The Slaughterhouse dwellers are good rappers. Even annoying Joel Ortiz has bars. Listen to how he introduces the group on the album’s first four. This is better than their last album. They should’ve saved some of the songs for their next one.

When they’re not bragging and boasting, the group has an emo-like tendency to express solemn emotions; Crooked I even takes a moment to talk to his dead aunt; but my only major complaint about this mixtape is the lack of strong (catchy) hooks.

my rating : 3 of 5

2014

You can’t tell from the generic album title, but the Slaughterhouse rappers, even with weak link Joell Ortiz, can be a clever bunch. They hype themselves as the best rap group out now. If that’s true, it just means there aren’t any great rap groups out now, but there is enough lyrical skill between the four of them to make inviting songs that would otherwise turn you away. That’s literally the case with some of these songs as executive producer Eminem; a rapper who, once upon a time, would’ve easily outshined all four MCs; provides them with basically a tame collection of run-of-the-mill pop music. Rather than serve as a showcase for hip-hop; the only right direction to go with a group like this; the album seems to be made for the 2012 Billboard charts. A seemingly talentless Skylar Grey sings to emo Alex Da Kid beats. That fact alone flies in the face of what Slaughterhouse is supposed to be about. They may have “made it”, meaning heightened fame and fortune for four rappers who’ve never been far above the underground, but the Our Way claim rings false.

There is nothing essentially wrong with commercialized rap music. The popular bandwagon is often a fun ride. Eminem has proven that time and time again. This Slaughter-House simply isn’t a good place to be. Both D-12 albums are better for comparison’s sake and I don’t even like the second D-12 album. That isn’t much of a surprise though. Eminem has been off-track ever since he went against his own Relapse, my second-favorite album of his, and ditched the twisted artistry of his Slim Shady persona for a watered-down pop hits Recovery. Listen to his forced flow on this album’s title song, which does include a witty line about his daughter, and tell me it’s any better than “eh”. Not that he never shines anymore. The Asylum song, which he provides the chorus and beat for, is actually good. It’s only for the Deluxe version of the album though, which means it has no affect on this review. The highlights that do count, like the Coffin drums and lyrics that are great as opposed to just better than most other mainstream rappers, are few and far between.

my rating : 3 of 5

2012