Top 5 songs on Eminem's, "Curtain Call 2".

By: Alex Peterson.

Last week on August 5th, Eminem dropped his second compilation under the title “Curtain Call 2”. Where he lets fans take a trip down memory lane by compiling his second greatest hits album.

I was left with the unfortunate task of ranking my top five favorite songs from this project. Before my actual list, I want to take a second to give some of my honorable mentions. The first being, “Gnat”relatively recent Eminem drop coming out two years ago. This song has a lot of timely and poignant references to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the state of the country which gave it extremely relevant subject material at the time. What keeps me coming back to this song, and this will be a common theme in this list, is those incredible one hitter punchlines and flows that make it seem like Em can breathe under water. My next honorable mention is going to be for the song, “Godzilla” featuring the dearly departed Juice WRLD. Juice delivers a very on brand hook while Eminem still completely delivers on what we love to hear from him. I had completely forgotten about this song until it reappeared on this album and it was a great surprise.

List of favorites.

5. “From the D to the LBC” ft. Snoop Dogg

Nothing makes me happier then hearing two of the greatest rappers of all time go back and forth on a track. On this track, that is exactly what I received with, “From the D to the LBC”. Minimal hook.. this song is 90% raps. This does not feel like a song that came out just a little over a year ago from these two titans of the 2000’s. Both rappers deliver bar heavy verses that slide over the hard hitting 808’s and synths in the beat. Eminem uses his multi-syllable rhyme schemes we’re used to while Snoop actually speeds up from his normal flow and matches Em very well.

4. “Fast lane” Bad meets evil

The rest of the songs on this list are certified classics in my eyes. I can still remember loading up 2k12 and hearing Fast lane blare through the TV speakers, this song takes me back to a simpler time. After listening to it for the first time in years, I can say it still holds up. Royce and Eminem deliver timeless bars and seamless transitions between the two rappers. The pace of the song is well timed. This is one of the rare Eminem songs where the hook is more classic than the verses. There is not a single rap fan that would not rap the hook with you as soon as you play the instrumental to this track.

3. “The Monster” ft. Rhianna

The Monster is another one of those songs that came out in the era where A-list singers were dropping songs with A-list rappers and I wish rappers today would get back to this. This was another one of my favorite songs as a kid and I can remember singing this in the back of my mom’s minivan. Seeing it on the track list of this album was another hit of nostalgia after this album has already provided so many. Sonically, this song also stands the test of time in the fact that I could bump this in the car today. Rhianna delivers some all-time vocals on this track, while Eminem’s verses keep me entertained throughout. Even the subject matter of the song is so relatable and can resonate with nearly all listeners in some way or another.

2. “No Love” ft. Lil Wayne

No Love contains 2 rappers in my top 3 of all time so I think that alone justifies the placement, but this song also contains one of my favorite samples of all time as well. Eminem’s vocals on the hook are really good, they are only supplemented by the production. Which is still world class today, includes the vocal effects and the ad-libs are also top notch. Lil Wayne delivers multiple bars in the opening verse and it just seems like the two are trying to one-up each other throughout the whole song. Eminem’s unusual vocals on the hook also work really well for me and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say this song would be on a top 5 list of all of Eminem’s songs.

1. “Not Afraid”

Not Afraid is probably the most nostalgic song for me in Eminem’s catalog. I have many fond memories of myself on YouTube as a child re-playing the video over and over again until my suggested videos were exclusively Eminem content. The hook of this song is nothing short of iconic and the verses are nothing other than a masterclass on how to weave a message of perseverance and acceptance into a song. The beat perfectly matches the tone of the song and it all comes together to show you the exact picture that Eminem wants you to see. It perfectly encompasses his journey up to that point in his career. Myself and everyone that loves this song greatly appreciate the raw and realistic view that Eminem has on the rap game and his life as a whole. This song has endless replay value because of the powerful message and that’s why it tops my list.