"Go Go Gadget ****" Yeah definitely serious. If you're going to put forth an argument at least make sure you have all your facts straight first.
But if that's the route you want to take, I'll play along. A quick look at his discography will clear things up a bit.
SSLP:
My Name Is
Guilty Conscience
Brain Damage
97 Bonnie and Clyde
Role Model
My Fault
Cum on Everybody
Just Dont Give A ****
As The World Turns
I'm Shady
Bad Meets Evil
Still Dont Give A ****
You named 13 "serious" songs, one of which was incorrectly identified as serious material. I just named 12 songs that wouldn't be considered serious
off of his first album alone.
Fact of the matter is that Em still has bars. His technical skill on a mic is touched by a very elite few.
Look we can all admit that Recovery had a couple of cringe-worthy metaphors, but they are fewer and farther between than most people would have you believe. Em was arguably at his lyrical best during The Eminem Show (probably his second most serious album), so when he released what was his most grounded album in Recovery it did pale in comparison, but most albums would pale in that particular comparison anyway.
Recovery was a good album. Was it as his coming out party and breakthrough album (SSLP)? No. Was it his magnum opus (MMLP)? No. Was he at his lyrical best (TES)? No. Was it an album that had a good amount of enjoyable songs and enough lyricism to break through the monotony of plenty of popular rap music during its timeframe? Yes.
He did condemn himself naming it MMLP2, but I can't wait to hear it either way.