The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (also known as MMLP2) is the eighth studio album by Eminem, released by Interscope Records, Aftermath Entertainment, Web Entertainment, and Shady Records on November 5, 2013. This album is a sequel to The Marshall Mathers LP. Production for the album took place since 2011. Guest artists on the album are Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Skyler Grey, and Nate Reuss, while Sia and Buckshot are featured on the deluxe edition. Liz Rodrigues makes an uncredited appearance on the track "Survival". The album was executive produced by Dr. Dre and Rick Rubin. Within two weeks, it achieved platinum status with over 1,123,000 sales in the United States.
Description[]
When Eminem put out the sequel to The Marshall Mathers LP in late 2013, he joined a small handful of rappers—including JAY-Z, Q-Tip, and the late MF DOOM—who'd managed to still sound relevant after hitting 40. Age hadn't matured him—at least not so much that he backed off the violence, misogyny, and homophobia that made him a lightning rod 15 years earlier. But on The Marshall Mathers LP 2, there was a sense of awareness about his place in the culture that could be interpreted as maturity. He wasn't a dark, twisted rapper; he was the dark, twisted rap guy: That was his role. So while the album's shout-outs to Phife Dawg ("Legacy")—as well as the old-school feel of tracks like "Berzerk" and "Survival"—could be described as nostalgia, they're also Eminem's way of saying that, no matter how good he is, he knows he's just a piece in a much bigger cultural picture.
By the time The Marshall Mathers LP 2 arrived, the tabloids and headlines that once followed Eminem were mostly gone. It was just him, his notebook, his memories, and a love for the music that made him. "They said I rap like a robot, so call me Rap-bot," he proclaims at the top of "Rap God," before offering five and a half of the most technically demanding minutes of his career. That's the feat, but that's also the joke—watch him go. Same, in a way, for something like "Legacy," which listeners might realize squeezes five minutes of rhymes out of the same few syllables.
In an interview with Eminem, conducted a few years after The Marshall Mathers LP 2‘s release, a New York magazine writer asked the rapper what he liked to do for fun. "Aside from writing? Mostly I love writing," he said. "Yeah, writing is something I really enjoy." It's hard to tell whether or not he's kidding, but on LP 2, the picture still comes through clear: Here's a guy so consumed by rap that the rest of the world basically doesn't exist. – Apple Music
Background[]
- The album's deluxe and standard editions were leaked six days prior to their release.
- This is the last album to have Eminem involved with Web Entertainment.
Sales[]
The album sold 792,000 copies in its first week. It marks Eminem's seventh consecutive number one album on various music charts. It came second in sales for 2013 only behind Justin Timberlake's 20/20 Experience. In its third week, the album returned to number 1 on the Billboard 200, bringing its total of sales to 1,123,000 in the United States and giving it platinum status.
Artwork[]
This album cover appears to be the Detroit house that Eminem lived in. This house was also in the original The Marshall Mathers LP. However, this cover shows the house being more barren, as the door has the numbers 19946 spray-painted onto it, there are more shrubs and bushes, and some of materials on the front porch are missing.
Track listing[]
| Standard edition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Bad Guy" | Marshall Mathers, Larry Griffin, Jr., Mark Landon, Sarah Jaffe, Nicholas Warwar, Vincent Venditto, Stephen Hacker, Michael Aiello, Walter Murphy, Gian Reverberi, Laura Giordano | S1, M-Phazes, Streetrunner, Vincent Venditto[a] | 7:14 |
