More Problems

With only a few exceptions, Eminem has stuck to a very rigid, albeit rivetting, formula when he's behind the board. He skews towards thunderous beats and ominous, droning bass lines. Almost all of these songs have either one chord throughout or a bass pedal tone working the same trick. Now, I love this gimmick. Rimsky erred greatly when he cleansed Modeste's scores of pedal tones. However, there is only so much that it can do, and Eminem exhausted its possibilities long ago. He's not bringing anything new to his flow when he raps over productions like The Game's "We Ain't". Especially when The Game's debut listens exactly like the retread of Get Rich or Die Tryin' that everyone expects it to be, it's a pretty big disapointment to encounter tunes like this, as compelling as they would be without knowing he's done a dozen others just like them.

One of my favourite examples of his maturation as a producer is the brilliant cut from Encore, "Crazy in Love". At first, it looks like Em's headed for the formula heap. He'd sampled another classic rock cut on his last album, after all. The minor bombast of "Dream On" fit perfectly with Em's first efforts, offering up yet another track with a simple, booming beat and pedal bass. But right from the start, it's clear that he's going to do a great deal more with Heart than he did with Aerosmith. He cops the boogie in his flow, while using a half time bass line. Yeah, it's a one note thump, but the flow is completely different than what we'd come to expect from his ostinato bass lines, and the juxtaposition is thrilling. Then he has the good grace to go old school and let Ann Wilson's bridge be heard as he raps new words along with it. In an age where high-priced samples are trotted out like Ashanti hooks, it's so refreshing to hear someone have fun with his source material like this.