After my last post about 50 Cent, it looks like Dr. Dre and his associates are planning chart domination this year. Eminem’s the latest of Dre’s pals to resurface for 2009, and his supposed new single Crack A Bottle is already leaking all over the internet.

And Crack A Bottle features the unholy trinity of Eminem himself, with guest appearances by Dre and 50 Cent. (Remember when they used to invite Xibit along to this stuff? He’s too busy pimping rides these days :().

I’m trying to work out where this fits in Eminem’s catalogue. It’s not quite the novelty, funny Eminem, nor is it the rage-filled, scary Eminem either. Yeah, he’s paying lip service to getting wasted and the hip-hop lifestyle: “So crack a bottle, let your body waddle/Don’t act just like a sloppy model, you just hit the lotto” – but none of it’s really convincing me!

What I’m trying to say is that Crack A Bottle is nowhere near as hard-hitting as Eminem’s previous work. From someone who remembers how relevant Eminem’s first few albums were – angry, frustrated and frightening married to sexual deviance and comic-book violence. Back then, Eminem had something to say.

As his career progressed, I wondered what the effect of fame and fortune would be for him. I wondered if he’d still have anything relevant to say or if he’d stray into writing for the cash instead of the outlet. You can guess what I think of this single then, can’t you?

I just wonder if the whole Relapse album will suffer from the same lack of relevance and conviction.