Encore
Encore is the fifth studio album by rapper Eminem by Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Its release was set for November 16, 2004, but was moved up to November 12 (coincidentally, exactly eight years to the day his debut album, Infinite, was released) after the album was leaked to the Internet.
Encore sold 710,000 copies in its first three days, and went on to sell over 1.5 million copies in its first two weeks of release in the United States.
Encore is the fifth studio album by rapper Eminem by Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Its release was set for November 16, 2004, but was moved up to November 12 (coincidentally, exactly eight years to the day his debut album, Infinite, was released) after the album was leaked to the Internet.
Encore sold 710,000 copies in its first three days, and went on to sell over 1.5 million copies in its first two weeks of release in the United States.
Tracks:
1.Curtains Up:
Eminem announcing its time to start the show.
2.Evil Deeds:
This includes his upbringing, bullied childhood, missing father, role in the black culture of hip-hop, his image to the world and media perception, struggles with fame, and balancing his personal life. In the hook Em starts off by saying “father forgive me” It looks like a plea to God (Our Father), but it is to his actual dad. This makes it look as though he only acts the way he does because he never had a dad in his life.
3.Never Enough: featuring 50 Cent &Nate Dogg
Eminem is saying no matter how many things he accomplishes, people will still find fault with him and criticize the things he does and says without giving him due credit.
4.Yellow Brick Road:
This song was Eminem’s response to a controversy that arose when an old tape leaked of Eminem rapping that black women are dumb and will use you for your money. The song, “Foolish Pride”, was unearthed by The Source magazine in 2003. “Yellow Brick Road” is his public apology and explanation. Em depicts the frustration of growing up poor while getting made fun of for doing things white people aren’t supposed to do such as wearing Black Pride colors. Between getting mocked by black kids, being poor, and finally getting dumped by a black girl he was dating, Eminem was pissed off and vented by recording a racist song.
5.Like Toy Soldiers:
The entire hook is sampled from Martika’s “Toy Soldiers”. It fits with the song’s theme, which is a reflection on rap beefs (disputes). Eminem discusses friends being pulled into other friends' wars, and realizes that everyone involved comes out looking foolish. They are all like toy soldiers, pawns being led into battle by an outside force. One of these most prominent disputes mentioned in this song is when Ja Rule took shots at 50, Dre and Eminem on a diss track entitled “Loose Change” . At the very end he spits the lines: “Em, you claim your mother’s a crackhead/ and Kim is a known slut/So what’s Hailie gon' be when she grows up?”
6.Mosh:
In this protest song, Eminem suggests that he respectfully disagrees with then U.S. President George W. Bush’s ideas. This protest song kindly criticizes the aspect of war, and how George W. Bush wants to go to war and won’t bring the U.S. troops home.
7.Puke:
Marshall shows his outright hatred for Kim in this track. Kim Mathers was in a relationship with Eminem for almost a decade prior to his rise in popularity and they started to break apart as he got more and more famous. He wrote this song around the time she was addicted to cocaine and in trouble with the law for drug possession. This song seems to be a reaction to these events. Especially since he repeatedly calls her a cokehead.
8.My 1st Single:
Eminem pokes fun at mainstream artists by making a ‘1st Single’ that has no qualities of a Single and is more like a happy-go-lucky song about nothing important.
9.Paul (skit):
Once again Paul Rosenberg, Eminem’s attorney makes an appearance to tell Em that Michael Jackson saw his video “Just Lose It” and he didn’t like it.
10.Rain Man:
Eminem starts off the song by repeatedly saying definitely, a reference to the title character of the film Rain Man. Em is mimicking the character’s frequent repetition of the word “definitely” before saying something. He raps about his legal troubles, Christopher Reeves, Rain Man, fame, gay sex, football, and Spider-Man.
11.Big Weenie:
It’s a diss track aimed at Ray Benzino, the guy who owns The Source, a Hip-Hop magazine. Benzino had The Source publish bad reviews about Eminem for no apparent reason. Eminem disses him and says he’s just jealous because he’s not making money like Eminem is. So he takes it out by talking shit about him.
12.Em calls Paul (skit):
This is a response to the earlier skit where Paul called Eminem. In this skit, Eminem calls his manager back about the situation with Michael Jackson and the “Just Lose It” video. These skits were recorded after the first single for Encore was released due to the controversy surrounding the video at the time. While the video itself wasn’t explicit, it does parody Michael Jackson heavily.
13.Just Lost It:
Released as the first single off of Encore, the video and song parody Michael Jackson while also referencing Beavis & Butthead, Pee Wee Herman, and 8 Mile. Paris Hilton appears in the video. Eminem explains: “The song is about goin' to the club and losin' it, and you get so drunk you say the wrong thing. And we needed somebody to punch me, slap me and pull my hair. Our first candidate was Jessica Alba. We couldn’t get Jessica, and Paris happened to be in town.”
14.Ass Like That:
This song features an India-flavored beat while Eminem impersonates Triumph, the Comic Insult Dog (who had insulted Eminem in the past) getting arrested in various situations for sex crimes. He makes a reference to Paul Reubens (who plays Pee Wee Herman) scandal in 1991, where he was arrested for masturbating in an adult movie theatre. This incident is also referenced in the previous song.
