User:Udonknome/Sandbox3

Relapse is the sixth studio album by American rapper Eminem. It is scheduled to be released by record label Interscope Records, along with subsidiaries Aftermath Entertainment and Shady Records, first on May 15, 2009 in Italy and the Netherlands, followed by May 19, 2009 in most countries. Relapse will be Eminem's first studio album since Encore in 2004, thus ending the rapper's music "hiatus".

Background
Since 2005, Eminem had intended to take a break from recording his own music in order to become a hip hop producer of other rap acts, especially for the artists signed on Eminem's own label, Shady Records. Such a break came when Eminem canceled the European leg of the Anger Management Tour in the summer of 2005 due to exhaustion and an addiction to sleeping pills. In the following year, the rapper's remarriage to his former wife Kimberly Scott lasted only eleven weeks before a second divorce. His closest friend and fellow rapper DeShaun "Proof" Holton was later shot and killed outside a nightclub in Detroit. Devastated by this, Eminem became increasingly reclusive from the outside world, as he would rarely leave his house nor appear in public.

Speculation on an upcoming album by Eminem was reported since mid–2007 from announcements made by artists 50 Cent and Stat Quo, both a current and former member of Shady Records respectively. Also, rapper Bizarre—member of the hip hop group D12—stated that the release of the group's third studio album was "on hold" because Interscope Records wanted to release Eminem's album first. By the end of the year, additional musicians associated with Shady Records, including The Alchemist, Bishop Lamont, Cashis and Obie Trice had confirmed in different occasions that the rapper was effectively working on a new album.

On September 12, 2007, during a call at New York City based radio station WQHT Hot 97, Eminem stated that he was in "limbo" and that was not sure whether he would release any new material in the near future. Later he elaborated:

""I'm always working, I'm always in the studio. It feels good right now, the energy of the label. For a while, I don't wanna go back to the negative stuff. … Going through some personal things, coming out of those personal things, it feels good"."

Recording and production
The initial recording stages of Relapse began in September 2007, when record producer and long-time collaborator Dr. Dre stated his intention to dedicate two months in the production of the album. Much of the album's recording took place at the Effigy Studio in Detroit, Michigan, purchased by Eminem in 2007. Despite this, various material had already been recorded without the intention of making an album since 2005, after he received treatment for his sleeping pill-addiction. According to Eminem's song rights supervisor Joel Martin, Eminem began collecting songs without noticing, as he would often record material for other people's musical projects and inevitably end up with tracks he really liked.

Various producers have since claimed to be involved with the production of Relapse, including Focus and DJ Premier, the latter of whom also stated that a song named "Keys to the City" would appear on the upcoming album. In November 2008, Swizz Beatz claimed he had submitted five tracks to Eminem for the project, including a what he described as a sequel to the song "Stan". Nonetheless, Eminem would later deny this during an interview for Billboard, stating that Swizz Beatz was not involved in the production of the album. In the same interview, Eminem affirmed that Dr. Dre would end up producing for much of Relapse. The two were later joined by producer Jeff Bass, as recording sessions were moved to Miami in September 2008. Originally, Eminem and Dr. Dre had planned to work in the studio for only a few more days, which eventually became six months. Eminem would later say that the two "were on such a roll" and had collected large amount of new music produced by Dr. Dre. Although there is not much information available in regards to the content of the music, rapper 50 Cent stated that the death of Eminem's close friend and fellow rapper Proof, in 2006, was an inspiration on the record's material, adding that Eminem "has some really serious things to write about that he didn't quite get a chance to express". Eminem too confirmed that the departed artist would be a theme to the album, with at least one song dealing with Proof's death. Otherwise, Eminem described the music as "definitely more upbeat" than before, adding that he had become a happier person and had learn to cope with the friend's loss.

Early indications of guest appearances came in May 2007, when rapper T.I. stated that he and Eminem had recorded together three songs, one of which dealt with their respective alter egos T.I.P. and Slim Shady. Such song was intended to be used by Eminem. Other possible appearances include 50 Cent, who in an interview with Loaded stated he too had recorded a track with Eminem for Relapse. In addition, according to former record label mate Stat Quo, rapper Jay-Z will also feature on Relapse in a song titled "My Syllielable". Soon after the album's announcement in October 2008, Elton John spent half-week with Eminem at the Effigy Studio, leading to speculation of a possible collaboration with the two.

Release and promotion
In 2007, Cashis discussed the album, referring to it as King Mathers, saying that it would be released later that year. However, Dennis Dennehy, Eminem's publicist, denied this saying that "there is no album scheduled for a 2007 release". No other official statement was made for over a year, when on September 15, 2008, at an event held by Shade 45 to celebrate the publication of Eminem's autobiography The Way I Am, Eminem confirmed his plans to release a studio album by the title of Relapse. In the same party, Eminem previewed to the audience a song called "I'm Having a Relapse".

In regards to the album's release date, Rolling Stone wrote on the issue of October 2008 that Virgin Megastores had planned to distribute Relapse on November 27, 2008, coincidentally on Thanksgiving in the United States. In addition, the magazine reported that a "music-industry source" disclosed that the album had a high chance of being released by 2008. The same source later refuted their statement saying that Eminem had several tracks to finish. On October 27, another spokesperson for Interscope explained that there was no official date at the time, adding that any release dates that have been posted on any website were "totally unfounded". In a phone conversation during the finale of Total Request Live on November 16, 2008, Eminem again asserted that Relapse should be expected to be released during the first quarter of 2009, precisely during either of the first three months of the year, explaining that he was in the process of selecting which songs would be selected for the album.

In December 2008, an unfinished version of the song "Crack a Bottle" with Eminem's vocals was leaked online, while the completed version, with also vocals by Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, surfaced the following month. "Crack a Bottle" was eventually also released as a single on February 2, 2009, while, according Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg, a music video for the song was produced and directed by Syndrome. At the time of the release, various contradicting reports disputed whether the song would be included on Relapse. Despite the initial confusion, in a press release of March 5, 2009, head label Universal Music Group eventually confirmed the track's inclusion on Relapse, although the label does not consider it the album's first lead single. In the same release, the label announced that the worldwide release date for Relapse is May 19, 2009, while it will be released as early as May 15 in Italy and the Netherlands. The first single for the album will be released along a music video on April 7. Additionally, the record label also announced a second album by Eminem, Relapse 2, which will be released by the end of the year. Eminem explained that him and Dr. Dre had recorded a considerable amount of music and thus, by releasing two albums would allow consumers to access to all of his music.

Album title
Since May 2007, Cashis has several times referred to the album as King Mathers, stating that this would be its official name, up to at least April 2008. Dennis Dennehy also rejected these statements as false, adding that as of August 2007 there was no confirmed title. In contrast, King Mathers was also used by West Coast producer C Major during an interview for DubCNN. Nonetheless, on September 30, 2008, Sha Money XL referred to the album by a new title, The Empack. Cashis later rectified this title, instead referring to the album as The Empact. Further disputing matters, Sha Money made a following statement that "The Empack" was indeed a mistype, but that this was not the album's working title.

On October 15, 2008, at an event held by Shade 45 to celebrate the publication of Eminem's autobiography The Way I Am, Eminem announced that the final title to the album was Relapse, thus putting an end to speculation regarding the album's name: ""Here's the deal. There's like a lot of album titles floating around out there that like, are fake album titles…like bullshit album titles, so I was just gonna say, you know, tell everybody the real title of my album. It's coming out, it's called Relapse"."