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What Went Wrong With… Kamikaze by Eminem?

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A review of Eminem's Kamikaze album by What Went Wrong Or Right With...?

30 to 40 year old white, centre-right, heterosexual men are having the time of their lives today as their favourite rapper, Eminem has just released a surprise album titled Kamikaze. Twitter is awash with talk about how Eminem is the G.O.A.T., how he’s attacking mumble rappers and how he’s dissing all his “haters“. Basically his fans are impressed with this, his tenth studio LP, but that’s not exactly an accurate litmus test, after all, his Stans are impressed with everything he makes.

Beginning with the sound of something crashing (possibly his career) Kamikaze starts off okay I guess, although he commences with the corny, frat-boy-sounding line “I feel like I wanna punch the world in the fucking face right now!”. From that point onward, Kamikaze is like a reply to critics of his last album Revival (which by the way, was utter shite) it also feels like some kind of musical catharsis as he airs his frustrations about no longer being “on top of his game”.

So okay, if Kamikaze was non-stop, back to his roots, Chino XL-style “diss everybody who’s mainstream and wack” I’d have to concede and say that Marshall Mathers has finally made a decent album but unfortunately he hasn’t. This LP may take aim at a number of people but it all feels very safe and mild in today’s world. Eminem’s Kamikaze is kinda like Sacha Baron Cohen‘s Who Is America?; a middle-aged man trying to recapture the vibe of the late 1990’s but ultimately lacking something because in the 20-odd years that have passed, society and culture has moved on, and what may have been entertaining in the past is no longer as virulent. Trying to bring back the past without tweaking your delivery and content just doesn’t cut it, and like Who Is America?, Kamikaze fails to pack a punch.

As an example, this album’s title and Licenced To Ill-esque artwork alone would have made people angry had this LP been released in 2001-2005 but in 2018 showing someone crashing a plane into their enemies is blasé. This is not Sonic Jihad (Paris’ post-9/11 LP) this evoking of a suicide pilot is just in the right period so not to offend the sensibilities of the mainstream. There’s also the use of the word “faggot” which is obscured or disguised, and again that’s wussing out, especially considering the amount of times Eminem uttered homophobic lyrics back in the day. Basically, this album wishes it was a nuke but it turns out to be a fire cracker (only this cracker is no longer fire).

Although I never liked his music, there was a slight sense of hostility when Eminem used to call out celebrities’ names. Today, the only place there’s venom is in the last song, only not in the way you’d want. By the way, if this is the lead song for the upcoming Venom movie, it may also turn out to be an out-of-style creation unwelcome in the present day.

Speaking of weak venom, there’s talk on social media of Em calling out crap rappers in this album; he mentions Lil Yachty by name, alludes to Lil Pump, and he disses Trap flows in general. But if you listen to the lyrics more than once, you realise how mild they actually are…

“I can see why people like Lil Yachty, but not me though. Not even dissin’, it just ain’t for me. All I am simply is just an emcee, maybe “Stan” just isn’t your cup of tea, maybe your cup’s full of syrup and lean. Maybe I need to stir up shit, preferably shake the world up if it were up to me”

…not only does that contain some of the most obvious rhymes (with no internals as his fans keep puffing about) but that verse isn’t “shaking or stirring anything up” in fact it’s very tame indeed. The irony that Lil Yachty’s Teenage Emotions met with as much criticism as Revival, maybe Marshall needs to make pals with his fellow “why are they hating on me?” rapper instead of lambasting him.

Kamikaze also takes aim at critics of his previous LP Revival. Eminem at one point raps…

“I’m sorry, wait, what’s your talent? Oh, critiquing. My talent? Oh, bitch I don’t know who the fuck y’all are, to give a sub-par bar”

…so that’s Eminem’s talent? To not know the names of critics? Makes perfect sense. Speaking of critics, when they were collectively riding his dick back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s he didn’t seem to care too much about their role in the music industry but now that the tables have turned, suddenly critics are his number one enemy. This makes him look shallow, foolish and even hypocritical. Here’s a novel concept; maybe stop making shite albums like Revival, that way you won’t get shit reviews.

