Eminem surprisingly released his unannounced 10th studio album “Kamikaze” on Aug. 31, 2018. He features various artists from Joyner Lucas to Royce da 5’9” and Canadian pop star Jessie Reyez to Justin Vernon. This past week his album reached No.1 on the Billboard 200, his ninth album to reach this mark, and outperforms his last album “Revival,” released last year.
Eminem’s “Revival” album was criticized for its lack of content and simple lyrics. His “conscious” rapping approach on it was a complete turnaround from his usual bar-for-bar content on his own life. This time, Eminem responded to individuals he felt weren’t just criticizing his album but were claiming his rap skills have worsened. In his song “Fall” he attacks these critics, ranging from Charlamagne tha God, Joe Budden and DJ Akademiks. Eminem also disses Tyler the Creator: “Tyler create nothin’, I see why you called yourself a f*****, bitch,” insulting Tyler’s recent coming out on his last album “Flower Boy.”
Eminem also raps on the state of hip-hop as he criticizes the lack of original bars and rhyme schemes. In the first track of the album, “The Ringer,” he says, “I heard your mumblin’, but it’s jumbled in mumbo-jumbo/ The era that I’m from will pummel you, that’s what it’s comin’ to/ What the fuck you’re gonna do when you run into it,” criticizing how the rappers of today would get crushed with the complexity that hip-hop was in the past. He even hates the content of today’s rap. “Since nine tenths of your rhyme is about ice,” proclaims his frustration of the over use of rappers bragging about jewelry and stealing someone’s girlfriend.
“Brain dead, eye drops, pain meds, cyclops/Daybed, iPod” is the chorus for “Not Alike,” which is reminiscent of the simple and basic flow many popular mumble and trap rappers use on their songs. He starts this song out to mock the popular rappers and how hip-hop’s creativity and technique is disappearing for catchy and beat driven songs. Eminem’s second verse on the song is a diss towards Cleveland’s rapper Machine Gun Kelly (MGK). Kelly is another popular white rapper and, because the number of white rappers is limited, he and Eminem are constantly being compared to each other. Eminem calls out Kelly by claiming his tough exterior is fake and that he is a wannabe thug. Eminem also threatens him when he raps: “But keep commenting on my daughter Hailie,” for Kelly to stay away from his daughter after he tweeted how attractive his daughter was a couple years ago.
“Kamizake” was a response album to every person Eminem has had a grudge against since his last album and before. He attacks the media, other rappers, the state of hip-hop and any other conflict he has had in his life. While the album has received criticism for Eminem’s homophobic bars toward Tyler the Creator and leads to questions on how hip-hop’s content will need to change as society’s tolerance increases, this album is a great listen that is sonically smooth with amazing features, leaving any Eminem fan satisfied.
Kamal Morgan, an A&E Editor for the Voice, can be reached for comment at KMorgan20@wooster.edu.