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Rating for the original tracklist: 8/10
Rating for the released album: 5/10
The original Encore wouldn’t have matched The Eminem Show – but it would have been a respectable, emotional end to a legendary three-album run. Instead, panic over the leak gave us an album where Eminem rapped about vomiting on a birthday cake and shitting on a record label.
Listen to this playlist if you want:
Final thought: If you’re an Eminem fan, hunt down Straight from the Lab (the original leak bootleg). That’s the real Encore. The 2004 retail version is a compromised, drug-hazed detour. The original tracklist? A lost classic that deserved a proper release.
's 2004 album Encore is famous for being drastically altered after several high-quality tracks leaked online in late 2003. This forced Eminem to record new material in a matter of hours, leading to the "goofy" songs like "Rain Man" and "Big Weenie" that defined the released version.
While an official "original" tracklist was never formally published, Eminem has confirmed several songs that were intended for the main album before the leaks. Confirmed "OG" Tracks (Pre-Leak)
These songs were recorded during the initial Encore sessions and were meant for the standard release:
"We As Americans": Confirmed by Eminem as the original opening track for the album. It was eventually relegated to the deluxe edition bonus disc.
"Bully": A major diss track aimed at Benzino and Ja Rule. Eminem stated this was intended to follow "We As Americans" in the tracklist.
"Love You More": Another confirmed track from the original sessions that was moved to the bonus disc after leaking.
"Christopher Reeves": Originally the seventh track on the album. It was pulled last minute following the actor's death in October 2004 and later released as "Brand New Dance" on The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce).
"Monkey See Monkey Do": Leaked alongside "Bully" and "We As Americans" in the Straight from the Lab bootleg. Many fans and historians believe it was intended for the album's aggressive, diss-heavy original vision. The Replacements
After the leaks, Eminem recorded several tracks very quickly—some in as little as 25–40 minutes—to fill the gaps. These are widely considered the "replacement" songs that changed the album's tone:
The story of the "original" tracklist for Eminem ’s 2004 album Encore is a legendary "what if" in hip-hop history. What began as a project intended to cement his legacy as the world’s biggest artist was derailed by a massive digital leak and personal struggles, leading to a hasty restructuring that fundamentally changed the album's DNA. The Leak that Changed Everything
Midway through production, a significant portion of the intended album leaked onto peer-to-peer networks. This forced Eminem to scrap several high-quality tracks and record new material in a matter of days. To fill the void left by the leaked songs, he recorded some of his most polarizing and "silly" tracks—such as "Rain Man," "Big Weenie," and "Ass Like That"—which many critics felt lowered the overall caliber of the project. The "Scrapped" Pieces
Based on historical accounts from Wikipedia and fan archives like Eminem.net, several songs were confirmed or widely believed to be part of the original vision:
"Brand New Dance" (originally titled "Christopher Reeves"): This was meant to be a centerpiece of the album. However, according to Wikipedia, it was shelved just before release due to the death of Christopher Reeve in October 2004. Eminem eventually released it decades later on The Death of Slim Shady.
"Bully": A scathing diss track aimed at Benzino and Ja Rule that was intended for the album but leaked early.
"Can-I-Bitch": A humorous Canibus diss that also surfaced during the leaks. eminem encore original tracklist
"Love You More" & "We as Americans": These tracks were so well-received during the leaks that they were eventually included on the Encore Deluxe Edition bonus disc, though they were originally meant for the main tracklist. The Original Vision vs. The Final Product
If the leak had never occurred, the "Original Encore" would likely have been a much darker, more focused continuation of The Eminem Show. The final tracklist shifted from a serious exploration of fame and political unrest (seen in "Mosh" and "Like Toy Soldiers") to include slapstick humor that felt out of place to many listeners.
While the released version of Encore still achieved massive commercial success, the mystery of its original tracklist remains a focal point for fans on platforms like Reddit, who often reconstruct their own "Original Encore" playlists to see how the album might have stood alongside his classic trilogy.
Eminem’s fourth major-label album, Encore, remains one of the most polarizing and fascinating chapters in hip-hop history. Released in November 2004, the project was intended to be the grand finale to the legendary run established by The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP, and The Eminem Show. However, a massive online leak forced Eminem to scrap his vision and record new material in a matter of days.
The result was a disjointed project that swapped introspective classics for bizarre, slapstick humor. For years, fans have obsessed over the "original" tracklist—the version of Encore that was supposed to cement Eminem’s legacy before the leak changed everything. The Leak That Changed Everything
In early 2004, several high-quality tracks intended for Encore surfaced on peer-to-peer sharing networks. In an era before streaming, a leak of this magnitude was devastating. Eminem, fueled by frustration and a growing dependency on sleeping medication, decided that if fans had already heard the music, it was no longer "valuable."