The fact that he can’t seem to comprehend criticism against Revival, it proves that not only is he deluded but that he’s also petty. Like I said, if you don’t want “hate” then don’t make hate-attracting garbage, and if you don’t want further hate, then don’t comment on the previous hate with yet more garbage (something that is briefly mentioned in one of the skits). The strange thing about this situation is that Eminem thinks the public and the media being critical of him is somehow unthinkable, it’s kinda like the right-wing who bitch and moan about freedom of speech but in reality they advocate “free speech” only when it’s stuff they agree with. It’s like it never occurred to Eminem that if you make crap, people will say it’s crap, according to him that’s “hate” but is it really? Are you sure it’s not just a by-product of making back-to-back mediocrity after attaining an undeserved amount of fame?

I’ll acknowledge that criticising in of itself is fine, even criticising critics. I’m not averse to dissing Trap flows either but you have to do it with style and with an angle, you can’t just make a song like “Not Alike” but do nothing more creative than the genre you’re berating. It seems that Eminem needs to listen to Tetraheathen by Trapazoyd which made this comment earlier and better. “Fall” also contains a mock-Trap bit but it also features a horrible hook circa 2003 making it sound worse than the genre it’s critiquing.

Speaking of horrible hooks, “Greatest” sports some decent flow but also one of the most corny choruses on this LP. The title track contains a crap hook too, “Fall” also has a trashy autotuned R’N’B chorus, and “Stepping Stone” contains an atrocious hook as well. In addition, there’s two horrible tracks with the helium-voiced Jessie Reyez. Basically, there’s a lot wrong with this album and no, it’s not as good as his fans are saying it is. One of the most overrated MCs of all time is being overrated once again.

“Lucky You” contains double time delivery as well as featuring a verse from Joyner “I’m Not Racist” Lucas “. This is yet another track with Eminem hating Mumble Rap but with the added fast-rap delivery, the end result sounds like two middle-aged blokes trying to out-do each other with an outdated style.

The entire album is heaving with speedy raps, in fact Eminem seems overly concerned with showcasing his fast flow. Fans of Twista, Tech T9ne, and the rest will probably love this stuff but despite a certain level of skill involved with this technique, double and triple time raps sound tired in the present day. Back when everybody from R.A. The Rugged Man, Tonedeff, Jaz-O to Krayzie Bone was doing this style and doing it well (in the 1990’s and early-to-mid 2000’s) Eminem was making regular-paced Hip-Hop but strangely once the style became worn-out he began making more and more of it. Apparently if you can rap fast, that automatically makes you a “rap god” which seem to be his fans’ logic.

Dissing the likes of Lord Jamar, Joe Budden, Drake, and Tyler The Creator but not in a way that would ignite a beef, this LP seems to be targeting rappers that are past rapping and battling, or contemporary lames who would never say anything in retaliation. In the same way he conveniently chose weaker artists to slate in his heyday, Eminem is doing it once again. Yawn.

Eminem’s career seems to be veering into therapy, therapy for coming to terms with not being as highly respected as he was in the late 1990’s. By featuring on fellow has-been’s albums (Nicki …ahem… Minaj) Em seems to be living in a bubble, reminiscing about 2002 like a neocon convention (listen to his song “Stepping Stone” for proof). And someone needs to tell him that moaning about contemporary rap whilst delivering that message in a style that is now old-fashioned, is ironic as fuck. All this bullshit actually makes me wanna listen to Lil Pump. Nah… he’s shite too.

So yes, this album is better than Revival but that’s not exactly an accolade to be proud of. Saying Kamikaze is preferable over Revival is like saying flu is better than bird flu; you’d rather not have either. And with today’s advancements, none of this shit is as sick as it used to be.

Kamikaz-E.

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77 replies »

  1. This article reeks. Who’s out there deciding what style is “outdated” and what is “new”? Is mumble rap new and cool? Explain yourself more. The last paragraph/conclusion was just stupid. Who are you to decide what is old fashioned and what is new-fashioned?

    • That comment has the stench of brown-nosing all over it. The passing of time dictates what’s old-fashioned numb-nuts. For example 1990s Boom Bap sounded old by the 2000s, then it became classic in the 2010s enough to be considered postmodern (hence younger rappers copying it). The overly-complicated, multi-syllabic style that Eminem keeps peddling sounds corny in the 2010s, maybe wait a bit longer for that shit to get nostalgic.

      Since you don’t seem to care when Eminem makes an entire “stupid” album (by attacking critics who rightly critiqued him) why get all worked-up about my “stupid” conclusion? And by the way, maybe take a look around at my sister site to see what’s “new and cool”.

