Could it be? Is Shady back? Eminem’s new album, “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” has been hyped to be his return to the status of the infinitely talented rap god we have long attributed him as. The album is named after “The Marshall Mathers LP,” released in 2000, as a sign of his return to his old style. He even bleached his hair again like the old days. But I’m not so sure this album is the return of the real Slim Shady, much as I was hoping to hear from him.

As Eminem’s greatest music fades more and more in our memory, it’s harder to recognize him as the same artist who wrote “My Name Is” and “Kill You.” His last few albums have been less than we hoped from our favorite clever rapper. With the subjects of his songs turning to more serious personal affairs, like his struggle to sobriety, the music was less funny and more easily forgotten. In this new album, he is trying to go for his old abrasive style, but it just doesn’t seem genuine. Sure, he swears a lot, and we even get a couple new hate songs about Kim, the mother of his children. It just doesn’t feel like the spitfire cocky attitude from his younger days; he is merely imitating his old style without the originality or passion.

Also, Eminem is grossly underusing his talent. He’s gotten his reputation through hard cutting, hilarious, fluid and almost prose-like lyrics, along with highly original word play and experimenting with beats and rhythm. Comparing “The Marshall Mathers LP” of 2000 with “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” it’s all too clear that Eminem has been slacking. I was hoping to be impressed once again with the pure talent that Eminem is capable of.

Despite Slim Shady’s disappointing return, the album is still the work of a great artist and some songs are inevitably pretty good. The opening song “Bad Guy” is actually a song extended from “Stan,” one of Eminem’s signature and most thought-provoking songs from 2000. In “Rhyme or Reason” re converts the Zombies’ “Time of the Season” into a track about an absent dad. He’s gets angry in “So Much Better,” being about a certain promiscuous lady he would feel so much better without—if she “just dropped dead,” to be exact.

There’s no doubt that Eminem is one of the best rappers of all time. However, when one has been a game-changer and huge musical influence in the past, one will be held to the highest standards. Getting back to “Slim Shady” was a nice idea and a good try, but some real talent and originality will have to show to save Eminem’s reputation as the rap god of our generation.