At the end of 2002, Eminem releases the official soundtrack album to the 2002 film of the same name. He's the main producer of the disk along with Jeff Bass, Luis Resto, Red Spyda, Denaun Porter, Dante Ross, John Gamble, Mike Elizondo, Chucky Thompson of the Hitmen, John "J-Praize" Freeman, Sha Money XL, Nas, Kellin Manning, Martin Pradler e DJ Premier. The CD is performed by several artists: Mathers, Obie Trice, 50 Cent, D12, Jay-Z, Freeway, Xzibit, Macy Gray, Nas, Boomkat, Rakim, Young Zee and Gang Starr.
The album kicks off with one of Eminem's absolute classics, "Lose Yourself", the album's lead single: on a self-produced beat, the Detroit emcee creates a track that has written the history of the genre with an autobiographical text written during the breaks in filming the movie. The song becomes his first single to reach the top of the Hot 100, staying at the top for twelve weeks in a row, and becoming a worldwide hit, appreciated by critics and audiences alike, also being awarded with two Grammys and above all with the Oscar for best original song (the first hip-hop track to win the award). It's considered not only his signature song, but also his best tracks ever, one of the best-selling and one of the greatest cuts in the history of hip-hop.
In the minutes that follow, the record can’t keep up with the opening track. Obie Trice and 50 Cent join the lead rapper on “Love Me", then Shady goes solo on the title track, building two solid tunes. Obie Trice returns to the mic for a solo on “Adrenaline Rush”, over a slightly shoddy production by Red Spyda. The next two picks feature 50 Cent first on a solo cut over a dark beat produced by Eminem and then with D12 over dystopian production again by Mathers alongside Denaun Porter. Slim Shady stays behind the keyboards for a State Property track where Jay-Z is joined by young protégé Freeway on a light, bouncy boom bap where the Philadelphia emcee strangely spits without aggression, something that rarely happens in his catalog.
Denaun Porter invents the digitized boom bap of "Spit Shine", Xzibit's rapping is a little less catchy than the beat. The ninth choice coincides with the first non-rap track of the entire soundtrack, Macy Gray sings over a beat built by John Gamble and Dante Ross with the support of Mike Elizondo. The beatmaker of the Hitmen production group joins Nasty Nas in the lively, carefree and intriguing production of "U Wanna Be Me", a solo by the Queens emcee who delivers three braggadocio verses in which he throws arrows towards Cormega and dissing the rival Jay-Z. "Wanksta" is a solo by 50 Cent over a ridiculous and annoying production by John "J-Praize" Freeman and Sha Money XL, the guys behind the keyboards have some problems here. The electronic and pop duo Boomkat joins the compilation with an honest ballad in "Wasting My Time". One of the last tunes is a Rakim solo: Denaun Porter boom bap, Rakim tries to flow with the beat, but finds himself on top of the worst rhythm of his career. He tweaks it until it's listenable with a masterful delivery, but the beat totally ruins the track.
With the inclusion of "That's My Nigga Fo' Real", Eminem tries to heal a previous rift with Young Zee (and Pace Won) dating back to a few years earlier, when the two members of Outsidaz were supposed to be guests on the album "The Marshall Mathers LP" on a track with the D12 rapper Bizarre until Dr. Dre advised Eminem to remove both of their contributions from the album because there were too many guests. Synthesized boom bap, light, inside Young Zee alone in an unmissable showcase where his execution is not rewarded by the rhythm. The penultimate track is signed by Gang Starr. This means it's a classic. Premier arrives with an exceptional rhythm to lift up an album that is slowly ending up underground. The production uses a sample from "Riot at Tyburn" by Elmer Bernstein, magical boom bap by Primo, Guru delivers at his best and the duo creates the only track that holds up to the level of the introductory cut of this soundtrack. "Rabbit Run" is the last track, Eminem spits the last verses on his tough production.
The special edition includes six bonus tracks performed by Obie Trice (with his hit "Rap Name"), Eminem, 50 Cent (a freestyle on the beat of "Till I Collapse"), Joseph Smith, Brooklyn and Shaunta on beats made respectively by Eminem, Mel-Man, DJ Khalil and Mahogany Music. The album also includes a subsequent soundtrack, "More Music from 8 Mile", composed of songs that appear in the film and that were released as singles around 1995, the year the film is set: the soundtrack features songs by Biggie Smalls, Wu-Tang, Mobb Deep, 2Pac, OutKast, Naughty by Nature and The Pharcyde, while, although present in the film, songs by Onyx, OC, Cypress Hill, South Central Cartel, Showbiz & AG remain outside the soundtrack.
The film's original soundtrack sold over 700,000 physical copies in its first week and topped the Billboard 200, selling another half a million copies seven days later. The album also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Japan, and New Zealand, and achieved certifications around the world, selling two million copies in Europe, four million in the United States (in three months), and eleven million worldwide. Despite the weight of the artists featured, there are few truly noteworthy tracks.
Rating: 6/10.
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