“Is This Love (’09)” by Eminem & 50 Cent

“Is This Love (’09)” is a track which can perhaps most fittingly be described as a sex song. But that said, there’s a lot of weird stuff going on therein, so listeners should perhaps brace themselves beforehand. In fact in the final verse of this piece, 50 Cent dubs himself “Shady’s cronie”. Accordingly he gets to rapping about his affinity for “sn-ff flicks” and similar potentially-disturbing musings which we won’t expound on here.

Ultimately what’s being put forth is – who really knows? In some regards this track is akin to Eminem’s “Superman“. The vocalist(s) comes off like some sort of slick-tongued playa whose goal is to get into certain ladies’ pants. But in other respects, the titular question does seem as if it is being genuinely posed, i.e. the lyrics reading indicative of a budding (sexual) relationship that at least theoretically has to potential to develop into a long-term romance.

But going back to the aforementioned “Superman” and all (and the fact that this song was put together not too long after that piece was dropped), it’s like we already know what the homeys are about when it comes to hooking up with women. So even though certain parts of this rap may sound like Em and Fiddy are open to the idea of settling down with that special someone, all things considered what they’re actually “in the mood for” is “sexual healing”.

“Curtain Call 2”

Eminem, arguably the most prolific A list rapper in the game, dropped yet another album, “Curtain Call 2”, on 5 August 2022. Well actually, as with the first “Curtain Call” (2005), this is a compilation/greatest hits’ project and more specifically one featuring Eminem tracks from 2009 onward. However, there are also three brand-new releases featured on the LP, amongst them being “Is This Love (’09)”.

The Collabo

Eminem and the co-headliner on this song, 50 Cent, are of course regular collaborators (reportedly to the tune of having done so over 50 times prior), as is Dr. Dre, who co-produced “Is This Love (’09)”.

In fact it was Dre who gave Em his big break and likewise the both of them who helped transform Fiddy into a major player in the music industry.  As such collaborations such as these between the three of them basically date back to 50 Cent’s first album, 2003 “Get Rich or Die Tryin’”.

In fact the same labels that backed that project out – Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem’s Shady Records and of course Interscope Records – are also the ones behind the release of “Curtain Call 2”. And to note, the subtitle of this song is indicative of the fact that this track was originally recorded in 2009. (though the two vocalist reportedly re-recorded it to be featured on “Curtain Call 2”).

Besides for Dr. Dre, the other producers of this track are Eminem, Mark Batson and Trevor Lawrence Jr.

The three names above also co-wrote “Is This Love (’09)” with Luis Resto, 50 Cent and Sly Pyper (who serves as an additional vocalist).

To note, interpolated into this song is the 1982 Marvin Gaye classic “Sexual Healing“.