| 2. | "Parking Lot (Skit)" | Mathers | Eminem | 0:55 |
| 3. | "Rhyme or Reason" | Mathers, Rod Argent | Rick Rubin, Eminem | 5:01 |
| 4. | "So Much Better" | Mathers, Luis Resto | Eminem, Resto[b] | 4:21 |
| 5. | "Survival" | Mathers, Khalil Abdul Rahman, Erik Alcock, Liz Rodrigues, Pranam Injeti, Mike Strange | DJ Khalil | 4:32 |
| 6. | "Legacy" | Mathers, Polina Goudieva, David Brook, Emile Haynie | Emile | 4:56 |
| 7. | "Asshole" (featuring Skylar Grey) | Mathers, Alexander Grant, Holly Hafermann, Resto | Alex da Kid, Eminem[b] | 4:48 |
| 8. | "Berzerk" | Mathers, William Squier, Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch, Rick Rubin, Joseph Modeliste, Arthur Neville, Cyril Neville, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter Jr., Anthony Criss, Vincent Brown, Keir Gist | Rick Rubin | 3:58 |
| 9. | "Rap God" | Mathers, Bigram Zayas, Matthew Delgiorno, Hacker, Douglas Davis, Richard Walters, Dania Birks, Juana Burns, Juanita Lee, Fatima Shaheed, Kim Nazel | DVLP, Filthy[a] | 6:03 |
| 10. | "Brainless" | Mathers, Resto | Eminem, Resto[b] | 4:46 |
| 11. | "Stronger Than I Was" | Mathers, Resto | Eminem, Resto[b] | 5:36 |
| 12. | "The Monster" (featuring Rihanna) | Mathers, Robyn Fenty, Bryan Fryzel, Aaron Kleinstub, Maki Athanasiou, Jon Bellion, Bebe Rexha | Frequency, Aalias[a] | 4:10 |
| 13. | "So Far..." | Mathers, Joe Walsh, Schoolly D | Rick Rubin | 5:17 |
| 14. | "Love Game" (featuring Kendrick Lamar) | Mathers, Kendrick Duckworth, Clint Ballard, Jimmie Grier, Coy Poe, Pinky Tomlin | Rick Rubin | 4:56 |
| 15. | "Headlights" (featuring Nate Ruess) | Mathers, Nate Ruess, Haynie, Jeff Bhasker, Resto | Emile, Jeff Bhasker, Eminem[b] | 5:43 |
| 16. | "Evil Twin" | Mathers, Tavish Graham, Joey Chavez, Resto, Wolfgang Düren | Sid Roams, Eminem[b] | 7:33 |
| Total length: | 79:49 | |||
| Call of Duty: Ghosts bonus track | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
| 17. | "Don't Front" (featuring Buckshot) | Mathers, Kenyatta Blake | Katalyst | 4:44 |
| Total length: | 82:57 | |||
| Deluxe edition bonus disc | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Baby" | Mathers, Resto, Strange | Eminem, Resto[b] | 4:23 |
| 2. | "Desperation" (featuring Jamie N Commons) | Mathers, Jamie Commons, Grant | Alex da Kid | 3:56 |
| 3. | "Groundhog Day" | Mathers, Carl McCormick, Adam Feeney, Thomas Brenneck, Jared Tankel, Homer Steinweiss, David Guy, Leon Michels | Cardiak, Frank Dukes, Eminem[a] | 4:53 |
| 4. | "Beautiful Pain" (featuring Sia) | Mathers, Haynie, Sia Furler, Resto | Emile, Eminem[a] | 4:25 |
| 5. | "Wicked Ways" (featuring X Ambassadors) | Mathers, Grant, Josh Mosser | Alex da Kid | 6:32 |
| Total length: | 24:09 | |||
| 10th anniversary edition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Bad Guy" | Mathers, Griffin, Landon, Jaffe, Warwar, Venditto, Hacker, Aiello, Murphy, Reverberi, Giordano | Part 1 produced by S1, M-Phazes Part 2 produced by Streetrunner, Vincent Venditto[a] | 7:14 |
| 2. | "Parking Lot (Skit)" | Mathers | Eminem | 0:55 |
| 3. | "Rhyme or Reason" | Mathers, Argent | Rick Rubin, Eminem | 5:01 |
| 4. | "So Much Better" | Mathers, Resto | Eminem, Luis Resto[b] | 4:21 |
| 5. | "Survival" | Mathers, Rahman, Alcock, Rodrigues, Injeti, Strange | DJ Khalil | 4:32 |
| 6. | "Legacy" | Mathers, Goudieva, Brook, Haynie | Emile | 4:56 |
| 7. | "Asshole" (featuring Skylar Grey) | Mathers, Grant, Hafermann, Resto | Alex da Kid, Eminem[b] | 4:48 |
| 8. | "Berzerk" | Mathers, Squier, Horovitz, Yauch, Rubin, Modeliste, A. Neville, C. Neville, Nocentelli, Porter Jr., Criss, Brown, Gist | Rick Rubin | 3:58 |
| 9. | "Rap God" | Mathers, Zayas, Delgiorno, Hacker, Davis, Walters, Birks, Burns, Lee, Shaheed, Nazel | DVLP, Filthy[a] | 6:03 |
| 10. | "Brainless" | Mathers, Resto | Eminem, Luis Resto[b] | 4:46 |
| 11. | "Stronger Than I Was" | Mathers, Resto | Eminem, Luis Resto[b] | 5:36 |