He retreated to the studio and recorded several replacement tracks in a blurred, manic state. These songs—notably "Big Weenie," "Rain Man," and "My 1st Single"—featured nonsensical lyrics and toilet humor that stood in stark contrast to the polished production of his previous work. Reconstructing the Original Tracklist
While an official "pre-leak" tracklist has never been released by Shady Records, Eminem has confirmed in interviews and his autobiography, The Way I Am, which songs were pulled. By looking at the tracks moved to the Encore Deluxe Edition bonus disc and songs that appeared on later projects, we can reconstruct the masterpiece that almost was. The "Lost" Pillars
These three tracks were the emotional core of the original album but were moved to the Deluxe Edition bonus disc after they leaked:
"We As Americans": A politically charged anthem that famously drew Secret Service attention for its lyrics about the President.
"Love You More": A raw, brutal look at a toxic relationship, considered by many to be superior to "Love the Way You Lie."
"Ricky Ticky Toc": A classic Shady flow over a minimalist, hypnotic beat. The Replacement Casualties
To make room for the three songs above, Eminem added what are now considered the "middle-stretch" fillers. In the original vision, the following songs likely never would have existed: "Rain Man" "Big Weenie" "Ass Like That" "My 1st Single" What the Original Experience Would Have Felt Like
The original Encore was designed to be a darker, more mature reflection on fame. Without the "silly" songs, the album maintains a consistent, moody atmosphere.
A Focused Narrative: Songs like "Yellow Brick Road" and "Toy Soldiers" would have felt more impactful without being interrupted by fart noises and burps.
Political Weight: With "We As Americans" and "Mosh" back-to-back, the album would have been the most significant political statement of Eminem's career.
The Perfect "Encore": The album ends with Eminem literally shooting the crowd and himself. In the original context, this was a haunting metaphor for his retirement from the industry. The Legacy of the Encore Leak
The Encore leak didn't just change an album; it changed Eminem’s career trajectory. The critical backlash to the "silly" songs led to a five-year hiatus before he returned with Relapse in 2009. Rating for the original tracklist: 8/10 Rating for
Today, fans often create "OG Encore" playlists, swapping out the filler tracks for the leaked gems. When listened to this way, Encore transforms from a flawed experiment into a worthy successor to The Eminem Show. It remains a "what if" that continues to spark debate in the hip-hop community.
’s fifth studio album, Encore (2004), is widely regarded as a significant "fall from grace" after his classic three-album run. While it debuted at No. 1 and sold millions, the critical consensus labels it a "messy," drugged-out, and uneven project. The "Original" vs. Released Tracklist
The album’s quality was severely impacted by high-profile leaks that forced Eminem to record several "last-minute" replacement tracks while under heavy drug use.
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Thanks to investigative fans, interviews with Eminem’s engineers (notably Steve King), and the recovered promotional vinyl, we have a nearly complete picture of the original Encore tracklist. Here it is, in its intended order:
Introduction Released in November 2004, Eminem’s Encore arrived at the peak of his powers—but also marked the beginning of a critical decline. Often remembered for its goofy singles ("Just Lose It") and the infamous "Accents Era" (which would later plague Relapse), the album is frequently cited as Marshall Mathers’ creative low point. But for hardcore fans, there has always been a lingering question: Was the album we got the album he intended?
Let’s take a deep dive into the Encore era, the "original tracklist" theories, and the lost tracks that could have shifted the album's narrative.
The "Official" Released Tracklist To understand the changes, we have to look at what hit the shelves. The standard edition ran 20 tracks deep, bloated with skits and comedic filler.
The Myth of the "Original" Sequencing While a completely different "beta" tracklist has never been officially confirmed by Shady Records in full, leaked snippets and industry insights suggest that Encore underwent significant surgery before release.
The most famous deviation from the final product centers around the song "We As Americans."
Originally leaked in high quality prior to the album drop, "We As Americans" was widely believed to be the original opener or a centerpiece of the record. The track contained the controversial line, "I don't rap for dead presidents, I'd rather see the president dead," which forced the label to reconsider the song's placement. On the final retail version, it was relegated to a "Bonus Disc" (along with "Love You More" and the Ricky Martin parody "Rickidy").
If "We As Americans" had taken its rightful place in the main sequence, it would have provided a jarring, serious political tone that the album desperately lacked.
The Lost Tracks & Leaks The Encore sessions are legendary for the amount of quality material that stayed on the cutting room floor (or ended up on mixtapes). If the original tracklist had incorporated these tracks, the "joke" factor of the album would have been significantly reduced:
The Sequencing Theory Many fans theorize that the "Original Encore" was a darker, more serious follow-up to The Eminem Show. The prevailing belief is that Em—or the label—panicked due to political pressure (the Bush administration era) and legal threats. As a result, the serious political tracks were swapped out or pushed to a bonus disc, and the comedic/gimmick tracks were pushed to the front to secure radio play and safety.
