I found this article on one site

[Shady_linx92]

Slim Shady’s Startling Slide


Although it pains me to say this due to the fact that I’ve been following the man’s career since he had an album titled The Slim Shady EP that was so buzzed about among Hip-Hop heads that HipHopSite.com couldn’t seem to ever keep it in stock, Eminem seems to be done as an artist. His skills have been diminishing for a number of years now, but after hearing his painfully bad guest appearances on a number of remixes and album cuts it’s become clear that, whether all the emotion he previously had has left him, or he simply just doesn’t care about rapping anymore, the only thing the Eminem of today has in common with the Eminem of five years ago is a name.

For a lot of people “Ass Like That” was the last straw, for others it was the remix to “Lean Back,” still others gave up on Em after his truly terrible showing on Akon’s “Smack That.” For me, though, I held out a sliver of hope that Em could return to his old ways. The verse Em gives us on 50 Cent’s latest album, however, has proven, at least for me, to be the final nail in the coffin of his career. In fact, looking at Em’s appearances on 50’s 2003 effort Get Rich or Die Tryin' and the just released Curtis one can see a glaring example of how far he’s fallen.

When I first listened to Get Rich or Die Tryin' Eminem ruined the album for me, but in a good way. His verse on “Patiently Waiting” was so dope that everything else on the album paled in comparison (no pun intended). Intense, and with a fantastic flow, that verse would turn out to be Shady’s last stand. On 50’s latest album, Curtis, Em has another guest spot, this time on a song titled “Peep Show.” Em’s verse on “Peep Show” ruins not the entire album for me, but just that song and for the complete opposite reason that his verse from “Patiently Waiting” ruined Get Rich or Die Tryin'. Em’s showing on “Peep Show” is so bad, and so devoid of any of the qualities we loved Em for, that I skip the track. Personally, back when I was downloading freestyles of his off of Napster in 1999, I never thought I’d see the day when I'd voluntarily skip a track he was on.

From 1999-2004 Eminem ruled the world. He changed the way America thought about race, parenting and censorship and he even seemed to be having fun while doing it. I was lucky enough to cover one of his shows when he was at peak, the Anger Management Tour in the summer of 2002. He had an entire sold out concert space hanging on, and oftentimes repeating, his every word. One moment that I will never forget from that show is when he performed “White America” and the entire sold out, predominantly white, crowd chanted every lyric along with him. It was a stunning in display that there was incredible truth to his lyrics. I’d never seen anything like it before and I’ll probably never see anything like it again.

Fifteen years from now we may look back on Eminem’s five year run from 99-04 as one of the highest pinnacles an artist has ever reached. For now, though, he needs to put the microphone down, because it’s not 2002 anymore and he isn’t contributing anything worthwhile to Hip-Hop. Maybe Em’s first single has become a prescient prediction and he truly doesn’t give a fuck. If that’s the case he shouldn’t record music, he shouldn’t do guest spots, and he shouldn’t damage the resume of one of the greatest careers we’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to.

A friend of mine pointed out to me that he felt even Em knew the time to step aside had come when he released ‘When I’m Gone.” The start of the chorus seems appropriate when viewed through the eyes of someone witnessing his skills and fire diminishing; “when I'm gone just carry on, don't mourn.” I’m not sure if he realizes it, but we can’t carry on until he looks in the mirror and listens to another one of his old lines, this one from "Till I Collapse," “And when your run is over just admit when it's at its end / cuz I'm at the end of my wits with half the shit gets in." My sentiments exactly.

what do u think about it?

[J Rmix]

intersting.

[Shads]

Hmm Who Ever Wrote This Article, I Appreciate His Honesty And Views And I Congratulate Him. I Agreed With Every Word, Which In A Way Is A Shame, As Em Is One Of My Fav MC's But The Truth Hurts. And That Was The Stone Cold Truth.

[,-,'-{Bar}-',-,]

100% truth, and i thank and congradulate the guy who wrote it.

he is a great eminem fan and thats why he knows that eminem should quit, he isnt a hater, he isnt a groupie.

this shows the line of how you can support a artist love there music but still not be blinded by them.

i salute this article *salutes*

[Shady_linx92]

If Em's will make an album like MM Lp or at least like The Eminem Show he should cntinue his rappin carrer because it will be a big album and he will show us all that he can still rap.I believe that he can "come back" even if no one gives him at least one chance.If he makes a new album after three years I think that he knows what type of tracks should do.he won't dissapoint us again(I'm more than convinced about this thing)

[Kez]

Sadly true.

Though i still hold hope that somehow, someway he can make King Mathers good again.

[noel]

I am not a hard core rap person nor am I in the position to critique but I am a consumer and a fan and I still like most of his work and yeah in most lines of work everyone has their ups and downs


Personally I think that he has aimed more towards the commercial (money) avenue, which I like (including Fack... it is hilarious)

As long as he is having fun and enjoying what he is doing he should still do it

I respect what the guy wrote in his critique but it will be interesting to see what is said after the next album...

But yeah, as long as Eminem is true to himself and does what he wants I think the album will be great and I will defiantly be willing to wait if that is what is needed...

