Courtesy of Interscope Records
By Brianna Rodriguez
On Aug. 31, Eminem abruptly unveiled his tenth studio album “Kamikaze.”
After seven years without an album, Eminem released “Revival” in December 2017, which received backlash for his political influence and self-doubt. Despite his collaborations with popular artists Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Ed Sheeran, his album was scrutinized.
Looking to redeem himself after “Revival’s” flop, Eminem dropped “Kamikaze.” This 13-track album responds to “Revival” while also addressing topics like mumble rap, the media, relationships and his previous rap group, D12.
In the first song, “The Ringer,” Eminem apologized for his last album before taking aim at popular artists. It explored his displeasure with popular mumble rappers and he even rapped to the beat of Lil Pump’s song “Gucci Gang.” He called out Tyler, the Creator along with Chance the Rapper, Drake and Lil Yachty to name a few.
One could question if his negative remarks of these artists are a form of jealousy. Many of these artists have gained popularity for mindless and repetitive verses, which is not Eminem’s rap style.
Many of his famous songs like “Till I Collapse” and “Mockingbird” evoke an abundance of emotion that listeners relate to or if not, they feel empathy toward. To compete against rap music with little creative phrasing must be a slap in the face for non-mumble rappers who share the genre.
A reoccuring theme in many of his albums is his undeniable issues with relationships.
“Normal,” “Nice Guy” and “Good Guy” all contain lyrics that open up about his dating life and his unhealthy relationships.
Although not uncommon for Eminem, “Nice Guy” in particular, contains a pre-chorus that repeatedly uses profane language, the instrumentals are in minor key and I cringed at every line.
Two of the three, “Nice Guy” and “Good Guy,” both feature singer Jessie Reyez. It’s debatable, but her vocals seem distasteful. There were some memorable lines, but these tracks were marking the low point in the album.
Eminem addressed his old rap group D12 in the track “Stepping Stone.” This song unveils a lot of reflection regarding how the rap group fell apart after the loss of one of its members, Proof.
This track seemed to close the wound that had been open for awhile. He says, “The less is left for closure, so let’s let this go. It’s not goodbye to our friendship but D12 is over.”
Eminem also seems to regret that the ending of the group brought him to more fame in the lines, “To all of the friends I may have hurt…I never meant to use you all as my stepping stones.”
Overall, “Kamikaze” wasn’t a bad album because it reminded hip hop fans of Eminem’s talent as a lyricist. His verses were often well thought out and demonstrated his technical ability and clever wordplay. It’s an obvious improvement from “Revival” focusing less on political commentary and returning to more creative lyrics.
He revived his creative verses, but the storytelling and imagery that Eminem is also known for was scarce. “Kamikaze” still can’t compare to some of his legendary albums such as “The Slim Shady LP,” “The Marshall Mathers LP,” “The Eminem Show,” and “Encore.”
3.5/5 stars
