Shady XV is a hip hop compilation album performed by various artists of Shady Records. The double disc album was released on November 24, 2014, by Shady Records and Interscope Records. The album was released in honor of the label's 15th anniversary and as its 15th project (excluding Eminem's solo releases). The compilation features two discs, the first features new material from Shady Records artists such as Slaughterhouse, Bad Meets Evil, D12 and Yelawolf, as well as the label's founder Eminem. The second disc includes the label's greatest hits, also featuring former Shady Records members. All previous and current members of the label are represented on the album.
On June 3, 2014, Eminem's manager and Shady Records co-founder Paul Rosenberg tweeted "Shady XV". On August 23, 2014, during his final stop of The Monster Tour with Rihanna at Detroit, Michigan's Comerica Park, Eminem wore a T-shirt branded "Shady XV". On August 25, 2014, he tweeted "Yes it's official... #SHADYXV Black Friday," leading to speculations about a release on Black Friday, which falls on November 28 in 2014. He also released a 20-second teaser video, featuring images of Eminem and other Shady Records artists. On the same day, August 25, a press release was issued on Eminem's official website, announcing that Shady XV, a two-disc compilation featuring a collection of Shady Record's greatest hits on one disc and new material from Eminem, Slaughterhouse, Bad Meets Evil, D12, and Yelawolf on the other, is set to release on November 24, 2014, in the week of Black Friday.On October 13, 2014, Eminem posted a video of him showing the artwork of the upcoming release along with the description "Back to basics! Here's the cover for #SHADYXV out 11/24" on various social media websites. The cover depicts a black and red hockey mask designed by Cuzzalo Ink under two crossed chainsaws.The album was released on disc and as a digital download on November 24, 2014 as Shady Records' fifteenth anniversary and as the fifteenth release on the label (excluding Eminem's solo releases). The "greatest hits" disc contains tracks by current Shady Records members, as well as previous members 50 Cent, Obie Trice, Bobby Creekwater, Ca$his and Stat Quo. The tracklist was revealed on October 29, 2014 on the official website.A rap cypher with Eminem, Slaughterhouse, and Yelawolf, titled SHADY CXVPHER, premiered on VEVO on November 10, 2014 to promote the album. On November 18, 2014, Eminem revealed info about the Lose Yourself demo version, the last track on the second disc. It contains alternate lyrics to the original beat that were recorded but never published. Eminem had no memory of this scrapped version until he was recently reminded.Track listing
Disc 1 (Disc X) No. Title Artist(s) Length 1. "ShadyXV" (prod. by Eminem) Eminem 5:01 2. "Psychopath Killer" (prod. by Boi-1da, Just Blaze, The Maven Boys[20]) Slaughterhouse (featuring Eminem and Yelawolf) 5:19 3. "Die Alone" (prod. by Eminem, Luis Resto) Eminem (featuring Kobe) 3:36 4. "Vegas" (prod. by Eminem, Luis Resto) Bad Meets Evil 5:36 5. "Y'all Ready Know" (prod. by DJ Premier[21]) Slaughterhouse 3:51 6. "Guts Over Fear" (prod. by Emile Haynie, John Hill, Eminem) Eminem (featuring Sia) 5:01 7. "Down" (prod. by Conrad Clifton) Yelawolf 3:26 8. "Bane" (prod. by Mr. Porter, Marv Won) D12 4:24 9. "Fine Line" (prod. by Eminem, Luis Resto) Eminem 5:07 10. "Twisted" (prod. by Eminem, Luis Resto) Skylar Grey, Eminem and Yelawolf 4:59 11. "Right for Me" (prod. by Eminem, Luis Resto) Eminem 4:57 12. "Detroit Vs. Everybody" (prod. by Statik Selektah,[22] Eminem) Eminem, Royce da 5'9", Big Sean, Danny Brown, DeJ Loaf and Trick-Trick 5:57 57:14
European bonus track No. Title Artist(s) Length 13. "Till It's Gone" (prod. by WillPower) Yelawolf 4:38 61:50
Disc 2 (Disc V) No. Title Artist(s) Length 1. "I Get Money" (from Curtis, 2007, prod. by Apex) 50 Cent 3:43 2. "Purple Pills" (from Devil's Night, 2001, prod. by Eminem and Jeff Bass) D12 5:04 3. "Lose Yourself" (from Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture 8 Mile, 2002, prod. by Eminem, Jeff Bass, and Luis Resto) Eminem 5:20 4. "Cry Now (Shady Remix)" (from Eminem Presents: The Re-Up, 2006, prod. by Witt & Pep) Obie Trice, Kuniva, Bobby Creekwater, Ca$his and Stat Quo 5:09 5. "Let's Roll" (from Radioactive, 2011, prod. by The Audibles and Mr. Pyro) Yelawolf (featuring Kid Rock) 3:55 6. "Hammer Dance" (from Welcome to: Our House, 2012, prod. by AraabMuzik) Slaughterhouse 4:05 7. "P.I.M.P." (from Get Rich or Die Tryin', 2003, prod. by Mr. Porter) 50 Cent 4:09 8. "You Don't Know" (from Eminem Presents: The Re-Up, 2006, prod. by Eminem and Luis Resto) Eminem, 50 Cent, Ca$his and Lloyd Banks 4:17 9. "My Band" (from D12 World, 2004, prod. by Eminem) D12 4:58 10. "Wanna Know" (from Second Round's on Me, 2006, prod. by Emile) Obie Trice 4:04 11. "Wanksta" (from Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture 8 Mile, 2002, prod. by J-Praize) 50 Cent 3:38 12. "The Setup" (from Cheers, 2003, prod. by Dr. Dre) Obie Trice (featuring Nate Dogg) 3:13 13. "In Da Club" (from Get Rich or Die Tryin', 2003, prod. by Dr. Dre) 50 Cent 3:13 14. "Fight Music" (from Devil's Night, 2001, prod. by Dr. Dre and Scott Storch) D12 4:21 15. "Pop The Trunk" (from Trunk Muzik 0-60, 2010, prod. by WillPower) Yelawolf 3:48 16. "Lose Yourself" ((Original 8 Mile Demo Version) (Bonus track) (prod. by Eminem, Jeff Bass, and Luis Resto)) Eminem 3:00 65:57
