The rags to riches story of Eminem is 13 years old since 2000’s “The Marshall Mathers LP” launched the rapper into superstardom. But the success hasn’t changed much with the rapper’s pure rage.

Rhymes on the newly released sequel, “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” are still spitting mad about everything from father problems to the rapper’s own hypocrisy when it comes to his daughter.

The album as a whole has a nostalgic feeling for listeners familiar with the rapper’s early work. Em seems to be playing with this by using classic rock samples in many of the tracks including “Rhyme Or Reason” and “So Far….”

Another way Eminem plays with the past is by continuing the morbid story of “Stan” in the first track, “Bad Guy.”

Even though Eminem is no longer in “rags,” the rapper still finds quite a bit to be angry about.

In “Rhyme Or Reason,” Em goes off on his father’s neglect saying “full of such blind rage I need a seeing eye dog,” and “So, yeah, dad let’s walk let’s have us a father and son talk/But I bet we probably wouldn’t get one block/Without me knocking your block off.”

Rage is never so present as in the next song “So Much Better” in which Em sings the hook, “My life would be so much better if you dropped dead.”

Along with the anger, the rapper keeps his insane rhyme skills sharp. This is especially prevalent in “Rap God,” appropriately. His ability to manipulate words and syllables is unmatched, and this is his chance to show it off.

The album falls short by not covering new ground. The standout collaboration, “The Monster” (featuring Rihanna) sounds like it could have been pulled off the radio three years ago.

Even though it’s nothing new, it’s still good. Why change what works?

Whether it’s his pure rage, skillful lyrical cartwheels or his pitch black humor, listeners that love Eminem will love the album. But if crude slangs and morbid murder stories aren’t your taste, don’t bother.

Regardless of his target audience, there is no doubt that Eminem has cemented his position as the King of Rap with nothing left to prove. Regardless, Eminem will continue to prove himself in the realm of hip-hop. In the words of the man himself, “Why be a king when you can be a god?”

4 out of 5