The retail version of Encore marked the beginning of Eminem's mid-career slump, leading into a five-year hiatus marred by addiction and writer's block. The original tracklist, however, represents a flawless transitional bridge. It combined the fierce, anti-establishment politics of The Eminem Show with the dark, introspective maturity of a man tired of the fame machine.
To see the stark contrast in quality and tone, look at how the tracklists compare: The Truncated Mid-Section (What We Got) The Original Vision (What Was Intended) We As Americans My 1st Single Love You More Big Weenie Monkey See, Monkey Do Just Lose It Come On In (feat. D12) Ass Like That Yellow Brick Road The Cultural Impact: What If It Never Leaked?
(Note: "Ass Like That" and "Just Lose It" were retained from the final version, though "Just Lose It" was the lead single released just prior to the major leaks. "We As Americans" and "Love You More" eventually saw official release on the album's bonus disc.) eminem encore original tracklist
"I remember four songs leaked, and I had to go to L.A. and get Dre and record new ones. I was in a room by myself writing songs in 25, 30 minutes because we had to get it done, and what came out was so goofy. That's how I ended up making songs like 'Rain Man' and 'Big Weenie.' They're pretty out there. If those other songs hadn't leaked, Encore would've been a different album."
For fans, the "original Encore tracklist" is more than a set of songs. It is a parallel universe—a timeline where the leak never happened, where the sleeping pills didn't win, and where Eminem ended his classic run with a fourth consecutive masterpiece. Instead, we got a fascinating, flawed, and deeply human artifact of an artist in crisis. The retail version of Encore marked the beginning
The final Encore has no such structure. It swings violently from "Mockingbird" (tear-jerking sincerity) to "Big Weenie" (cartoonish pettiness), giving listeners whiplash.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Eminem explained that he was under immense pressure from his label, Aftermath Entertainment, to produce a hit album. "I was feeling a lot of pressure to make a album that would sell well, and I think that affected the creative process," he said. To see the stark contrast in quality and
What was the original Encore tracklist supposed to look like?
Had Eminem stuck to the original plan—or released the album before the leaks occurred—the critical trajectory of his career might look different.
To fill the void left by the leaks, Eminem recorded tracks like "Big Weenie," "Rain Man," and "My 1st Single."