Relapse

Relapse is the sixth studio album from American rapper Eminem, arriving on May 15, 2009. It marked his return after a break that followed 2004’s Encore, a pause brought on by writer’s block and a dependence on prescription sleeping pills. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and took home the Grammy for Best Rap Album at the 52nd Annual Awards.

The project was largely produced by Eminem’s mentor, Dr. Dre, who handled every track except “Beautiful,” which Eminem produced himself. Guests include Dr. Dre and 50 Cent; a December 21 reissue added Drake, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne. Stylistically, Relapse is a horrorcore album centered on drug rehabilitation and relapse, reviving Eminem’s Slim Shady persona. Eminem described it as reminiscent of The Slim Shady LP (1999) and The Marshall Mathers LP (2000). The concept album casts Eminem as a serial killer who uses various accents, and it includes skits featuring Dominic West, Paul Rosenberg, and Angela Yee.

Five singles promoted the album: “Crack a Bottle” (which hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100), “We Made You,” “3 a.m.,” “Old Time’s Sake,” and “Beautiful.” Critical reception was mixed; reviewers generally praised the production but were split on the writing and criticized Eminem’s accents. Nonetheless, Relapse won Best Rap Album at the Grammys, and “Crack a Bottle” won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Though Eminem later expressed dissatisfaction with the album, it developed a cult following and underwent a critical reevaluation, now regarded as one of his best for its humor, performances, and creativity.

One of 2009’s most anticipated albums, Relapse debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 608,000 copies sold in its first week and stayed there for two weeks. It also reached number one in 12 other countries. In 2022, the RIAA certified it triple platinum. A sequel, Relapse 2, was planned but canceled in favor of Recovery (2010).

After Encore in 2004, Eminem planned to take a break from his own music to produce for other acts, especially on his Shady Records label. But his hiatus started earlier than expected when he canceled the European leg of the Anger Management Tour in summer 2005 due to exhaustion and prescription sleeping drug addiction. In 2006, he remarried ex-wife Kimberly Scott, but the marriage ended in divorce after eleven weeks. That same year, his best friend and fellow rapper Proof was shot and killed outside a Detroit nightclub.

Devastated, Eminem relapsed into prescription drug abuse and became reclusive. In a June 2009 XXL interview, he discussed Proof’s death’s impact. Speculation about a new album—rumored to be called King Mathers—had been circulating since early 2007, based on announcements from 50 Cent, Stat Quo, and other Shady affiliates. Rapper Bizarre of D12 said Interscope wanted Eminem’s album out before D12’s third studio album.

By late 2007, The Alchemist, Bishop Lamont, Cashis, and Obie Trice had confirmed Eminem was working on new material. On September 12, 2007, during a call to radio station WQHT Hot 97, Eminem said he was in limbo and unsure about releasing new music soon, though he was constantly in the studio and had come to terms with personal issues. In December 2007, he was hospitalized for a nearly fatal methadone overdose. In early 2008, he began a 12-step recovery program and later said he got sober on April 20, 2008, remaining sober since.

Eminem recorded throughout 2005, releasing most of that work on the compilation Eminem Presents: The Re-Up. He wrote the track “Beautiful” while in rehab and finished it after leaving in 2005; it became the fifth single on Relapse and one of the few songs on the album recorded while he wasn’t sober, along with “Careful What You Wish For” and “My Darling.” He began recording Relapse in mid-2008 after completing the 12-step program. Longtime Detroit collaborator Jeff Bass of the Bass Brothers worked with Eminem on 25 tracks, two years after the rapper’s treatment for sleeping pill addiction.

Depressed by Proof’s death, Eminem experienced writer’s block, feeling nothing he wrote was worth recording. To compensate, Bass adopted a production style that let Eminem rap off the top of his head rather than writing stories—freestyling or recording vocals one line at a time, interrupting and then recording another line. According to song rights supervisor Joel Martin, Eminem also began collecting songs without realizing it, often recording material intended for other artists’ projects but keeping tracks he liked.

In 2007, Eminem bought the Effigy Studio in Ferndale, Michigan, and ended his working relationship with much of his former production team at 54 Sound, including the Bass Brothers.