Thanks to investigative fans, interviews with Eminem’s engineers (notably Steve King), and the recovered promotional vinyl, we have a nearly complete picture of the original Encore tracklist. Here it is, in its intended order:
The released version of Encore is often criticized for its "bipolar" nature—one moment he is dissecting the Iraq war ("Mosh"), and the next he is making fun of a puppet ("Ass Like That") or rapping about bowel movements ("My 1st Single"). The original tracklist minimizes this whiplash, offering a more consistent "Adult Eminem" experience.
A D12 collaboration that was likely swapped for "One Shot 2 Shot". eminem encore original tracklist
Songs like "Yellow Brick Road" and "Toy Soldiers" would have felt more impactful without being interrupted by fart noises and burps.
Had the remained intact, it would have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his greatest works. The Infamous 2003 Leaks: How Encore Was Sabotaged A D12 collaboration that was likely swapped for
To appease the label and salvage the leaked material, Interscope packaged "We As Americans" and "Love You More" onto a deluxe edition bonus disc. However, the damage to the main album's cohesive narrative was already done. The Legacy of the Encore Leak
💡 Eminem has stated that if the leaks hadn't happened, Encore would have been on the same "caliber" as The Eminem Show . If you tell me what you're looking for, I can help you: The Infamous 2003 Leaks: How Encore Was Sabotaged
Through fan forums, retrospective articles, and comments from the producer's inner circle, a strong consensus has emerged about the intended original structure of the album. One of the most widely circulated and accepted versions of the tracklist, as it was meant to be sequenced before the leaks, is as follows:
While Interscope Records never officially published the pre-leak tracklist, hip-hop historians, interviews with Eminem, and audio engineers have allowed fans to reconstruct what the original version of Encore looked like. The Confirmed Lost Tracks