Imagine an Encore that opened with "We As
For the dedicated fan, the original Encore is not entirely lost. The Deluxe Edition of the album includes three of the original tracks as bonus cuts:
If you create a playlist that removes "Big Weenie," "Rain Man," "Just Lose It," "Ass Like That," "My 1st Single," and "Crazy in Love," and instead places these three songs in the middle of the album, you get an 11-track masterpiece that rivals The Eminem Show.
Eminem has released many albums since 2004 (Relapse, Recovery, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Kamikaze, Music to Be Murdered By). He has reconciled with his past, become sober, and even acknowledged the flaws of Encore. But he has never released a definitive, remastered version of the original tracklist. Final thought: If you’re an Eminem fan, hunt
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.
And perhaps that is its own kind of legacy. Encore is not the album Eminem wanted to make. It is the album the internet forced him to make. And that story, of artistry versus chaos, is as compelling as any song he ever wrote.
Eminem’s fourth major-label album, Encore, remains one of the most polarizing and fascinating chapters in hip-hop history. Released in November 2004, the project was famously derailed by a massive internet leak, forcing Eminem to scrap several songs and record new material in a matter of days. This led to a jarring shift in tone, replacing high-concept lyricism with the "zany," toilet-humor-heavy tracks that define the album's middle section.
To understand the "original" tracklist, one must look at the songs recorded between 2003 and early 2004 that were ultimately leaked by the group Straight from the Lab or relegated to bonus discs and soundtracks. The Impact of the 2003 Leaks
In late 2003, a collection of Eminem tracks leaked online. At the time, Eminem was arguably the biggest star on the planet, and the "Straight from the Lab" EP leak devastated his creative process. Because these songs were intended for the upcoming album, Eminem felt he could no longer use them as primary tracks, leading him to record "filler" songs like "Big Weenie," "Rain Man," and "My 1st Single" to meet his release deadline. The "Lost" Songs of the Original Encore
While an official "pre-leak" tracklist has never been released by Shady Records, fans and historians have pieced together the songs that were meant to provide the album’s emotional and thematic core:
"We as Americans": This was intended to be the album's mission statement. It featured a controversial line about the President that triggered a Secret Service investigation. After the leak, it was moved to the Encore Deluxe Edition bonus disc.
"Love You More": Widely considered one of Eminem’s best "toxic relationship" songs, this track was also moved to the bonus disc following the leaks. Its darker, more serious tone fits the The Eminem Show era much better than the final cuts of Encore.
"Bully": A scathing diss track aimed at Benzino and Ja Rule. This was intended to be the final word on his various feuds at the time but was left off the album entirely after leaking.
"Can-I-Bitch": A humorous, storytelling diss track targeting Canibus. While lighter in tone, it possessed a lyrical sharpness that many felt was missing from the "silly" songs that eventually made the cut.
"Monkey See, Monkey Do": A hard-hitting street record that addressed the dangers of the music industry and his ongoing beefs. Reconstructing the Tracklist
If the leaks had never occurred, many speculate that the middle "humor" section of Encore would have been replaced by these more substantive works. A "perfect" version of the original Encore would likely have looked like this: Curtains Up (Intro) Evil Deeds Never Enough (ft. 50 Cent & Nate Dogg) Yellow Brick Road Like Toy Soldiers Bully We as Americans Monkey See, Monkey Do Love You More Spent Some Time (ft. Obie Trice, Stat Quo & 50 Cent) Mockingbird Crazy in Love One Shot 2 Shot (ft. D12) Encore / Curtains Down Why the Change Matters
The version of Encore that hit shelves was a commercial juggernaut but a critical disappointment compared to The Marshall Mathers LP. The "original" tracklist suggests an album that was a direct, more mature successor to The Eminem Show. Instead, the world received a project fueled by Eminem's growing frustration with the industry and his increasing struggles with prescription drug use, which he later admitted influenced the "goofy" recording sessions for the replacement tracks.
Today, Encore is viewed as a cult classic by some and a missed opportunity by others. The "original" tracklist remains one of the great "what ifs" in rap history.
In the sprawling, controversial discography of Marshall Mathers, few albums carry as much "what if" weight as Encore. Released on November 12, 2004, Encore was marketed as the triumphant finale to a trilogy that included The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP, and The Eminem Show. Instead, it arrived to mixed reviews, criticized by fans for its goofy accents, slapstick violence, and what many perceived as a creative drop-off from the razor-sharp intensity of its predecessors.
But for nearly two decades, a legend has persisted in hip-hop circles: The version we heard was not the version Eminem intended to make.
The story of the original Encore tracklist involves a sleeping pill addiction, a catastrophic leak on the internet, a last-minute scramble to the recording studio, and an entire album’s worth of songs that vanished into thin air.