[killmaster56]

Sorry but i believe once a MC always an MC. Unless someone else was writing his lyrics for him the whole time then he can still be great once again. His mind is still there but with encore he didnt have anything to fight for. He didnt have to prove anything. When an MC loses his spark, his inspiration to write then he will lose his rhymes. Proof is dead, kim is gone, Em's mom released a book on him, Detox is comeing. But comeon guys is it just me or does any one else still believe em is great and he still will be great. His mind hasnt been on music. His daughter has been getting older for all you know he could of been distracted when he was wrtiting.

If rumors are true and em does release in 08 do you really think he wants to put out a wack album for possibly his last album ever. His ego wont let him do it. He blew the world away before made every other MC be forgotten in his era, NOBODY could touch him. He can do it again.

Flame me call me an idiot i dont care he can be great once more

[Wallace]

Everybody knows the Em age is gone, unfortunalety, but I think he already done on hip Hop much more than most of rappers on the same age of him and we don't need to throw rocks on him... these critics just need to let him show us if he can still does somethin' great.. after that.. ther's no more to say probably.... there's no way to forget him, it's a truth.. and that's all.

[D0llyShady]

Although I also don't think he'd want to release an album like Encore as his last, it's obvious he's never going to be the same as he was on SSLP, MMLP or TES. And that's a fact. Even if the next album will be better than Encore, but not on the same level with the albums mentioned earlier, we will be disappointed 'cause we expect - or is it better to say used to expect? - something better from him, something on the highest level an artist could be. Even if we'll be like 'well, at least it's better than Encore, huh', we'll always compare it to his first three albums and such... It won't stun us as some years ago.
So, his glory years have faded away and they will never come back. The text was painfully true. I have listened to the last songs he has been on and also thought about it, but I've never really admitted it. I've always been blind and deaf to it and had positive hopes like 'oh, he'll get better on the upcoming album, I'm sure of it'. Yes, he probably will get better, but it's not good enough. I - and most probably we all - just want the old Em back. That controversial, brilliant, witty, sarcastic, everything-dissing Em. But that's not going to happen. It's sad to admit it, but it's better to be honest.
I don't even look forward to that King Mathers or whatever anymore. It'll only confirm the end of his career and since I've been his fan, idolized and respected him for so many years, I don't want it. Most probably the release of the upcoming album will be a bad day for me. But yeah. All good things come to an end and there's nothing anyone could do about it. Only good rhyming skills don't rescue anything for me. There are many good rappers out there, but Em was unique. And that has probably faded away. Sadly.
But there's always a high chance I'm being way too negative (as always) and the next album will be awesome and all. I'm just not getting my hopes up too much, 'cause it's always better to be negative and be pleasantly surprised than to be really excited and be disappointed afterwards.

[grabdat]

/faith? he'll bounce back.

[DelinQuent]

people don't just lose skill, he still has the skill to be the best, he seems to lack the inspiration. hip hop is spiraling out of control, there's no inspirational songs anymore.

i felt that when he dropped encore he wanted to have fun, he's getting older. seems he doesn't wanna be the angry white guy of hip hop. if i was him, and i was on top of the world, and i felt that this could be my last album, i'd probably want to have fun doing it. anyone who's ever made a funny track knows that it's enjoyable to do. listen to encore, listen to his cadences, listen to his rhymes and multis, his skill is still 100% solid more than ever before.

he's not saying meaningful things but he is making extremely lyrical music. i just don't understand how people can say he's fallen off.

[doublehitz]

i completely 100% agree with all the views made in this thread i admire the fans who have gave up on another good eminem song, verse or album and admire the fans who still have faith.

The only thing that pisses me off is when people say eminem is the wackest rapper out now, yes he skill have fallin off loads but to say he is the shittest (even tho i think FACK and Just lose It was teh shittest songs in hip hop eva) is wrong when people are sayin Lil Wayne is the greatest rapper eva compare him now to eminem, nas, jay-z 5 years ago he dont even come close so even tho eminem has fallen off i still belive he is betta then the so caled best rappers around today........dame to listento a dope album you need to check underground for that shit...eminem is not dead...mainstream hip hop is

[kingmathers08]

yes eminem may have not shown his great lyrical abilities on songs he was featured on this year...but people have to understand when your featured on songs you have to come to play a role of what that song is.."peep show"was one of those corny songs that he was just being funny on..."touchdown" was the same thing he was messing around rapping with a funny accent...then if you take a look at songs that are his own..such as on the "re-up" if people would actual listen to the lyrics for once then you would see that he has fire in that song and is speaking on some subjects such as reconcilling with his mom which is bleeped out. You have to remember for one second that eminem is not one of these fake studio gangsters and is not going to talk about stuff just for the fuck of it....he needs something to inspire him and with the death of proof and such their should be some fire in his new album...and remember hes a father people gota stop treating him like all he has to do in life is fuckin make rap music ...he doesnt have to prove shit to anyone anymore everyone in the rap game knows hes one of the illest out their and can end carrers if he feels like it.

[Le Tunisien]

Ok ...thats true but his musix changed compared to 99-04 ....but we will have SLIM SHADY BACK now from 2008 .... will start dope shit again , he would do awesome lyrics about proof, his ex wife, his daughter, and maybe his mother, Slim Shady again ....so I think he cant drop the mic now! in contrast its time to get back with the mic!