14 DAY TRIAL // It’s no longer a secret that rapper Eminem has spent the last three years of his life battling a pill and alcohol addiction. Because of this, and given the title of his “comeback” album, “Relapse,” perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise either that he chose a mosaic of pills for the artwork, as Rolling Stone can confirm.
The cover, which hit the web a short while ago, represents a bunch of pills scattered in such a way as to represent the artist’s face. As fans must already know, “Relapse” also deals with the topic of addiction, since Eminem is famous for finding inspiration for his tracks in his personal life. From this perspective, the newly revealed artwork makes plenty of sense, the aforementioned publication says.
Em is also keeping things interesting with it, meaning there is more to the cover than meets the eye, as is customary with him. “It might be a little hard to read, but that sticker on the lower-left hand corner of the cover is in fact part of the artwork. It reads ‘Mathers, Marshall, 8 Mile Road, Detroit, Michigan,’ ‘Refills: 5-19-09’ (the album’s release date) and, most notably, “Prescribed By Dr. Dre.” And for those who maybe worried that maybe Em has lost his edge during his years out of the spotlight – despite his celebrity-bashing ‘We Made You’ – the album notes ‘Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics’.” as Rolling Stone notes.
Speaking of battling addiction and keeping out of the spotlight, Eminem himself was saying a short while ago that the past three years had been the darkest of his life. Although he could tell that things were changing in his life, for reasons he could not really explain, he was not ready to admit to having a problem, the rapper said for XXL Magazine. However, eventually, he came to his senses and sought professional help, which is why fans will get to enjoy his music again come May 19, when his latest album drops.
“I wasn’t ready mentally. I wasn’t ready to give up the drugs. I didn’t really think I had a problem. Basically, I went in, and I came out. I relapsed, and I spent the next three years struggling with it. Also, at that time, I felt like I wanted to pull back, because my drug problem had got so bad. I felt like, Maybe if I take a break, maybe this will help. I started to get into the producer role more…” Eminem recently explained for XXL.
The rapper is also expected to perform live at the MTV Movie Awards on May 31, so keep an eye on this space for more.