    • He is a good rapper on a technical level but his content just plain sucks. Dude, you’re middle aged, your fans are pushing middle age, do we really relate to this edge lord angst crap any more? For me, no. Even going back and listening to his older stuff, it just hasn’t aged well as people have aged. On a side note, auto tune mumble rap is crap but everyone knows. We don’t need Em telling us this.

    • Eminem Kamikaze is easily his best album in terms of Pure Rap.
      Just press play. Every track is Fire AF.
      Kamikaze has at least 6 Singles in my opinion and contains the best Soundtrack Single he’s done since “Lose Yourself” on 8 Mile, in “Venom”.
      Critics hate it because they’re Delicate Sensibility Possessing Social Justic Warrior Snowflake Pussies.

      Mumble Rap is Pluto and Eminem is the Sun.

      To say anything is wrong with Kamikaze is like saying the sky isn’t blue or grass isn’t green or dirt isn’t browm.

    • Fucking hell, who in their right mind leaves several sycophantic comments in the space of a few minutes? I’ve deleted the rest because it’s pretty obvious you’re trying to derail opinions by flooding the comments section with back-to-back boot-licking.

      “Critics hate it because they’re Delicate Sensibility Possessing Social Justic Warrior Snowflake Pussies” – I hope you were trolling with that shit. I guess it’s best to ignore that fact that Eminem got so offended by people’s dislike for Revival that he made almost an entire album responding to the backlash. And that makes him the biggest snowflake with the most delicate of sensibilities, plus once he made a Trump diss song he became a social justice warrior pussy too.

      To say there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this album makes you the biggest brown-noser of all time. I think you should go and make an appointment with a surgeon so they can surgically remove your lips from Eminem’s arse.

      And by the way dirt isn’t “browm” because browm isn’t a frigging colour.

    • To be more accurate, he sounded like a stereotypical battle rapper from the 2000s trying to sound like a Trap rapper from the 2010s. Since he didn’t mumble like Desiigner, it’s not exactly Mumble Rap per se. By mixing fast-rap with Trap it came off incoherent. Like I said, if you want to mock Trap properly, you’ve got to properly understand the components of it, something Tonedeff did in TETRAHEATHEN. If he wanted to mock Mumble Rap in isolation, he’d have been better doing what Hopsin did in “No Words”. Either way the target and the aesthetic didn’t exactly match.

  3. Emeinem lost it long ago when he started making pop music instead of hip hop his last few albums have been disappointing. His fans dont want to her that tho. watch out for stans

  4. go to twitter right now: its just some old fans taking about how he murdered every new rapper, how he is the goat,, how this generation is offended by everything. glad to come here for some constructive criticism.

    • Thanks. It’s annoying when people assume shit about people. I personally don’t like Lil Yachty, Lil Pump etc. in fact everybody from Donald Trump to Drake (people he “sent for”) I’ve mentioned in this site but that doesn’t mean I automatically praise Eminem. I’m sure there’s enough old-schoolers who dislike either Eminem or this LP but social media is always in divide and conquer mode.

      I’m sure my spam folder is filled with comments by his fans who can’t comprehend that people can have different points of view, and that there’s people who don’t follow a contrived path of accepted opinion.

  5. for a guy who absolutely despises the guy even at his prime you did good.
    its like u like the album but u still gotta HATE.
    but u like asap rocky so what do u know.

    • Fucking hell, I thought I’d check my spam folder and sure enough there you were. You’ve disagreed with all my articles about Eminem but for some unknown reason even when your god drops an album you enjoy, you just can’t help but come here and bitch about my opinion. Are you a complete fucking nut-job or do you deep down agree with my assessment?

      The fact that I’ve criticised A$AP Rocky twice on this site (check the contents) it makes your shite little comment null and void. But yes, when a rapper makes an album that’s above average I acknowledge it, even if I dislike the artist (I assume that’s what you’re referring to).

      For your information, when I heard the first two tracks I began by writing a “What Went Right With…?” article but the further I got, the worse the album got. The corny hooks, the out-of-date style, the late dissing of Mumble Rap, it just became yet another overrated yet below average album by Eminem so it became the review you see here.

      It’s still really perplexing why an Eminem superfan would keep coming here to read shit they know they’ll disagree with. Do you have my shit bookmarked so you can flagellate yourself every now and again?

