After a long absence from the rap world, Eminem proved he is worthy of gaining back his rightful spot on top. After some time off, Vibe Magazine voted Eminem “Best Rapper Alive” in 2008. He beat out other rappers like Jay-Z, Nas, Kanye West, and T.I. to earn the coveted title.

The rapper’s previous album, “Relapse,” proved slightly disappointing in sales and reactions from listeners. Many didn’t understand the message he tried to convey, and were turned off by his intense look into addiction, death and rehab.

“As much as I love Eminem, I grew up listening to him and I have to say that his previous albums were my favorites,” junior Jay Milde said. “Not that his current stuff isn’t good, in fact it’s great. I just have fond memories and just enjoy his older albums [The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show] more.”

Eminem’s career slowed shortly after winning acclaim for his acting and music for “8 Mile.” It took seven years for Eminem to reach No. 1 again, after “Lose Yourself” topped the charts in 2002. Eminem struck magic when he collaborated with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent on “Crack a Bottle” in 2009.

However, Eminem has finally given fans what they have been waiting for — “Recovery.” His seventh studio album is his step back into the spotlight with incredible rhymes, deep lyrics and radio-ready hits.

“Eminem has been so successful because he is real,” Milde said. “He writes rhymes about what he is feeling, and what he is going through: his struggles with drugs, divorce and his relationship with his daughter. Eminem has not conformed to the media; he is generally real and raw.”

Collaborations with some of music’s hottest artists, like Rihanna, also helped Eminem’s cause in demonstrating how serious of a record he wanted to make. In its first week of release, “Recovery” sold just over 740,000 copies, according to Billboard.

As if that isn’t enough, Eminem’s epic two-day show at Yankee Stadium became one of the biggest hip-hop concerts ever. He performed alongside some of the most coveted artists in modern music, inlcluding Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Drake, B.O.B., entertaining two sold-out crowds. And headliner Eminem demonstrated his readiness to regain his crown in the music world.

“This show was unreal,” junior Neil Brown said. “The atmosphere of Yankee Stadium and everyone there was incomparable to anything I have experienced before.”

Brown especially noticed Eminem’s new outlook on life through his performance based on stage presence alone.

“It’s apparent that he is grateful to be up there doing what he loves,” he said. “The best part of the concert was looking out into the crowd and just seeing tens of thousands of people waving their arms and going crazy. It was awesome to see the influence these artists had on the entire crowd.”

Photo credit: MTV