8 Mile Rd - Eminem plus.

It is hard to know where to start with this CD. Whilst it is the soundtrack to the 2002 film of the same name starring Eminem, and it features an awful lot of Eminem it also features many other rappers:

* Obie Trice
* 50 Cent
* Jay-Z
* Freeway
* D12
* Xzibit
* Nas
* Rakim
* Young Zee
* Gang Starr
* Joe Beast
* Brooklyn
* Shuanta

And the silky voiced Macey Gray and Taryn Manning all show up for the party.

There are actually two CD's, the main one which has a whopping 16 tracks, and an 'Aftermath Sampler' which has another 6 tracks.

So from as little as 19p used on Amazon (12/11/08) you can have 22 tracks, of which a fair few, in my mind are 'keepers'. Not bad considering this is a grammy award winning, 10 million selling CD.

I have included a track listing for both CD's but am not going to do a track by track review this time (though I could), mainly because 22 track summaries is just too much, my unwritten rule is generally 16 is enough.

I am going to 'highlight the best tracks and 'score' the rest.....this is of course very subjective, but hey, it's my review!!


~~~The Tracks~~~

1. Lose Yourself. Eminem.
Fantastic opening track, lyrically sublime gives us a real insight into the nervousness of the young Eminem. The heavy bass line which accompanies his rap is very, very infectious. I often think that Eminem sings/raps what people want to hear and this is one of the only songs that I feel is from his heart. A number one hit in many countries and deservedly so. Brilliant. 10/10

2. Love Me. Eminem/Obie Trice/50 Cent. 4/10


3. 8 Mile. Eminem.
Another autobiographical song from Em. I like the way the music is really not what you would expect from a rap song, edgy and guitar and keyboard based. He almost 'sings' on this track, novel in itself, lol. 7/10.

4. Adrenaline Rush. Obie Trice.
Obie Trice has never really got the recognition he deserves in my opinion. It is nice to hear a raw rap record, drum based that matches his hard rapping style. Full of swearing, telling a story, just like rap should be, kind of makes you feel aggressive and root for him when he raps. 8/10.

5. Places to Go. 50 Cent. 5/10.

6. Rap Game. D12 & 50 Cent. 3/10.

7. 8 Miles and Runnin. Jay-Z featuring Freeway. 3/10.

8. Spit Shine. Xzibit.
I have always like Xzibit's voice and so have to like this. Very gruff, very rough lyrics. Okay it is glorifying violence and weapons but you expect nothing less from this guy. 7/10.

9. Time of My Life. Macy Gray.
Such a 'different' song for a CD like this. A ballad which is very, very uplifting. Her voice just makes me melt inside. The lyrics are simple and effective. The heavy drum and bass beat mixed with gentle keyboards and what sounds like a xylophone is actually sublime. The chorus is lovely. Okay I know this woman is a bit flaxy, but what a voice. Superb, 9/10.

10. U Wanna Be Me. Nas.
Love Nas, love this, very un musical and spoken rap, unusual for Nas who generally has a big backing track. Lyrically almost poetically comedic, good stuff. 7/10.

11. Wanksta. 50 Cent.
Not a great 'Fiddy fan' this is okay. 5/10.

12. Wasting My Time. Taryn Manning
Another ballad of sorts, not in the same league as Macey, much more contemporary R&B. I know this song will appeal to a lot of folk, I find it a little dull, despite here gorgeous voice. 5/10.

13. R.A.K.I.M. 2/10.

14. That's My Nigga fo' Real. Young Zee. 1/10.

15. Battle. Gang Starr.
Quite like this, lots of old school 'scratching' mixed with contemporary rapping and rap backing beats, nice smooth voice too. Not heard much of this guy, after this I would probably listen to more.7/10.

16. Rabbit Run. Eminem. 2/10.


~~~Aftermath Sampler Disc~~~

1. Rap Name. Obie Trice. 3/10.

2. Stimulate. Eminem. 3/10.

3. Till I Collapse (Freestyle). 50 Cent. 2/10.

4. Gangsta. Joe Beast. 4/10.

5. The Weekend. Brooklyn.
I love the jazzy start to this and the song is a real mix of genres which means it is quite individual, that always scores points with me. He voice is not quite strong enough to match the dominant music, but it is the best track on this ampler by a mile (or 8 miles!). 7/10.

6. California. Shaunta. Horrid. 0/10.


~~~~Finally~~~~

I have always liked rap and hip hop, ever since the Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash (now we will see how old you all are). I even confess to going to see this film and being the oldest guy in the audience I reckon, lol.

I was dead excited about getting this CD on the back of watching the film and whilst it is really quite brilliant in parts, it does lose something when not heard whilst watching the film. Some of the tracks are simply boring, some are fantastic. I have about half of these tracks transferred to iTunes.

It really is an Eminem outing for me with some 'guests'. The fact that so many different artists are on this album should mean it will appeal to a fair few people.

The 'Aftermath Sampler' does not do much to help the main CD which would, in my opinion stand alone better.