      Since you’re addicted to my site, here’s some further reading for you: https://whatwentwrongwith.com/2016/05/04/what-went-wrong-with-the-word-hater-and-its-use-in-popular-culture/

  6. And this is why I stopped liking Eminems music. I used to be a huge Eminem fan and use to be a huge influence to me music-wise. I thought the song with Joyner was ok. But if his flow is outdated, who should I study to get better flow as a rapper? Anyone u personally suggest?

    • If you want to stand out from the crowd you’ve got to have something distinctive. The trouble with double-time is that most of it sounds the same. At least back in the day Bone Thugs-N-Harmony gave it a soulful twist but since the 2000’s it just became hackneyed.

      You should study any rapper who is unique (past and present) just go to https://whatwentrightwith.com and listen to Meechy Darko, Panama P.I., Snagglepuss, or even Red Rat.

      What’s missing in contemporary Hip-Hop is a slick flow like AZ, Big Jaz, Camp Lo etc. You should listen to some slicker old-school flows, learn from them and bring them into a new age…

      I would love to hear a contemporary/updated version of that type of flow. Try rapping “old” over a “new” beat like this…

  7. This album sucks . It is totally devoid of character . Compare this LP to recent releases (within the last year) “No Shame” by Hopsin and “All Things Work Together” by Lecrae . Both of those artists aren’t upfront in the mainstream . But Lecrae and Hopsin are still fairly big . It’s obvious Uncle Marshall doesn’t try anymore and his skill level has incredibly diminished but , his (fairly recent) track with Royce – “Caterpillar” – was pretty good . However it’s not on this album .

    Now we know for sure about his skill level . We have to take his whole career from 1987 up to present day into account here . With K-Rino having released “Mightier Than The Sword” in April there’s no debating . Eminem – after all these decades – isn’t even a top 500 of all time emcee . The sad thing is that back from 1994 to 1999 he may have even been in the top 150 .

  8. Insane Clown Posse’s assertions from 1999 to 2004 (during ICP and Esham’s beef with Eminem) that Eminem was a “top 40 pretty boy bitch” have proven to be true . Proof (Rest In Paradise) , Swifty McVay , King Gordy and Bizarre squashed the beef with Psychopathic and Reel Life . If you look at the music that ICP , Esham , Twiztid , ABK , Blaze Ya Dead Homie , The Dayton Family and Boondox put out in the last two years versus Eminem’s pop rap there’s no question as to who reps the culture better .

  9. I think this was his best effort in 8 years and frankly you need to listen to it a few times to fully grasp everything. Yeah, Revival was trash. But Kamikaze, he snapped. Respectfully disagree with much of this article lol

  10. Btw, is this blog specifically to negatively criticize albums you don’t enjoy personally? Hell, this is the internet. You can write whatever you want. Not sure why you take the time to put music you dislike so much under the microscope. You’re a sort of “anti-stan” which ultimately makes you a Stan anyway in some fashion. Oh well. I assume you’ll respond with some disdain like the other commenters who disagree with you. Do you have any articles that shed positive light or do you just sit behind a screen and pick apart successful artists that rub you the wrong way?

    • I do both motherfucker! I sit behind a giant-arsed screen listening to music, and bash away at them keys until I either puke or cum. Just kidding, but you wanted disdain.

      By the way, it would have taken you like two minutes to discover a link to my sister site https://whatwentrightwith.com/category/music/ and see that I take the time to put music I like and dislike “under the microscope” as you put it.

      And no, I don’t “Stan” any thing or anyone. If you say what I like is shite, that’s fine. I’m not a friend or relative of any of these famous fuckers so you can say what you like, even about artists I enjoy. Surely that makes me the antithesis of a “Stan”. So go ahead and berate some of my artists, fill ya boots!

      And actually, I respond to commenters in the way they respond to me – give respect and you get some. If you let disrespect slide, you end up with something akin to the YouTube comments section – someone’s gotta keep trolls and morons in check.

  11. Haven’t listened to any em since I was a teenager like 15 years ago lol. Personally I liked her album tho. Thought it was a lot more composed and took more talent to craft then a lot of the shit I hear my students listening to these days like Lil Xan and 69.

