Eminem to Release Relapse: Refill on December 21st

Multi-platinum hip-hop artist Eminem will release Relapse: Refill on December 21st, 2009, on Aftermath/Interscope Records. This re-release of Eminem’s chart-topping fifth studio album includes seven bonus tracks, including the single “Forever,” also featuring Drake, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne (previously found on the More Than A Game soundtrack), “Taking My Ball” (also released only with the DJ Hero video game), and five never-before-heard tracks.

“I want to deliver more material for the fans this year like I originally planned,” Eminem says. “Hopefully these tracks on The Refill will tide the fans over until we put out Relapse 2 next year.” Eminem has been busy in the studio creating even more new material since Relapse was released. “I got back in with Dre and then a few more producers, including Just Blaze, and went in a completely different direction which made me start from scratch. The new tracks started to sound very different than the tracks I originally intended to be on Relapse 2, but I still want the other stuff to be heard.”

One of the most anticipated albums of the year, the platinum-selling Relapse entered the Billboard Top 200 album chart at No. 1 in May 2009 and sold more than 618,000 domestic copies in the U.S. in its first week. Relapse is also the top selling hip-hop album of 2009. The first song to debut from the album, “Crack a Bottle,” was released in February and set a first-week record for digital sales at the time, while the first official single and video, “We Made You,” debuted in April. The best-selling hip-hop artist of the SoundScan era, Eminem has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide. His previous studio album, Encore, reached No. 1 and dominated the charts in late 2004. The Grammy-nominated disc was certified quadruple-platinum, generated four Top 40 Hot 100 hits, and has sold more than 11 million copies. In October 2008, Eminem published Eminem: The Way I Am, a compilation of thoughts, stories and memorabilia that entered the New York Times bestseller list at No. 11.

Em will be performing “Crack A Bottle” and “Forever” Sunday on the AMA’s!