Despite an upcoming XXL cover, a promotional push from MTV, and a pair of singles that generated buzz and dollars for his record label, has Eminem’s [click to read] time come and gone? According to a new article in the Boston Globe, the answer is yes.

Journalist Sarah Rodman argues that Eminem may have waited too long to mount his comeback, and that the country has become too fragmented to be captivated or shocked by the often controversial Slim Shady.

“Is it possible that the polarizing hip-hop star waited too long to reemerge?” Rodman writes. “That a country fragmented by politics, crisis, and technology can no longer rally around one controversial figure? With buzz for his fifth album, ‘Relapse,’ due out May 19, on simmer instead of high, could it be that Eminem is over?”

With a music industry hampered by illegal downloading, Eminem proved he is still capable of generating income, as the author notes. The Dr. Dre [click to read] and 50 Cent [click to read] assisted “Crack a Bottle” [click to listen] set a digital sales record, moving up 71 slots on the Billboard Hot 100 to claim the top position in its first seven days of release.

Two more singles are scheduled for release in advance of Relapse [click to read] and Eminem will also team up with Marvel Comics character The Punisher for a two part special.