Your Daily 90s Breakdown: Eminem et. al. - Bitch Please (produced by Dr Dre)
Not a long one today, I’m on the road and I already did a rap breakdown this week…
First of all, this is a great song off a masterpiece Eminem album, but it’s not really an Eminem song. I would choose something much different if I were directly honoring him. That said, he’s one of the greatest rappers ever, and is completely on-point with pop culture and life in modern times - in so many ways, obvious and subtle.
Dr. Dre also is among the best, not just for rapping but for his production skills. Snoop Dogg, who raps on the album version of this song, is also widely admired for his easygoing flow. Also deserving praise are Nate Dogg and Xzibit, two rappers who do well on their own and fit snugly into almost any collaboration.
On the other hand, I think we’ve seen new material from 2Pac more recently than we’ve seen material from DMX. Maybe he should stop imitating FBI agents and go back to imitating a good rapper. Ja Rule, also once red hot, has been deservedly kicked into oblivion following the demise of his drug-money-funded record label.
Hip-hop collaborations have always been around, but they truly flourished with the megacollaborations of the late 90s. It’s not really a big trend anymore (many duets, but few supergroups or expansive cameo tracks). I miss having that around. They used to come out ALL THE TIME. They ought to bring it back…