15.Spend Some Time: featuring Obie Trice, Stat Quo, & 50 Cent
The song speaks on Eminem’s, Obie Trice’s, Stat Quo’s, and 50 Cent’s experiences with love and heart break. The song was produced by Eminem and Luis Resto and contains a sample of “Self Seeking Man” by Spooky Tooth. It is unknown if the girl Eminem references in this song is real or not.
16. Mockingbird:
Eminem’s putting on his own spin on “Hush, Little Baby”, a traditional lullaby. Eminem said: “There’s a Hailie love song on this album called “Mockingbird,” to Hailie and Alaina. When Mom was on the run they didn’t understand it, and I’m not the greatest talker in the world, especially when I’m trying to explain to two little girls what’s goin' on with someone who’s always been a part of their life and just disappeared. So that was my song to explain to them what was goin on, probably the most emotional song I ever wrote.”
Alaina referred to as Lainie was adopted by Eminem she is his niece by marriage (Kim’s sister’s daughter). He talks to her in the song and calls himself “uncle” while reassuring her that he loves her. He goes on to say how Lainie and Hailie are basically sister now, since they were raised together and now by law. He referrers to himself later as “daddy” to both Hailie and Lainie.
17.Crazy in Love:
A rare example of Eminem singing a whole song rather than rapping, he details the difficulties of being in love with a woman (or a metaphor for the Rap Game in General) that’s almost as crazy as he is. The hook is sampled from “Crazy on You” by Heart.
18.One Shot 2 Shot: featuring D12
In this track the members of D12 witness a shootout in the middle of a club.
Ironically, the only member not featured on this song is Proof, who was shot and killed in a club two years later. This song was recorded when Proof was trying to distance himself from mainstream rap in general. The shootout takes place in St. Andrew’s Hall, a small venue in Detroit, Michigan. Interestingly enough, this is where the rap battle scenes were filmed in the movie 8 Mile.
19.Final Thought (skit):
The skit leading into the final track on Eminem’s Encore album.
20.Encore/ Curtains Down: featuring Dr. Dre &50 Cent
At the end of this song, there is a skit in which Eminem returns to the stage, stating that he forgot "one more thing", starts shooting at the crowd, and shoots himself through the mouth. Many critics thought that it might have meant Eminem will stop his music career. Others see it as him getting rid of his alter ego "Slim Shady", and coming back as a whole new rapper. Eminem had stated that, at that moment in time, he was not certain about the future but that he would still be involved in the music industry. It was later confirmed that the shooting was meant to represent the death of Slim Shady. Shady however returned in Relapse. The skit was hinted in the earlier skit "Em Calls Paul", in which he tells his manager Paul Rosenberg through the phone that he has a good idea for the ending. In the skit, he also lies to Paul that he didn't get a new gun.
1.Curtains Up:
Eminem announcing its time to start the show.
2.Evil Deeds:
This includes his upbringing, bullied childhood, missing father, role in the black culture of hip-hop, his image to the world and media perception, struggles with fame, and balancing his personal life. In the hook Em starts off by saying “father forgive me” It looks like a plea to God (Our Father), but it is to his actual dad. This makes it look as though he only acts the way he does because he never had a dad in his life.
3.Never Enough: featuring 50 Cent &Nate Dogg
Eminem is saying no matter how many things he accomplishes, people will still find fault with him and criticize the things he does and says without giving him due credit.
4.Yellow Brick Road:
This song was Eminem’s response to a controversy that arose when an old tape leaked of Eminem rapping that black women are dumb and will use you for your money. The song, “Foolish Pride”, was unearthed by The Source magazine in 2003. “Yellow Brick Road” is his public apology and explanation. Em depicts the frustration of growing up poor while getting made fun of for doing things white people aren’t supposed to do such as wearing Black Pride colors. Between getting mocked by black kids, being poor, and finally getting dumped by a black girl he was dating, Eminem was pissed off and vented by recording a racist song.
5.Like Toy Soldiers:
The entire hook is sampled from Martika’s “Toy Soldiers”. It fits with the song’s theme, which is a reflection on rap beefs (disputes). Eminem discusses friends being pulled into other friends' wars, and realizes that everyone involved comes out looking foolish. They are all like toy soldiers, pawns being led into battle by an outside force. One of these most prominent disputes mentioned in this song is when Ja Rule took shots at 50, Dre and Eminem on a diss track entitled “Loose Change” . At the very end he spits the lines: “Em, you claim your mother’s a crackhead/ and Kim is a known slut/So what’s Hailie gon' be when she grows up?”
6.Mosh:
In this protest song, Eminem suggests that he respectfully disagrees with then U.S. President George W. Bush’s ideas. This protest song kindly criticizes the aspect of war, and how George W. Bush wants to go to war and won’t bring the U.S. troops home.