  13. Hopsin is far from trash . He has matured . He is corny and immature at times . But , what rapper isn’t ? Eminem was one of the corniest emcees out there . He has technical lyrical skill but still has been prone to asinine behaviour . Look at Eminem’s music videos from 1999 to 2011 . People say ICP , Twiztid and Esham were / are corny but at least they were original . Eminem copied Pharoahe Monch , Tonedeff , Chino XL , Masta Ace and Twiztid for his entire mainstream career .

    Hopsin has cited Eminem , Tech N9ne , Crooked I , Ice T , Yukmouth , Xzibit , Esham , ICP , Royce , Bone Thugs , Nas , Twista , Ice Cube and Canibus as being his main influences .

    That’s actually a pretty decent list of emcees to be influenced by (when those emcees were in their respective primes) compared to a fool like Lil Yachty (whose biggest influences are probably Soulja Boy , Lil Wayne and Drake) .

    Check out this track from Hopsin’s latest album :

    You see how much more authentic and real he is than a 2018 Eminem ???

    If we leave hip hop and look at folk music we can see that artists are influenced by popular trends . The Pogues were influenced by Irish / Celtic folk music from the first half of the 20th century . They retained that rich cultural tradition and still came up with their own authentic sound .

    So – yes – Hopsin was influenced by Eminem . I feel that with a track like “Marcus’ Gospel” he has paid tribute to Eminem’s best attributes and progressed as an individual artist in his own right .

  14. * “… all musical artists are influenced by popular trends and the culture in which they grew up …”

  15. I don’t really see how it’s a failure in any way, personally I loved the music and it’s on track to be a success when it comes to sale and then- what else makes an album considered good I’ve ran out of stuff

  16. I talked to my friend who has been a hardcore believer in Eminem’s lyrical abilities since February 1999 . He sees Uncle Marshall in his prime – from 1994 to 1999 according to him – as the most lyrically gifted emcee ever . Obviously , I think that is totally ridiculous .

    We engaged in a heated debate over this latest album and how well Eminem has aged over time as an artist .

    I won the debate early on when he admitted that Apathy of The Demigodz and AOTP is better than Uncle Marshall and consistently drops better albums as the years pass .

    I then mentioned Chino , K-Rino , RA , Canibus , Slug , Celph Titled , One Be Lo , Virtuoso , Ill Bill , Del The Funky Homosapien , Immortal Technique , Copywrite , Killah Priest , Brother Ali , Sage Francis , The Gift Of Gab , Z-Ro , Ras Kass , Vinnie Paz , Necro , Tragedy Khadafi , Vakill , Aceyalone , Tonedeff , Lyrics Born , Lateef the Truth Speaker , Rhymefest and Kool G Rap .

    He called all of them “underground nerds” or “washed up and old” .

    Eminem’s fans seem to always defend him . Even when they know that for years they’ve seen him sell out and drop whack albums .

    Eminem made fun of Canibus seven years ago during his BET cypher with “lyrical spiritual miracle in a swimming pool” .

    On this album Eminem does needless multisyllabics much , much more cringe worthy than his “impression” of Canibus in 2011 . Uncle Marshall has legitimately ran out of ideas . He should hang up his mic . Fuck — he’s going to be 50 right away and still doing pop rap . The fucking Stans dick ride him endlessly . His fans have grown up and gained positions of power on popular YouTube channels , on Instagram and in Hollywood . The fucking corruption makes me sick .

    My friend also says you of play identity politics in general on your blog . What do you think of that ??

    • 1. “Washed Up” implies that someone was successful at one time.

      2. If anybody is washed up and old it’s Eminem. And don’t forget that if it wasn’t for Dr. Dre, Marshall would be an underground nerd too.

      3. Nobody likes Eminem but mainstream lames aged 30-50.

      4. You can’t really criticise other rappers from the same period whilst rating Eminem. Shit makes no sense.

      5. I couldn’t give a fuck what “your friend” thinks.

      6. Only in a world this shitty would terms like “social justice” and “identity politics” be seen as negatives.

      7. You can selectively read articles on this site and assume I’m on a particular side but that’s projecting. That kind of opinion is usually indicative of someone insecure with their own demographic.

  17. To make it clear my friend and I are two separate people . He lives a 4.5 to 5 hour flight away from me in The Greater Toronto Area (Canada’s largest urban area in population by far — I live in Edmonton , Alberta which is only the sixth biggest city in Canada by population) .

    How do you think Eminem will respond to Machine Gun Kelly ? What do you think of MGK and his Eminem diss ?? I think it was a decent attempt for an emcee of Kelly’s limited lyrical abilities .

