 The album revealed a more personal side of the singer , illustrated in its declarative theme of emancipation from her previous marriage , and from her personal and professional setbacks . Although it shared similar vocal production as well as an inclination to her signature pop and R & B ballads , the album also encompassed a variety of dance @-@ oriented and uptempo styles . It was meant to be a continuation , or a second part of her tenth studio album , The Emancipation of Mimi ( 2005 ) . Carey collaborated with a number of artists on the album , including T @-@ Pain , Damian Marley and Young Jeezy . Though considered by critics very similar to the formula its predecessor had been built on , E = MC ² included other genres she had never explored , such as reggae , and her continued recording of gospel @-@ influenced hymns . 
