Previous Next 
Eminem Relapse 5/18
In the four years since Eminem's last studio album, the once ubiquitous face of mainstream hip-hop has become the genre's biggest recluse. But while he's gone under the radar, he hasn't stepped out of the game.
"Eminem's very focused right now," says Interscope Records executive Steve Berman. "He's experienced a lot in life now, both personally and professionally. He's taking a bigger view."
The rapper's long-awaited Relapse — his first studio album since 2004's Encore — will be mostly produced by Dr. Dre, who crafted the chart-topping first single, "Crack a Bottle."
"Me and Dre are back in the lab like the old days, man," Eminem said recently. "We are up to our old mischievous ways. Just him banging away on tracks and me getting that little spark that makes me write to it."
The old magic seems to be back. The first single from Relapse, "Crack a Bottle," set a digital sales record in its first week of release.
With anticipation high, the requisite album leak followed, a development that the rapper said left him "really heated."
"It's like someone catches you peeping in your window before you got the Spider Man costume all zipped up! Nobody is supposed to see that," Eminem said.
Despite the distractions, Em and Dre have remained focused, producing so much new material that a sequel, Relapse 2, is expected to arrive before the end of the year.
"Dre and I went back in the studio in September for a few days, and that turned into six months," Eminem said. "We were on such a roll; we wound up with a ton of new music produced by Dre. Putting out Relapse 2 will let everyone get all of the best stuff."
• Listen to "Crack a Bottle"
UP NEXT: Green Day
SPRING MUSIC PREVIEW INDEX
RELATED STORIES
• Eminem's "Crack a Bottle" Rockets Shady and 50 Cent to Top of Hot 100
• Eminem Confirms Two Relapse Albums PHOTOS
• Go inside the studio with Green Day, Wilco, Dave Matthews and more in our exclusive shots.
