Hell: The Sequel

The pair spew acid-tongued battle raps that shout down celebrities (Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber) join the hit list with obsessive conviction, but the Bruno Mars-produced pop nugget ”Lighters” makes the rest of Hell: The Sequel‘s dark leanings more fulfilling.

Eminem and Royce Da 5'9" are perfectly capable of standing on their own, but it's clear that even after all these years, they inspire something special in each other.

Throughout the 11-track record, Em and Royce deliver exactly what their fans have been waiting for for a decade plus: lyrics to go.

This EP is all about lyrics, punchlines, flows and playing off each other. You know, all that good old-fashioned stuff.

The lyricism is impressive, and it’s easy to get lost in it, but – some very noteworthy highlights aside – once that wears off, it’s unlikely you’ll return to Hell all that often.

Past the Mars cut, Hell: The Sequel helps right that wrong, providing the welcome sound of Shady meets the streets.

With one release they’ve already solidified themselves as one of the better duos in hip-hop, as they should be.

Even though Eminem soars at times and reaches down to help an old friend and colleague spread his wings, this effort is a step back for both rappers.

All the evil meeting badness can get pretty ugly – ­counting the number of females who get mistreated on Hell: The Sequel is like counting foreclosure signs along 8 Mile. But there’s genuine humanity, too.

The duo’s sinister raps are as shockingly impressive as they are morally disturbing.

While the lyrics are vivid and the flows are unstoppable--especially on the posse track that ends this EP--there's nothing all that special or unique about these beats or hooks. The fact of the matter is the production isn't living up to how great of a tag team these two Detroit vets are.

The beats suck, too.