7.Puke:
Marshall shows his outright hatred for Kim in this track. Kim Mathers was in a relationship with Eminem for almost a decade prior to his rise in popularity and they started to break apart as he got more and more famous. He wrote this song around the time she was addicted to cocaine and in trouble with the law for drug possession. This song seems to be a reaction to these events. Especially since he repeatedly calls her a cokehead.
8.My 1st Single:
Eminem pokes fun at mainstream artists by making a ‘1st Single’ that has no qualities of a Single and is more like a happy-go-lucky song about nothing important.
9.Paul (skit):
Once again Paul Rosenberg, Eminem’s attorney makes an appearance to tell Em that Michael Jackson saw his video “Just Lose It” and he didn’t like it.
10.Rain Man:
Eminem starts off the song by repeatedly saying definitely, a reference to the title character of the film Rain Man. Em is mimicking the character’s frequent repetition of the word “definitely” before saying something. He raps about his legal troubles, Christopher Reeves, Rain Man, fame, gay sex, football, and Spider-Man.
11.Big Weenie:
It’s a diss track aimed at Ray Benzino, the guy who owns The Source, a Hip-Hop magazine. Benzino had The Source publish bad reviews about Eminem for no apparent reason. Eminem disses him and says he’s just jealous because he’s not making money like Eminem is. So he takes it out by talking shit about him.
12.Em calls Paul (skit):
This is a response to the earlier skit where Paul called Eminem. In this skit, Eminem calls his manager back about the situation with Michael Jackson and the “Just Lose It” video. These skits were recorded after the first single for Encore was released due to the controversy surrounding the video at the time. While the video itself wasn’t explicit, it does parody Michael Jackson heavily.
13.Just Lost It:
Released as the first single off of Encore, the video and song parody Michael Jackson while also referencing Beavis & Butthead, Pee Wee Herman, and 8 Mile. Paris Hilton appears in the video. Eminem explains: “The song is about goin' to the club and losin' it, and you get so drunk you say the wrong thing. And we needed somebody to punch me, slap me and pull my hair. Our first candidate was Jessica Alba. We couldn’t get Jessica, and Paris happened to be in town.”
14.Ass Like That:
This song features an India-flavored beat while Eminem impersonates Triumph, the Comic Insult Dog (who had insulted Eminem in the past) getting arrested in various situations for sex crimes. He makes a reference to Paul Reubens (who plays Pee Wee Herman) scandal in 1991, where he was arrested for masturbating in an adult movie theatre. This incident is also referenced in the previous song.
15.Spend Some Time: featuring Obie Trice, Stat Quo, & 50 Cent
The song speaks on Eminem’s, Obie Trice’s, Stat Quo’s, and 50 Cent’s experiences with love and heart break. The song was produced by Eminem and Luis Resto and contains a sample of “Self Seeking Man” by Spooky Tooth. It is unknown if the girl Eminem references in this song is real or not.
16. Mockingbird:
Eminem’s putting on his own spin on “Hush, Little Baby”, a traditional lullaby. Eminem said: “There’s a Hailie love song on this album called “Mockingbird,” to Hailie and Alaina. When Mom was on the run they didn’t understand it, and I’m not the greatest talker in the world, especially when I’m trying to explain to two little girls what’s goin' on with someone who’s always been a part of their life and just disappeared. So that was my song to explain to them what was goin on, probably the most emotional song I ever wrote.”
Alaina referred to as Lainie was adopted by Eminem she is his niece by marriage (Kim’s sister’s daughter). He talks to her in the song and calls himself “uncle” while reassuring her that he loves her. He goes on to say how Lainie and Hailie are basically sister now, since they were raised together and now by law. He referrers to himself later as “daddy” to both Hailie and Lainie.
17.Crazy in Love:
A rare example of Eminem singing a whole song rather than rapping, he details the difficulties of being in love with a woman (or a metaphor for the Rap Game in General) that’s almost as crazy as he is. The hook is sampled from “Crazy on You” by Heart.
18.One Shot 2 Shot: featuring D12
In this track the members of D12 witness a shootout in the middle of a club.
Ironically, the only member not featured on this song is Proof, who was shot and killed in a club two years later. This song was recorded when Proof was trying to distance himself from mainstream rap in general. The shootout takes place in St. Andrew’s Hall, a small venue in Detroit, Michigan. Interestingly enough, this is where the rap battle scenes were filmed in the movie 8 Mile.
19.Final Thought (skit):
The skit leading into the final track on Eminem’s Encore album.
20.Encore/ Curtains Down: featuring Dr. Dre &50 Cent
At the end of this song, there is a skit in which Eminem returns to the stage, stating that he forgot "one more thing", starts shooting at the crowd, and shoots himself through the mouth. Many critics thought that it might have meant Eminem will stop his music career. Others see it as him getting rid of his alter ego "Slim Shady", and coming back as a whole new rapper. Eminem had stated that, at that moment in time, he was not certain about the future but that he would still be involved in the music industry. It was later confirmed that the shooting was meant to represent the death of Slim Shady. Shady however returned in Relapse. The skit was hinted in the earlier skit "Em Calls Paul", in which he tells his manager Paul Rosenberg through the phone that he has a good idea for the ending. In the skit, he also lies to Paul that he didn't get a new gun.