| 12. | "The Monster" (featuring Rihanna) | Mathers, Fenty, Fryzel, Kleinstub, Athanasiou, Bellion, Rexha | Frequency, Aalias[a] | 4:10 |
| 13. | "So Far..." | Mathers, Walsh, Schooly D | Rick Rubin | 5:17 |
| 14. | "Love Game" (featuring Kendrick Lamar) | Mathers, Duckworth, Ballard, Grier, Poe, Tomlin | Rick Rubin | 4:56 |
| 15. | "Headlights" (featuring Nate Ruess) | Mathers, Nate Ruess, Haynie, Bhasker, Resto | Emile, Jeff Bhasker, Eminem[b] | 5:43 |
| 16. | "Evil Twin" | Mathers, Graham, Chavez, Resto, Düren | Sid Roams, Eminem[b] | 5:57 |
| 17. | "Baby" | Mathers, Resto, Strange | Eminem, Resto[b] | 4:23 |
| 18. | "Desperation" (featuring Jamie N Commons) | Mathers, Commons, Grant | Alex da Kid | 3:56 |
| 19. | "Groundhog Day" | Mathers, McCormick, Feeney, Brenneck, Tankel, Steinweiss, Guy, Michels | Cardiak, Frank Dukes, Eminem[a] | 4:53 |
| 20. | "Beautiful Pain" (featuring Sia) | Mathers, Haynie, Furler, Resto | Emile, Eminem[a] | 4:25 |
| 21. | "Wicked Ways" (featuring X Ambassadors) | Mathers, Grant, Mosser | Alex da Kid | 6:32 |
| 22. | "Don't Front" (featuring Buckshot) | Mathers, Kenyatta Blake, Brent Kolatalo, Ken Lewis | Katalyst | 4:44 |
| 23. | "Survival" (Instrumental) | DJ Khalil | 4:32 | |
| 24. | "Berzerk" (Instrumental) | Rick Rubin | 3:57 | |
| 25. | "The Monster" (Instrumental) | Frequency, Aalias[a] | 4:09 | |
| 26. | "Rap God" (Instrumental) | DVLP, Filthy[a] | 6:06 | |
| 27. | "Headlights" (Instrumental) | Emile, Jeff Bhasker, Eminem[b] | 5:50 | |
| Total length: | 2:11:45 | |||
Notes
- Track listing and credits from album booklet.
- ^a signifies a co-producer
- ^b signifies an additional producer
- "Bad Guy"'s refrain contains vocals by Sarah Jaffe.
- "Survival" contains vocals by Liz Rodrigues.
- "Legacy" contains vocals by Polina.
- "Love Game" contains vocals by Keira Marie.
- "The Monster" contains background vocals by Bebe Rexha.
- The skit from the song "Evil Twin" was not included in the song for the deluxe and 10th anniversary editions as it was added to the song "Wicked Ways".
Sample credits
- "Bad Guy" contains samples of "Hocus Pokus", as performed by Walter Murphy; "Soana", written by Gian Piero Reverberi and Laura Giordano; and "Ode to Billie Joe", as performed by Lou Donaldson.
- "Rhyme or Reason" contains samples of "Time of the Season", written by Rod Argent and performed by The Zombies.
- "Berzerk" contains samples of "The Stroke", written and performed by Billy Squier; "Fight for Your Right", written by Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch and Rick Rubin, as performed by the Beastie Boys; and "Feel Me Flow", written by Joseph Modeliste, Art Neville, Cyril Neville, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter Jr., Anthony Criss, Vincent Brown, and Keir Gist, as performed by Naughty by Nature.
- "Rap God" contains samples of "The Show", written by Douglas Davis and Richard Walters, and "Supersonic", written by Dania Birks, Juana Burns, Jaunita Lee, Fatima Shaheed, and Kim Nazel.
- "So Far..." contains samples of "Life's Been Good", written and performed by Joe Walsh; and "P.S.K. What Does It Mean?", as performed by Schoolly D.
- "Love Game" contains samples of "Game of Love", written by Clint Ballard, Jr., as performed by Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders; and samples of "The Object of My Affection", written by Jimmie Grier, Coy Poe and Pinky Tomlin.
- "Evil Twin" contains samples of "The Reunion", written by Marshall Mathers, Ryan Montgomery, Luis Resto, Joey Chavez, Tavish Graham, Andre Young, Mark Batson, Dawaun Parker, Trevor Lawrence, Mike Elizondo and Sean Cruse as performed by Bad Meets Evil; and "Eyeless Dream" written and performed by Wolfgang Düren.
- "Groundhog Day" contains samples of "Sleight of Hand" written by Thomas Brenneck, Jared Tankel, Homer Steinweiss, Dave Guy and Leon Michels as performed by Menahan Street Band; and from the Sam Kinison recording "Big Menu".
