush, originally performed by The Skinny BoysThe Skinny BoysSkinny Boys were an American rap group originally from Bridgeport, Connecticut, with members Shockin' Shawn, Superman Jay, and The Human Jock Box...
- "We Made You" contains an interpolation of "Hot Summer Nights" by Walter EganWalter EganWalter Egan is an American rock musician, best known for his 1978 gold status hit single "Magnet and Steel" from his album Not Shy, produced by Lindsey Buckingham and Richard Dashut of Fleetwood Mac fame...
- "Beautiful" contains excerpts from "Reaching Out" by Queen + Paul RodgersQueen + Paul RodgersQueen + Paul Rodgers was a supergroup collaboration between Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen and Paul Rodgers...
- "Crack a Bottle" contains interpolations from "Mais dans ma lumière" by Mike BrantMike BrantMike Brant was an Israeli pop star who achieved fame after moving to France. His most successful hit was "Laisse-moi t'aimer"...
Personnel
- Jeff BassBass BrothersBass Brothers is the professional name for the team of Mark and Jeff Bass, the Detroit producers responsible for grooming megastar Eminem in his early days and collaborating on much of his subsequent music. Before that they worked with George Clinton...
– keyboards, bass and guitar on track 17 - Mark BatsonMark BatsonMark Batson is an American record producer, arranger, and songwriter from Bushwick, Brooklyn, now based in Los Angeles.As a co-writer and producer with Dr. Dre, he is responsible for Jay-Z's 2006 single "Lost One", as well as tracks for Eminem, 50 Cent, Game and Snoop Dogg. As a co-writer and...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
on all tracks except 17 - Eric "Jesus" Coomes – guitars on tracks 3, 13, 14 and 18; bass on tracks 13, 14 and 18
- Sean Cruse – guitars on tracks 5 and 16
- Dr. DreDr. DreAndre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
– executive producer, producer on tracks 1–16, 18–20, mixing engineerMixing engineerA mix engineer is the person responsible for incorporating all the different recorded elements of music to make the final version of a song. These mixing professionals have many years of experience and training with audio equipment which has enabled them to master the art of audio mixing...
on tracks 1–10, 12–16, 18–20 - Mike ElizondoMike ElizondoMichael "Mike" Elizondo is a well-known songwriter, bassist, keyboardist, and hip hop music producer.-Musical career:Mike Elizondo is especially known for his collaborations with internationally successful producer Dr. Dre and rapper Eminem. He has played the bass for many of Dr...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s on tracks 2, 4, 8 and 12; keyboards on tracks 2, 4 and 5; bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
on track 2 - Paul Foley – recording engineer on tracks 15 and 20
- Brian "Big Bass" GardnerBrian GardnerBrian Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner is a mastering engineer. He has worked on countless recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk, and dance pop. He is perhaps best known for his work on hip hop albums and in...
– mastering engineerMastering engineerA mastering engineer is one skilled in the practice of taking audio that has been previously mixed in either the analog or digital domain as mono, stereo, or multichannel formats and preparing it for use in distribution, whether by physical media such as a CD, vinyl record, or as some method of... - Conor Gilligan – assistant engineer on track 6
- Tommy Hicks, Jr. – assistant engineer on tracks 3, 4, 13, 14 and 18
- Mauricio "Veto" Iragorri – recording engineer on tracks 1–10, 12–16, 18–20
- Trevor Lawrence, Jr. – keyboards on tracks 1–6, 8, 12–14
- Traci Nelson – backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on track 14 - Dawaun ParkerDawaun ParkerDawaun Parker is a Grammy Award winning, multi-platinum musician, record producer and rap artist.Dawaun Parker is a staff songwriter and producer for Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment label...
– keyboards on all tracks except 9 and 17 - Lizette Rangel – assistant engineer on track 20
- Luis Resto – keyboards on track 17
- Robert Reyes – assistant engineer on tracks 1–10, 12–16, 18–20
- Ruben Rivera – recording engineer on track 20
- Joe Strange – assistant engineer on tracks 1–10, 12, 15–20
- Mike Strange – mixing engineer on track 17, recording engineer on tracks 1–6, 8–10, 12–20
- Charmagne Tripp – chorusRefrainA refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
on track 9
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... ) |
1 |
| Austria (Top 75 Albums) | 2 |
| Belgium Ultratop Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... 50 Albums (Flanders) |
1 |
| Belgium Ultratop Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... 50 Albums (Wallonia) |
4 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
1 |
| Denmark (Album Top 40 IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... ) |
1 |
| Finland (Top 50 Albums) | 5 |
| France (Top 200 Albums) | 1 |
| Germany (Top100 Albums Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... ) |
2 |
| Greece (Top 50 Foreign Albums) | 13 |
| Hungary (Top 40 Albums Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... ) |
14 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
1 |
| Italy (FIMI) | 4 |
| Japan Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
1 |
| Mexico (Top 100 Albums) | 24 |
| Netherlands (Mega Album Top 100 MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... ) |
3 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... ) |
1 |
| Norway (Top 40 Albums) | 1 |
| Poland (Top 50 Albums Polish Music Charts The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies... ) |
1 |
| Russian Albums Chart | 3 |
| Spain (Top 100 Albums) | 5 |
| Sweden (Top 60 Albums Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... ) |
3 |
| Switzerland (Albums Top 100) | 2 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
Certifications
| Territory | Certifier | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Platinum |
| Austria | IFPI | Gold |
| Belgium | Ultratop Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
Gold |
| France | SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
Gold |
| GCC | IFPI | Gold |
| Germany Relapse: Refill |
IFPI | Gold |
| Ireland | IRMA Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... |
2× Platinum |
| Japan | RIAJ Recording Industry Association of Japan The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry... |
Gold |
| New Zealand | RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
Platinum |
| Russia | Gold | |
| Switzerland | IFPI | Platinum |
| United Kingdom | BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Platinum |
| United States | RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
2× Platinum |
Chart procession and succession
Release history
| Region | Date | Distributing label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | May 15, 2009 | Universal Music Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
CD | 2703216 |
| Germany | CD | 0602527032160 | ||
| Italy | CD | |||
| Netherlands | CD | 0602527032160 | ||
| Denmark | May 18, 2009 | CD | ||
| France | Polydor Polydor Records Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone... , Universal Music |
CD | ||
| New Zealand | Universal Music | CD | 2703216 | |
| Poland | CD | 2708880 | ||
| Portugal | CD | |||
| Russia | CD | |||
| Sweden | CD | |||
| United Kingdom | Polydor | CD | 2703216 | |
| Brazil | May 19, 2009 | Universal Music | CD | 602527032160 |
| Canada | CD | B001286302 | ||
| India | CD | 0602527032160 | ||
| Spain | CD | |||
| United States | Interscope Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:... |
CD | 001286302 | |
| CD [Clean] | 001286402 | |||
| LP | 001286301 | |||
| Japan | May 20, 2009 | Universal Music | CD | UICS-1190 |
| CD + DVD | UICS-9106 | |||
| Argentina | May 28, 2009 | CD |
External links
- Official album website
- Relapse at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- Relapse at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...