Encore (album)

Encore is an album by the rap artist Eminem. It was set for release on November 16, 2004, but was moved up to November 12, due to the leakage of the album on the Internet. That date being a Friday, rather than a Monday (the day when chart weeks start), meant that he had only two days to compete for the #1 position that week in the UK. However, with the huge anticipation and pre-order sales for the album, this still allowed him to reach the top spot there, beating albums from top-selling artists like Britney Spears. Encore was eventually certified 4x Platinum. The song Encore off the album, which features Dr. Dre and 50 Cent won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 2006. The song 'Mockingbird' was also nominated at the Grammy's in 2006 for Best Rap Solo Performance, and won.

This album provoked even less controversy than The Eminem LP. This is largely due to the fact that shock-oriented lyrics are toned down even more. Some shock-oriented lyrics are still present, however this album contains a somewhat lighter approach than Eminem's previous three albums. However, the album did provoke controversy over anti-Bush lyrics and lyrics that made fun of Michael Jackson.

The album features substantially more production from Dr. Dre than The Eminem LP, which was mostly produced by Eminem and longtime collaborator Jeff Bass.

"Encore" was nominated at the Grammy Awards of 2006 for Best Rap Album, and won.

The cover for "Encore", which shows Slim Shady taking a "final bow", is representative of the fact that Eminem would soon plan to retire his alter ego. The outro to the title track also hints to this, as Slim Shady can be heard shooting his entire audience and finally committing suicide by sticking a pistol in his mouth. These events are also represented in the album's artwork.

Track listing

 * 1) "Curtains Up" (Encore Version) — 0:46
 * 2) "Evil Deeds" (Produced by Dr. Dre) — 4:19
 * 3) "Never Enough" (featuring 50 Cent and Nate Dogg) (Produced by Dr. Dre) — 2:39
 * 4) "Yellow Brick Road" (Produced by Eminem & Luis Resto) — 5:46
 * 5) "Like Toy Soldiers" (Produced by Eminem & Luis Resto) — 4:56
 * 6) "Mosh" (Produced by Dr. Dre) — 5:17
 * 7) "Puke" (Produced by Eminem & Luis Resto) — 4:07
 * 8) "My 1st Single" (Produced by Eminem & Luis Resto) — 5:02
 * 9) "Paul" (Skit) (Performed by Paul Rosenberg) — 0:32
 * 10) "Rain Man" (Produced by Dr. Dre) — 5:13
 * 11) "Big Weenie" (Produced by Dr. Dre) — 4:26
 * 12) "Em Calls Paul" (Skit) (Performed by Eminem) — 1:11
 * 13) "Just Lose It" (Produced by Dr. Dre) — 4:08
 * 14) "Ass Like That"* (Produced by Dr. Dre) — 4:25
 * 15) "Spend Some Time" (featuring 50 Cent, Obie Trice, and Stat Quo) (Produced by Eminem & Luis Resto) — 5:10
 * 16) "Mockingbird" (Produced by Eminem & Luis Resto) — 4:10
 * 17) "Crazy in Love" (Produced by Eminem & Luis Resto) — 4:02
 * 18) "One Shot 2 Shot" (featuring D12)** (Produced by Eminem & Luis Resto) — 4:26
 * 19) "Final Thought" (Skit) — 0:30
 * 20) "Encore/Curtains Down" (featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent) (Produced by Dr. Dre) — 5:48

* — In the track listing on edited version cuts, this track is listed as "A** Like That"

** - Proof does not have any vocals in this song, though all of D12 is credited.

Bonus CD:
 * 1) "We As Americans" (Produced by Eminem & Luis Resto) — 4:39
 * 2) "Love You More" (Produced by Eminem & Luis Resto) — 4:47
 * 3) "Ricky Ticky Toc" (Produced by Eminem & Luis Resto) — 2:49

Trivia

 * The track "Big Weenie" was featured in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Dog Eat Dog). It was played during a scene where Eric Szmanda's character was examining hot dogs. It was also sampled by the gabber group Angerfist and is found on the Pissin' Razorblades album at the beginning of the track "Spit on you."


 * Dr. Dre's vocals in "Rain Man", consisting only of "yeah" and "what up", were sampled from the track "Bitch Please II" on The Marshall Mathers LP, which begins with him saying "Yeah, what up, Detroit?"

Singles
The album's lead single, "Just Lose It," premiered on radio stations across the U.S. on September 23, 2004. The "Just Lose It" video was also available around the world since early October 2004. It makes fun of pop singer Michael Jackson.

"Mosh" is an anti-Bush song, and it was the second song to be "leaked" to the Internet. A music video was also leaked before the 2004 presidential elections.

"Mockingbird" was the third single released, describing the feelings he has for his daughter Hailie Jade. The song discusses a lot of questions that the public may add and it had a simple beat and in many magazines it is praised as one of the best and most mature songs on "Encore".