Here are some things that have happened in the world since the last time Eminem released an original album:
- America elected its first black president.
- Saddam Hussein was captured and executed.
- Martha Stewart and Paris Hilton went to jail.
- James Brown, Steve Irwin, Robert Altman, Richard Pryor, Rosa Parks and Anne Bancroft passed away.
- Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath devastated the states of Louisiana and Mississippi.
- YouTube was launched.
But the most popular white rapper since Vanilla Ice has had a Relapse — at least, that’s the title of his forthcoming album, his first original work since the 2004 Encore. While the album drops May 17, the first single and video, We Made You, was released today. And boy oh boy, has Marshall Mathers got some catching up to do.
We Made You is extremely 2007 in its references — with the exception of an extended Star Trek homage, the celebrity-bashing pop tune focuses its energies not on recent scandals like Christian Bale flipping out or Joaquin Phoenix, but tired old punching bags like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. Does anyone really care about the Kardashians anymore? C’mon.
The most up-to-date Eminem gets in this video is when he takes on Sarah Palin, made slightly niftier by casting porn star Lisa Ann, who portrayed the former vice-presidential candidate in the adult-rated Who’s Nailin’ Palin. But many would still argue that she’s been all but irrelevent since Nov. 4, 2008.
Is We Made You catchy? I suppose, in a one-note, repetitive way. And the brightly colored, fast-paced, pop culture-heavy style of his videos translates surprisingly well to the YouTube screen. But while part of me wants to applaud Eminem for remaining true to his core sensibility, the sad fact is that we’re way beyond this now. Dude, welcome to 2009 — the 21-and-under set are watching The Hills, and referencing things like Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman’s matching suits from Rain Man goes right over their heads — because that movie came out in 1990. The adolescents who make up the MTV audience now? They weren’t BORN yet.
It’s not that I think Eminem is untalented; he definitely deserved the Best Song Oscar for writing and performing Lose Yourself, and tunes like Stan and Cleaning Out My Closet only confirm his abilities as a songwriter and performer. But the kids who used to worship him have all grown up. Maybe he should follow suit.
