“To the fans, I never let you down again, I’m back/ I promise to never go back on that promise /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 to do that now.” – Eminem on “Not Afraid”

Eminem knew what was on the line with Recovery, and while the title suggests sobriety, he’s now evoking a lyrical potency most associated with a heavily inebriated period in his life. But, a cleaned up Marshall Mathers is good for music and indelibly good for his own career, by his own admission. 

The first thing listeners notice with Recovery is the inclusion of a variety of producers, from Just Blaze to Havoc to Shady staples like Dr. Dre. The infusion of new energy bodes well for Eminem who had pups like Asher Roth and Yelawolf coming into his lyrical yard. 

But, Eminem quickly reestablishes “whose yard is this,” as once spit by Beanie Sigel.

The aggressive tone is quickly established on “Cold Wind Blows,” with a ridiculously thumping beat by Just Blaze. “Eat s**t, her we go again,” Eminem sings before diving headfirst into a lyrical foray that truly obliterates nearly everything on the charts at the moment. “F**k it, I’m a loose cannong Bruce Banner’s back in the booth / Y’all are sitting duck, I’m the only goose standing.” He doesn’t stop there. Belligerence is a common thread on Recovery, and it is destined to satisfy the most critical blogger or board commentator.  Songs like “Almost Famous,” “On Fire,” “Cinderella Man” and others evoke the early 2000’s. On “No Love,” Eminem seemingly trades his normal cohorts for Lil Wayne. Those familiar may be thrown from the sample from “What Is Love,” originally crooned in 1993 club music singer Haddaway.  After Wayne and Em bless the Just Blaze-produced song, they eradicate the idea of corny discos, silk shirts and men with mustaches.

Weirder still is Eminem’s ability to create songs for mass consumption without burning his fan base. The first single, “Not Afraid,” is not well liked by this reviewer, but that isn’t the case with other pop songs on the album. “Love the Way You Lie” (featuring Rihanna) delves deep into a toxic, addictive relationship with an equally addictive hook. “Won’t Back Down” gets down right grungy with Pink and definitely leans towards the rock-formatted stations, but not enough to isolate traditional fans. The chorus on “W.T.P.” (White Trash Party) soon get a lot of burn in Brooklyn, but perhaps it will resonate with Middle America’s trailer parks.

The final notable aspects to Recovery are the very lucid personal stories that Eminem crafts. On the Jim Jonsin-produced “Space Bound,” Eminem revisits the love-gone-bad theme but with totally different results. He travels in the opposite direction on “Seduction,” where he employs his rap skills to steal another emcee’s girl. “Let me slow it down some/ its still gonna be a blowout, you’re gonna wanna throw out your whole album.” Em spews. “25 To Life” will surprise listeners on the first listen, as Em gives and old concept a spit-shine. With in-your-face honesty, Eminem raps about his friend Proof on   “You’re Never Over.” “This depression ain’t taking me hostage/ I been patiently watching/ This game pacing these hallways / You had faith in me always / Proof, you knew I would come out of this slump / Rise from these ashes / Come right back on their a#### / go Mike Tyson on these bastards,” Em says with conviction.

Eminem has indeed emerged a different person. There has been much dialogue about his recent sobriety, but it seems like Eminem has found other aspects of his existence that are more important that getting high. Recovery oozes dopeness, commercial viably and sincerity in equal parts. “F**k my last CD, that s**ts in the trash,” Eminem raps on Recovery. Fortunately, he’s completely redeemed himself and has constructed an opus that is certain to be recycled for years to come.

PS: A special nod goes to all of the producers that laid down the backdrop to the album, because they provided a superior audio change to Eminem’s life changes. Another nod goes to the bonus songs with Slaughterhouse (“Session One”) and a new Dr. Dre-produced song, “Ridaz.” Click here for those. And, yes…this is Em’s best album since The Marshall Mathers LP.

