Relapse is the sixth studio album by the American rapper Eminem. It was released on May 19, 2009, through Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. The album serves as Eminem's return to original material since Encore (2004), following a four-year hiatus from recording due to his writer's block and an addiction to prescription sleeping medication from 2005 and 2007. Recording sessions for the album took place between 2008 and 2009 at several recording studios, and Dr. Dre, Mark Batson, and Eminem handled production.

Marshall Bruce Mathers III, known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in Middle America and is widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. His global success is considered to have broken racial barriers to the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. While much of his transgressive work during the late 1990s and early 2000s made him a controversial figure, he came to be a representation of popular angst of the American underclass and has been cited as an influence by and upon many artists working in various genres.