Thank Me For Recovering…Later: Eminem & Drake
1,188,000 is the total number of first week album sales between 2 of the biggest names in Hip Hop Drake and Eminem, 741K of which belong to the prodigal Emcee Marshall Mathers. This is the first time in years I can remember two consecutive weeks on the charts having 2 different rappers take the number one spot with little competition.
2 weeks ago the world finally got to hear the debut album from the Rookie Of The Year Drake, when he released “Thank Me Later”. The most talked about and hyped new artist since 50 Cent, Drake combines witty punch lines, personal short comings, relationship woes, and ”BitchImMe-ness” while both rapping and singing. Although Drake is clearly the most lyrically talented newcomer since ______ ?(fill in the blank), his emphasis on singing on this particular project may not sit well with much of his male fan base. Even still tracks like “Up All Night” fet Nicki Minaj, “Show Me A Good Time” produced by Kanye West, and “Light Up” fet Jay-Z show exactly why he is where he is. His ability to get you hype and make you think at the same time is both refreshing and needed in Rap.
Last week the world also saw the return of Eminem…the REAL Eminem. Last year Eminem returned with Relapse, his first album in 3 years which should have been named “Just Kidding” having the ” good song” equivalent of a bad hand in Spades (2 and a possible). However Recovery is the total opposite. From the first track he goes crazy and doesn’t stop. By track 2 “Talking To Myself” he shows he is serious and wants to regain his respect the hard way, by getting his lyrics back on point. He confesses he thought about dissing Kanye and Lil Wayne for getting more attention than him, but he knows he woulda lost the battle. Other tracks like “Seduction”, “No Love” fet Lil Wayne, and “25 To Life”, give listeners the versatile and creative artist that fans were wowed by almost a decade ago. With a new found focus Eminem may be finally making a serious campaign for that Number 1 Spot (no Ludacris).