June 19, 2010 marked 15 years of broadcasting

for Hot 107.9.  Radio One celebrates this historic event with

the city of Atlanta by launching a mega concert where several world reknown

recording artists come to entertain their listeners. Radio One/Hot 107.9 has

been making a difference in their community since the birth of the broadcast as

they continue to keep Hip-Hop operative with monumental triumphs that celebrate

Hot 107.9’s Birthday.

This years birthday bash was

one to remember, with headliners from all over who came to grace the stage at a

sold out Phillips Arena. Without bias, the Birthday Bash 15 performance roster

was filled with the industry’s forerunners. The show began as the sunset, with

the winner of the new music contest sponsored by Wendy’s. The lucky artist,

Flawless opened the show full of energy and crowd participation as his

background dancers set the tone for what was to come. 

Following the opening act was

Atlanta native Rocko who woke up the audience with his late single “This

Morning,” and ended his set with a newest banger “Maybe.”  By then the crowd was ready for swag surfin

with F.L.Y. as the whole arena swayed and dipped back and forth .

Another spectacular performer

of the night was Monica who illustrates to her fans time and time again that

she is “Still Standing.”  She completely

blew her followers away with an unforgettable performance that touched every

listener.  Monica took the crowd back to

the beginning of her career as she began with her first hit “Don’t Take It

Personal.”

One of the sponsors of the

show was www. gytnow.org who spoke to Atlanta during a brief intermission about

the importance of getting tested for HIV.  

Another sponsor was the Magnum condom contest winner who performed while

promoting the “Live Large Project” again stressing the facts on how to live

safe.

The second half of Birthday

Bash was even more star-studded. Dressed in all white was Shawty Lo who

formally introduced Atlanta to his newest single “Birds.”  The energy created by each artist was felt

throughout the arena and the excitement level was on high. 

Fans were pleased to know Jeezy

was in the building.  Jeezy performed

“Lose My Mind” with Plies as they gave everyone a taste of what they’ve been

working on. The presence of Plies had the ladies in hysteria as he approached

the set wearing nothing more than a bath robe.

Another Florida

representative was the boss himself, Rick Ross.   Maybach Music is still promoting Ricks new

album Teflon Don.  The Boss kept the crowd entertained by

popping champagne and performing for the women shirtless while rapping his

single “Super High.”

BirthDay Bash 15 in ATL from DTP TV on Vimeo.

Ludacris hit the stage and

performed several songs from his newest album Battle of the Sexes. He demanded fans to jump to their feet while

he showed the crowd just how to disturb the peace.   With “Luda” came his first surprise guest,

Diamond and then the baddest of them all Trina performing their remix to “How

Low Can You Go.” Ciara then showed the fellas exactly what she means in her new

record “Ride.”  Ludacris even brought out

Florida’s music veteran Uncle Luke and his down south dirty dancers to the

stage. “Luda” then publicly welcomed the newest member of the DTP family Lil’

Scrappy. 

Roscoe Dash had the audience

turned up to the max with his back to back hits “Show Out” and “Sexy Girl

Anthem.”  The show ended  magnificently with Gucci Mane who was

recently released from jail after serving time for a parole violation. Gucci

Mane, while incarcerated had one of the best selling albums in 2009 (State vs.Radric Davis), thus fans where

in pure pandemonium when he hit the stage. 

Gucci Mane mentioned in an

interview that performing at Birthday Bash is like a holiday comparable to

Christmas, with the opportunity to connect with his city. This performance was

the most important to date since Gucci Mane’s release, and the entire “So Icey”

squad was on stage including Waka Flocka, Gucci’s best addition yet. Waka went

hard in the paint and had his fans “crunk,” shaking their heads as he performed

“Oh Lets Do It.”

Radio One/Hot 107.9 gives

artists the opportunity to be exposed at Birthday Bash in front of a large

fraction of the city’s population, entertainers reach their target market by

the thousands.  Atlanta has an undeniable

love for their own, and with a collective residency of nearly 5.7 million the influence

Atlanta’s have on the Hip Hop industry speaks for itself.