Hi, I'm the Rap Critic. And Eminem is BACK… again… Well, I mean, I guess he had to come back eventually. Either that or pretend to retire for couple days, like Jay-Z. Most rappers don't just stop rapping… but the point is, he has returned with a new single
And, as you may know, Eminem's record for music has been a little… unreliable since about 2004. Encore, ironically, no one ever wanted to hear again and Relapse somehow ultimately ended up being worse, but Recovery was a welcome breath of fresh air, as his lyrics were tighter and well-thought out, especially after seeing how horribly he could fall into mediocrity. However, some people still had a problem with it. They felt that he was still complaining about his life too much and whatnot, which I don't see a problem with, because I feel like the tracks where he did go more into personal problems weren't that overbearing and properly updated us on what his life's been like, which is what he used to do on his older albums anyway! Anyone remember "Rock Bottom" or "Cleaning Out My Closet", or "The Way I Am"? And besides, there really weren't THAT many glum, reflective songs on it anyways. I feel like people colored their perception of the album based on "Not Afraid", which was such a bold move in and of itself, because before then, the first single off of every one of Eminem's albums has always been a lighter, sillier song. However, the idea of Em coming back from two bad albums and then NOT giving us what we typically expect from him for the promotional single? It changed how people approached the album
However, for his new single, Berzerk, we're back to the silly lead single formula. And, to that end, although I miss old Eminem, I fear this possible regression, especially since his new album is called "The Marshall Mathers LP 2". Because… yeah, apparently, sequels to successful albums are a thing in rap now. Yep! Are you a rapper who's been in the game for a long time, but you don't know if the random selection of songs you've put on your new album will resonate with your audience? Just call it a sequel! Sure, the songs don't thematically relate to anything beyond the typical violence, cash, hoes anthems, and the first album… probably didn't have a main theme to begin with. But the point is, you've reminded fans and critics of your first, classic album, and now you will undoubtably have undeserved hype behind it, regardless of whether or not it's earned
Well anyways, the point is, Eminem's back with a new party single. But the question is: will it end up being a single that could be compared to the likes of "The Real Slim Shady" or "Without Me", or will he re-relapse into mediocrity once again. Well, let's see
@Now this shit's about to kick off, this party looks wack
Let's take it back to straight hip-hop and start it from scratch@
Okay, well, let me say the first thing that I appreciate about this song: it has energy! I'm tired of party songs that are… well… *Gas pedal gas pedal*. This song sounds like Em is putting his heart into it, and that he wants you to feel the energy that he feels. The first lines of the song are basically, "Man, this new stuff sucks! Let's REALLY get this party started!"
"I'm 'bout to bloody this track up, everybody get back
That's why my pen needs a pad cause my rhymes on the ra-hag"
*looks weirded out* Was anyone else thrown off by that last part? Like, did Ad-Rock from the Beastie Boys take over his brain for a couple seconds? I mean, the lyrics were clever and whatnot, but… there was no reason why he had to say that like that...
"Just like I did with addiction I'm 'bout to kick it"
Using a clever punchline on how he's about to rip the mic as a double entendre for how he's gotten over his addiction to drugs? I don't care what you say that's respectable AND badass. Although I can't help but notice that I'm starting to hear little remnants of the stupid accents coming back. I hope that stops… soon...
"Like a magician, critics I turn to CRICKETS"
Okay, I want to respect the wordplay here, but really, what's up with you over-emphasizing the punchline and putting on these vocal effects? Aren't you usually more of a quick-witted guy who's always skating from one joke to the next? Like, for a lot of Eminem songs, where he's just playing the role of a smart-ass, the jokes whiz by so quickly, sometimes, you're not even aware you just heard something supremely clever. With this song, it just feels like he's laying the punches on a little too thick, and it does a disservice to the overall presentation
And, as you may know, Eminem's record for music has been a little… unreliable since about 2004. Encore, ironically, no one ever wanted to hear again and Relapse somehow ultimately ended up being worse, but Recovery was a welcome breath of fresh air, as his lyrics were tighter and well-thought out, especially after seeing how horribly he could fall into mediocrity. However, some people still had a problem with it. They felt that he was still complaining about his life too much and whatnot, which I don't see a problem with, because I feel like the tracks where he did go more into personal problems weren't that overbearing and properly updated us on what his life's been like, which is what he used to do on his older albums anyway! Anyone remember "Rock Bottom" or "Cleaning Out My Closet", or "The Way I Am"? And besides, there really weren't THAT many glum, reflective songs on it anyways. I feel like people colored their perception of the album based on "Not Afraid", which was such a bold move in and of itself, because before then, the first single off of every one of Eminem's albums has always been a lighter, sillier song. However, the idea of Em coming back from two bad albums and then NOT giving us what we typically expect from him for the promotional single? It changed how people approached the album
However, for his new single, Berzerk, we're back to the silly lead single formula. And, to that end, although I miss old Eminem, I fear this possible regression, especially since his new album is called "The Marshall Mathers LP 2". Because… yeah, apparently, sequels to successful albums are a thing in rap now. Yep! Are you a rapper who's been in the game for a long time, but you don't know if the random selection of songs you've put on your new album will resonate with your audience? Just call it a sequel! Sure, the songs don't thematically relate to anything beyond the typical violence, cash, hoes anthems, and the first album… probably didn't have a main theme to begin with. But the point is, you've reminded fans and critics of your first, classic album, and now you will undoubtably have undeserved hype behind it, regardless of whether or not it's earned
Well anyways, the point is, Eminem's back with a new party single. But the question is: will it end up being a single that could be compared to the likes of "The Real Slim Shady" or "Without Me", or will he re-relapse into mediocrity once again. Well, let's see
@Now this shit's about to kick off, this party looks wack
Let's take it back to straight hip-hop and start it from scratch@
Okay, well, let me say the first thing that I appreciate about this song: it has energy! I'm tired of party songs that are… well… *Gas pedal gas pedal*. This song sounds like Em is putting his heart into it, and that he wants you to feel the energy that he feels. The first lines of the song are basically, "Man, this new stuff sucks! Let's REALLY get this party started!"
"I'm 'bout to bloody this track up, everybody get back
That's why my pen needs a pad cause my rhymes on the ra-hag"
*looks weirded out* Was anyone else thrown off by that last part? Like, did Ad-Rock from the Beastie Boys take over his brain for a couple seconds? I mean, the lyrics were clever and whatnot, but… there was no reason why he had to say that like that...
"Just like I did with addiction I'm 'bout to kick it"
Using a clever punchline on how he's about to rip the mic as a double entendre for how he's gotten over his addiction to drugs? I don't care what you say that's respectable AND badass. Although I can't help but notice that I'm starting to hear little remnants of the stupid accents coming back. I hope that stops… soon...
"Like a magician, critics I turn to CRICKETS"
Okay, I want to respect the wordplay here, but really, what's up with you over-emphasizing the punchline and putting on these vocal effects? Aren't you usually more of a quick-witted guy who's always skating from one joke to the next? Like, for a lot of Eminem songs, where he's just playing the role of a smart-ass, the jokes whiz by so quickly, sometimes, you're not even aware you just heard something supremely clever. With this song, it just feels like he's laying the punches on a little too thick, and it does a disservice to the overall presentation
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