More than a decade has passed since The Marshall Mathers LP  helped catapult Eminem up the road to rap stardom. After navigating his way back from addiction --chronicled on releases, Relapse and Recovery --the Detroit MC is ready to take it "back to basics," he says in the Dec. 2013-Jan. 2 issue of Complex magazine.

In honor of his highly anticipated The Marshall Mathers LP 2, out tomorrow, the 41-year-old snags double covers, a regular version and a less glossy edition in the vein of classic rap publications from the 90s. Inside the mag, Em explains why he chose the title, and makes clear that MMLP 2 isn't a sequel, but "revisits themes" from its predecessor. "It's obviously a different time period in my life," he explains. "So that's why I wouldn't call it a sequel. A sequel would just be a continuation of everything that was on there."

Aside from the 13 years in between releases, Em's lyrical makeup has changed since the first MMLP. This time around, diatribes like "Kim" no longer have a place in the lineup. "Like I said, it was a different time period in my life and a different time period in rap, period. And I'm just gonna keep saying 'period.'

"I always say that about my music, and music in general: Music is like a time capsule. Each album reflects what I'm going through or what's going on in my life at the moment. I don't want to give too much away as far as how personal this album gets, but I don't know if it's going exactly where that album did."

Em's Complex issue is available in digital form now, regular hard copies will hit stands later this month, alongside 1,000 copies of the throwback issue.    

 
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(Photo: Complex Magazine December/January 2014 issue)