With 8 Mile, Eminem makes his leap from rapper, to rapper-slash-actor, already gaining a potential Oscar buzz among snooty film critics. Meanwhile, with the 8 Mile soundtrack, Eminem jumps from rapper to rap mogul (cue: record company people are Shady….).

      How Eminem will fare as a talent scout / A&R for the future of his label remains to be seen, but the 8 Mile soundtrack acts as the jump-off point. At face value, it seems like it will be the biggest soundtrack of the year, not only boasting tracks from white America’s favorite emcee, but also red-hot Shady Records signee 50 Cent; not to mention all new tracks from Nas, Jay-Z, Xzibit, Gang Starr, and Rakim. It’s enough to make any well-rounded rap-fan purchase without a second thought. 

     But how it holds up is a different story – Em’s talent has become his own gift & curse, as he has refrained from signing anyone that can even come close to his level of skill, thus he is never outshined; yet he also sacrifices duplicating his own success levels, as Dr. Dre did with his signing of Eminem to AfterMath. Although for argument’s sake, whether you feel 50 Cent or not, one can’t deny the incredible buzz behind the reformed one-hit wonder, led especially by his addictive, condescending anthem “Wanksta”, which could actually turn things around for the label (too bad the same couldn’t be said for 50′s “Places To Go”, also included here). Meanwhile Em joins 50, along with Obie Trice, for “Love Me”, which is a somewhat off-kilter collaboration, over Marshall’s unfortunately redundant, moody production, where the three compete to steal the show, with Em’s loony side creeping back out, while 50 Cent humorously bashes R&B singers.

    But Eminem is the true show-stealer here, as he proves on both his solo tracks. “Lose Yourself” is an edgy, inspiring, and actually daring single (since it’s packed with a little too much vocabulary for the average MTV zombie), but is the album’s best track, and arguably one of the best singles of the year. A similar chord is struck on “8 Mile”, where Eminem rhymes on like a locomotive over his own train-track, never straying off course. Both tracks showcase the darker, more reality based version of Eminem, endlessly impressing, with entire sentences and even entire verses that rhyme!

     Outside of the Shady Records spectrum, the album is packed with tons of treats from your favorites, but only a few actually pan out. Xzibit holds his weight much better than he did on The Wash O.S.T. with the Denaun Porter (D12)  produced “Spitshine”. Meanwhile, Mr. Porter chimes in for Rakim’s “R.A.K.I.M.”, which satisfies the palate, but may not be exactly what The R’s fans are looking for. Jay-Z and Freeway team up over more scary Eminem production on “8 Miles And Running” which hardly competes with “Renegades”, nor Nas’ indirect “Ether” follow-up, the awesome “You Wanna Be Me”. And even Gang Starr’s “Battle” seems a little stale. Unfortunately rap gods Guru, Primo, Jay, and Rakim have seen better moments than those found here.

     While film critics may paint up 8 Mile as “a riveting, gritty urban drama that reaches into the heart of the aspiring poet” or something, the soundtrack will probably get more “It’s aiiight” type quotes.