I know this is a worn-out topic, but I feel like I have to add my two cents to this conversation. Jay-Z used to be one of my favorite rappers, I used to have immense respect for Jay... but he's fell off something crazy lately. Everyone has, I'm not sure if it's the hip-hop culture of today, or what, but everyone seems to be turning on their word. I'm waiting for both Game and Lupe's fourth albums.... because they both will certainly drop at one point or another.
After Jay released "The Black Album", and supposedly his career "died" in a hail of gunfire in "99 Problems"... I was convinced that he was done. He's Jay-Z, he knows how to bow out gracefully, he's not going to be a 40 year old club owner rehashing tales of violence looking for nostalgia in the hip-hop industry. Well he wasn't ready to bow out gracefully, and he released the poorly-received "Kingdom Come". This was supposedly the death of Jay-Z, and the birth of Sean Carter, which is a bullshit principle in and of it's own. The death of one persona and the birth of a more mature one... it's played out. And if Jay-Z is going to release a comeback album to "The Black Album", I'd expect more than "Kingdom Come"... maybe it's just me.
After "Kingdom Come", I hated "American Gangster" out of principle. "Kingdom Come" was poorly received, so he decided to put a modern twist on his "Reasonable Doubt" lyrics... which seemed extremely unnecessary to me. Not only that, but the whole retirement plan just went out the door... and now Jay is planning on releasing "Blueprint 3".

Sadly, after hearing "Swagga Like Us", and some singles off "B3", I have to mourn the career of yet another legend, who has put the hip-hop world through 3 comebacks too many.

Did anyone actually think that Eminem's return would be good? I hope not, because you'd look real stupid right now...real stupid. But then again, it's easily what you should expect, what motivation does Em have? What signs has Eminem shown you in the last 4 fucking years that this album would be anything even reminiscent to his first two? Almost none... signing Bobby Creekwater? Cashis? Stat Quo? Have any of these guys released any good music ever? To be fair to Stat Quo, he's made a few good songs for the Madden NFL games, and has caught his fair share of tight beats... but not much more. Cashis is so stereotypically "gangster", it's almost painful to listen to this guy (and don't use Ms. Jenkins as an counter-example). And Bobby Creekwater? Are you kidding me?
Say that you could possibly disregard his record label altogether, and disregard that he stood behind 50 Cent through the avalanche of diss songs thrown at him. And disregard "The Re-Up" and "The Longest Yard Soundtrack"... and disregard his commitment to histories worst weed carriers (discluding Proof). And then I guess you might have a reason to be excited for "King Mathers", I mean "The Empact", I mean "Relapse". Oh wait, you'd also have to disregard the godawful single he just released...watch it again.
Hoping that Em will release another "Encore" is optimistic... it seems like all the man's motivation and inner anger is gone. When Eminem is not freebasing on drugs, he's not making songs like "Til I Collapse", but rather "Just Lose It"... which was too cutesy for anyone's taste I hope.
So, I'm calling for an end to this man's career. Please don't embarrass yourself and stoop to an all-time low just to sell a million records... don't do it. You've had a storied career, and you've fucked it up pretty good already... here's hoping you'll stop Marshall.