Charts[]
Weekly charts[]
| Chart (2013–14) | Peak position |
|---|---|
 Australian Albums (ARIA)
|
1 |
 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)
|
1 |
 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)
|
1 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)
|
5 |
 Canadian Albums (Billboard)
|
1 |
 Croatian Albums (IFPI)
|
15 |
 Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)
|
26 |
 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)
|
3 |
 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
|
4 |
 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)
|
12 |
 French Albums (SNEP)
|
2 |
 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
|
1 |
 Greek Albums (IFPI)
|
6 |
 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)
|
21 |
 Irish Albums (IRMA)
|
1 |
 Italian Albums (FIMI)
|
2 |
 Japanese Albums (Oricon)
|
10 |
 Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)
|
36 |
 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
|
1 |
 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)
|
1 |
 Polish Albums (ZPAV)
|
2 |
 Portuguese Albums (AFP)
|
10 |
 Scottish Albums (OCC)
|
1 |
 South African Albums (RISA)
|
11 |
 South Korean Albums (Circle)
|
12 |
| South Korean Albums (Circle) Deluxe edition |
7 |
| South Korean International Albums (Circle)
|
4 |
| South Korean International Albums (Circle) Deluxe edition |
1 |
 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)
|
9 |
 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
|
2 |
 Swiss Albums (Romandie)
|
1 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)
|
1 |
 UK Albums (OCC)
|
1 |
| UK R&B Albums (OCC)
|
1 |
 US Billboard 200
|
1 |
| US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)
|
1 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
|
1 |
| US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)
|
12 |
| US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)
|
4 |
Year-end charts[]
| Chart (2013) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)
|
8 |
| Australian Hip Hop and R&B Albums (ARIA)
|
1 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)
|
30 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)
|
59 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)
|
119 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)
|
10 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
|
63 |
| French Albums (SNEP)
|
25 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
|
13 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)
|
8 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)
|
64 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
|
11 |
| South Korean International Albums (Gaon)
|
100 |
| South Korean International Albums (Gaon)
|
19 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
|
25 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)
|
12 |
| UK Albums (OCC)
|
13 |
| US Billboard 200
|
16 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
|
6 |
| US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)
|
3 |
| Worldwide Albums (IFPI)
|
2 |
| Chart (2014) | Position |
| Australian Albums (ARIA)
|
33 |
| Australian Hip Hop and R&B Albums (ARIA)
|
4 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)
|
97 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)
|
133 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)
|
3 |
| French Albums (SNEP)
|
158 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
|
32 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
|
23 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)
|
41 |
| UK Albums (OCC)
|
58 |
| US Billboard 200
|
5 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
|
2 |
| US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)
|
1 |
| Chart (2015) | Position |
| Australian Hip Hop and R&B Albums (ARIA)
|
25 |
| US Billboard 200
|
96 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
|
57 |
| Chart (2016) | Position |
| Australian Hip Hop and R&B Albums (ARIA)
|
28 |
| US Billboard 200
|
137 |
| Chart (2017) | Position |
| Australian Hip Hop and R&B Albums (ARIA)
|
43 |
| Chart (2018) | Position |
| Australian Hip Hop and R&B Albums (ARIA)
|
52 |
| Chart (2019) | Position |
| Australian Hip Hop and R&B Albums (ARIA)
|
68 |
Decade-end charts[]
| Chart (2010–2019) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)
|
53 |
| UK Albums (OCC)
|
83 |
| US Billboard 200
|
66 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
|
16 |
Certifications[]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)
|
3× Platinum | 210,000*** |
| Austria (IFPI Austria)
|
2× Platinum | 30,000* |
| Belgium (BRMA)
|
Gold | 15,000* |
| Canada (Music Canada)
|
4× Platinum | 320,000** |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)
|
Platinum | 20,000*** |
| France (SNEP)
|
Platinum | 100,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)
|
3× Gold | 300,000*** |
| Ireland (IRMA)
|
Platinum | 15,000** |
| Italy (FIMI)
|
Platinum | 50,000*** |
| Mexico (AMPROFON)
|
Gold | 30,000** |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)
|
Platinum | 15,000** |
| Poland (ZPAV)
|
2× Platinum | 40,000* |
 Singapore (RIAS)
|
Gold | 5,000* |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)
|
Gold | 20,000** |
| Sweden (GLF)
|
Platinum | 40,000*** |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)
|
Platinum | 20,000** |
| United Kingdom (BPI)
|
2× Platinum | 704,000 |
| United States (RIAA)
|
4× Platinum | 4,000,000*** |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
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