Best Buy bonus track No. Title Artist(s) Length 17. "Don't Front" Eminem (featuring Buckshot) 4:46
Em, specifically, is the leader and master savant here, allowing each artist to come correct with an arsenal of lyrics.After dropping The Marshall Mathers LP 2 in 2013, then embarking on a record setting stadium tour over the summer, Slim Shady is back again, this time alongside his Shady Records brothers on the label release Shady XV. Em’ appears on the bulk of the tracks, with familiar faces like D12, Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf filling in elsewhere. A two-disc release, Part 1 is new material from the label, while Disc 2 is a nostalgic compilation of earlier hit singles from the Shady/Interscope imprint.Shady Records dropped The Re-Up, their most recent label compilation in 2006. Since then, things have changed: 50 Cent and the G-Unit crew have moved on elsewhere, while Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf have joined the team. And in comparing both albums, change is most certainly a good thing. G-Unit was as popular as ever in 2006, and since then the game has changed such that the more traditional take on "bars and rhymes" have found a consistent audience within the Rap game hierarchy. Rather than each song being broken down into X number of bars per verse, each artist comes correct with an arsenal of lyrics. Em’, specifically, is the leader and master savant. If MMLP2 was any indication of his changing rap style, Shady XV is a continuation. More often than not, his verses go on for minutes at a time as he throws down a graphic, rhyming stream of consciousness.
Thematically, and brilliantly, Em’ takes an introspective approach to the fame he’s cultivated since “My Name Is.” He spits about the stress being almost too much to handle, yet he is still able to find pleasure in eating the competition alive. It’s a vicious cycle that has to be wearing him thin. On “Guts Over Fear” he raps: “And I'm frozen, cause there's no more emotion for me to pull from / Just a bunch of playful songs, that I make for fun / So, to the break of dawn, here I go recycling the same old song.” This notion is touched upon on “The Monster,” as well as several of his other more recent hits. Fans are likely more aware of this monotony he speaks of, but he still manages to keep the music fresh and unique. This is a remarkable feat considering his dominance of Hip Hop both commercially and critically over the years. Somehow, the Shady one (who once regaled you with dark tales of explaining to his daughter why her mother will no longer be around) has found a way to convey the pain of success in a genuine way. He even flashes back to his more controversial tendencies, declaring on the album’s title-track, “Goddammit, I AM a misogynist.” Only fitting, considering recent headlines involving he and Iggy Azalea among others.Aside from Marshall, Shady XV also celebrates the artistry of the rest of the team. Yelawolf and Royce Da 5’9 stand out in particular for their versatility. Fans of both artists will be pleased to hear them deviate for this album. Yela shines on “Down,” while Royce holds his own alongside Em’ on “Psychopath Killer.” In keeping with the theme of nothing but straight bars, the Slaughterhouse track “Y’all Already Know” is particularly down home. Joell Ortiz, Crooked I, Joe Budden and Royce all go in over a DJ Premier beat swollen with nostalgia. The song, with a vintage, Premo sample-based beat, is a throwback of sorts to ‘90s era Hip Hop, and musically represents a break from the rest of the album. Premier obviously leaves his mark here, but Em’s production is nothing to sneeze at either. Shady XV reinforces the notion that he has gone from a student of the “Dr. Dre School” of production to a legitimate rapper/producer.As previously mentioned, Disc 2 is a nice inclusion for fans that remember the music coming out of the Shady/Interscope camp 10 years ago. With the help of some fine tuning and mastering, the disc is a nice trip down memory lane, with cuts from 50 Cent, Obie Trice, and D12, as well as a few 8 Mile Soundtrack cuts. There is also a demo version of “Lose Yourself,” which is a hell of a lot of fun to listen to back-to-back with the original. The latter artists may not be Shady emcees anymore, but their inclusion on the album speaks to the respect that remains among all parties.Some songs border on perfection. A few more are just solidly average. Yet, it all balances out, and the rhymes on full display make Shady XV a great compilation release. Fans of Eminem can keep themselves occupied with this one, while also getting a chance to hear what’s new from the Slaughterhouse gang, Yelawolf, and D12. The most important takeaway is the growth of the Shady Records conglomerate since The Re-Up. Times have changed and so has the Rap game, but Eminem and his unit have adapted accordingly and have managed to usher from the deep a compilation album that is a worthwhile addition to the Shady oeuvre.
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