: A toxic relationship anthem that was eventually relegated to the deluxe edition.
The solution was the "Encore" disk. The original pressing of the album was a two-disc set. The first disc contained the standard album, while the second disc—initially intended to be a limited edition bonus—featured three extra tracks. These three tracks were not mere throwaways; they were part of the album's core narrative but were removed and placed on the separate disc to combat the leak. In later standard reprints, these tracks were relegated to "Bonus Track" status, effectively erasing them from the album's canonical narrative.
In late 2004, Eminem was at the peak of his powers. Fresh off the commercial and critical juggernaut of The Eminem Show (2002) and the success of 8 Mile , anticipation for his fifth studio album, Encore , was deafening. But just weeks before its scheduled release, disaster struck: the album leaked in its entirety on the internet.
: This track was on the tracklist until just before the album's release, but was pulled following the actor's death in October 2004.
Eminem 's 2004 album is often considered a "what if" masterpiece of hip-hop history. While the retail version received mixed reviews for its "goofy" middle section, Eminem has since confirmed that a major security leak in 2003 forced him to scrap the original, high-caliber vision for the project. The Confirmed Original Tracks
Based on pre-release promo materials, early tracklists, and the sequencing of the "Bonus Disc," the original Encore tracklist is widely believed to have included the following songs integrated into the main body of the work. The most significant inclusions were:
In a panicked move, Eminem and his label, Interscope Records, scrambled to salvage the project. The result was a rushed recording session that produced three new songs ("Just Lose It," "Ass Like That," and "Mockingbird") and a controversial decision to scrap several completed tracks.
: Eminem recently confirmed this diss track was also planned for the album.