Meaningless, uncreative rhymes yelled into a mic over simplistic 2002-style rock beats made The Marshall Mathers LP 2 unworthy of even a full listen, let alone a Grammy.

Giving Eminem the Grammy for Best Rap Album is an acute example of how hip-hop has failed to progress since the Y2K. Shady was given the award practically for futilely attempting to channel his 28 year-old self, not because he made a good album, because he didn’t.

Frankly, there’s only so much vintage Slim Shady that can he can release before it becomes old and tired, and Eminem is nothing if not noticeably old and extremely tired.

He’s managed to stay absolutely stagnant with his music, which to me, and anyone else that values hip-hop, is not Grammy worthy. This angry teenager-sounding rap has run its course, and the time to begin adjusting accordingly has passed (about 8 years ago).

Not only does his music sound exactly the same as it did during his bleached hair/cocaine/Eminem Show years, his lyrics are practically outdated riffs from Shady’s glory years as well. He pulls out references that outdate the 13-year-olds that continue to keep him relevant, including pointless K-Fed allusions and Clinton jokes that I thought we had all agreed we would stop doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EigHVVd9yDU

Hip-hop is stuck in the unavoidably shameful glory days of champagne rap, and fails to accept that it’s time to grow up along with its audience.

Artists like Common and Schoolboy Q have displayed an ability to do that. Even Childish Gambino’s Because The Internet showed a willingness to switch up from his previous punchline-obsession style and start producing something with meaning.

It’s unfortunately true, however, that in within this current state of hip-hop, Eminem never growing with his music and stay exactly the same (if not, worse) fits in perfectly.

He was simply the best at being the same, which, for some reason, wins Grammys.

Dylan de Wit can be reached at [email protected] or @DylanTdeWit on Twitter.