Long-time fans of Eminem have been anticipating his return for quite some time, and their prayers have been finally answered. After a four-year respite, Eminem is returning to music with the release of his new album Relapse on May 19th via Shady/Aftermath/Interscope.
Making up for lost time, Eminem plans to double up his output by dropping Relapse 2 later this year, saying: “A lot of people were expecting Relapse to drop last year. I was one of them. Then Dre and I went back in the studio in September for a few days, and that turned into six months. We were on such a roll, we wound up with a ton of new music produced by Dre. Putting out Relapse 2 will let everyone get all of the best stuff.”
Last month, the album’s first single “Crack A Bottle” featuring Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent was released and immediately soared to #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts, setting a record for opening week download sales. The accompanying video for the song is scheduled to debut April 7th.
During an interview late last year on his Shade 45 satellite radio show, Eminem announced his plans for a new album, followed by the freestyle “I’m Having A Relapse, which initiated the anticipation for Eminem’s forthcoming album.
Long gone are the days when hip-hop was strictly regarded as a domestic experience. The cultural art form that originated at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx is now a global phenomenon, swaying numerous people from various countries throughout the world. One particular individual affected by the widespread expansion of hip-hop is the Stockholm, Sweden rapper Henok “Achido” Meharena.
Born in Eritrea, East Africa (he moved with his family to Sweden around the age of 4-years old), the 26-year old emcee, who’s rap moniker is a combination of his birth name (Henok) and the name of a relative who is a known warrior in his homeland (Achido)— which also means acid in his native language—was introduced to rap music by an uncle who grew up listening to ‘80’s hip-hop music, especially the seminal rap group N.W.A. Henok Achido soon found himself seduced by the powerful aura of the music and its creators, stating: “This was the mid-‘80’s and hip-hop was still very new and fresh to the general public, and it still had its mystique and instantly had its influence on me. I wanted to be just like them cause they carried themselves with such swagger.”
In May of 2007, Henok enhanced his international profile after he dropped That F—king Guy: The EP online. “The release of my EP opened a lot of doors for me,” he says. “My approach was to start a buzz, create a name and a market for myself which I did. I got fans all over the world now.” Anchored by the soulful production of Sakis, who Henok refers to as his Just Blaze, and bolstered by Henok’s cocky rhymes and acrobatic flows, as heard on songs like “That F—king Guy,” “Rockstar Rollin’,” and “Million Dollar Baby,” That F—king Guy: The EP immediately commands the attention of any fan of hip-hop.
Constantly working to further his goal of becoming a household name, Henok Achido just released his ambitious debut album Almaz Charming Child. Led by the Astma & Rocwell produced single “Pusher,” which features Sophia Somajo, Almaz Charming Child is a musical odyssey of Henok’s personal perspectives on a host of topics, including: family (“Almaz Charming Child”), romance (“Heartbreak Hotel”), struggle (“High on Life [When The Drugs Don’t Work]”), and hip-hop (“Mirror Performance”).
If all you had was Henok Achido’s music and no bio to provide you with background information as to what region of the world he comes from, it’s quite possible that you would think of him as the next up-and-coming rapper from the States worth taking notice of. Like most other top-notch emcees, Henok possesses that all-so important characteristic called “confidence” that propels his art from ordinary to engaging. “My motto in life is to be better than yourself … cause you’re the only one that can make you better,” says self-assured rapper.
As many new artists have experienced on their journey to success in the music business, the road to the top is no easy task. Beyond talent, it takes some out-the-box thinking, work ethic, and a daring attitude to get consumers and music executives alike to pay attention. Emerging from the underground rap scene to become one of Web 2.0’s most blogged about new artist is Mickey Williams, better known as Mickey Factz.
The 23 year-old Bronx, New York emcee transcends the term “rapper,” eschewing hip-hop norms by challenging its conventions. Rhyming over everything from Portishead to Royksopp’s “Remind Me” (it’s the song used in Geico’s caveman airport commercial), Factz has distinguished himself from his peers with his avant-garde brand of rap (coined “hipster” by some). At the root of Factz’s uniqueness is his zeal to be different, creating music that defies formats: “I wouldn’t call it hip-hop; I wouldn’t call it pop; I wouldn’t call it R&B; I wouldn’t call it house or techno; I’ll just call it global because it’ll reach every living person on the planet,” states Factz.
While Factz’s image and music is cutting-edge and futuristic, his foundation is cemented in the essence of hip-hop and the art of rhyme. He proved with the distribution of his successful online mixtapes “Flashback: Vol. 1,” “In Search of N.E.R.D,” and “Heaven’s Fallout” that he’s lyrically up to par, and that his music is more than a novelty. Far from being one-dimensional, part of Factz’s appeal is his ability to compose songs with diverse subject matter: “I Like Your Supra’s” (fashion); “I’m Sean (50 Shots More)” (police brutality); “Machine Gun” (abuse/rape); and “Wonderful Place” (pregnancy/parenthood).
Good ol’ fashioned hustle and innovative internet marketing paid dividends for Factz in 2008, experiencing glimpses of mainstream notoriety, including the addition of his video “Rockin’ N Rollin’” (featuring the Cool Kids) on MTV, as well as his appearance on the cover of XXL’s “Class of ‘09″ issue. Now that Factz has gotten the ear of the music industry, he hopes that his next musical impact will resonate on a much larger scale. “It’s also about me changing the world. When a dude hits me on Myspace and says, ‘I’m homeless but I listen to your music everyday on my CD player to get me through the day,’ that means more to me than the money.”
Long-time fans of Eminem have been anticipating his return for quite some time, and their prayers have been finally answered. After a four-year respite, Eminem is returning to music with the release of his new album Relapse on May 19th via Shady/Aftermath/Interscope. 