    • For me there’s too much “I respect you but”, “you’re my idol but” type bullshit: “The big bad bully of the rap game can’t take a fuckin’ joke… Yeah I’ll acknowledge you’re the G.O.A.T.”

      If you’re gonna diss do it without kissing his old arse every other line…

  18. Yeah , I see your point about Machine Gun Kelly . I actually prefer him to non-spitters like Chance the Rapper and these guys :

    https://youtu.be/HfDc97eNOvc / https://youtu.be/FUXX55WqYZs / https://youtu.be/Kbj2Zss-5GY / https://youtu.be/cwQgjq0mCdE / https://youtu.be/U9BwWKXjVaI

    I mean at least Eminem in his prime could spit . Machine Gun Kelly at least tries to spit hard(ish) multisyllabic rhymes over decent beats . Like Dillon Cooper ,
    A-F-R-O , Snak The Ripper , Black Pegasus , Demrick , Passionate MC , Dave , Chris Rivers , Los , Token , Gavlyn , Chris Webby , Nitty Scott , John the Author , Kryple , Denmark Vessey , Jarren Benton , Snow Tha Product , Denzil Porter and Cyhi the Prynce do on a (in most cases a much , much) smaller level .

    Today’s mainstream fans seem totally unable to recognize talented emcees .

    He’s vastly overrated but at least MGK tried / tries . Which is more than I can say for the rappers I put in the video links .

  19. Wouldn’t you rather hear Machine Gun Kelly and those emcees I’ve listed as
    young(ish) and underrated instead of an extremely washed up Eminem , Nas , Pusha T , Snoop Dogg or Jay Z ? Or the mainstream puppet shills in the video links ?

    • I’d rather listen to more credible young MCs (Denzel Curry, Meechy Darko, ZillaKami etc.) over average young rappers like MGK. I don’t overly dislike him but when it came to that diss it was no 2nd Round K.O. or No Vaseline. I’d love to hear a good old-fashioned Hip-Hop beef again.

      BTW I do rate A-F-R-O and Dillon Cooper, they’re both credible and talented. So yes, I would rather listen to all of these younger cats than a bunch of washed-up has-beens.

  20. I agree the album snt good but he is correct in that today’s rap and music as a whole is terrible. It’s the worst sounding garbage I’ve ever heard and I’m ashamed of our race that anyone finds it even tolerable. It’s a sad state of affairs for the industry and I truly feel sorry this is all today’s youth has to look forward to. This is truly the first era of music I can’t find even one song to enjoy. It’s like strip club music has gone mainstream. Also, your comment about being one of the most overrated of all time is absurd considering the number of albums he has sold and the unique flows he put together for years. It’s not disputable with facts.

    • He’s overrated BECAUSE of the number of albums he’s sold. He DOESN’T have any unique flows. The facts are that every element of his flow/delivery/content other less famous rappers did first. Therefore people who think he’s unique are the people responsible for overrating him.

      MORE IMPORTANTLY: “Strip Club Music” as you call it, has essentially been mainstream Hip-Hop for the last 18 years, it’s not a new phenomenon. If you put up with “Tip Drill” back in the day, you’re to blame for “I Love It” now. The fact remains that so-called Hip-Hop fans who were arguing with people like me at the turn of the millennium about what’s real and fake Hip-Hop are now moaning about mumble rap, but it’s not like the shit happened over fucking night. You lot deserve today’s Hip-Hop because you were complacent when it was evolving into the shitfest it is today. See how dumb the commenters under my Hip-Hop Timeline article look now? But when Eminem says something about Hip-Hop suddenly it’s a bonafide argument. GTFOH

  21. The mainstream of hip hop is lost . There is no point in even acknowledging it anymore other than to lampoon and deride it . People under age 21 are being dumbed down more than ever . Lil Dicky is considered to be an actual legitmate rapper now . Not a novelty act . Say what you will about Macklemore , Mac Miller (Rest In Paradise) or Asher Roth . At least they tried in their own way(s) . I feel like Walter Sobchak in
    “The Big Lebowski” here . When I look at the “comedian” Lil Dicky and mumble rappers . Lil Dicky is no Skee-Lo , Akinyele , Afroman , Twiztid , Sharkula , Biz Markie , Bizarre or Insane Clown Posse . There’s no soul there in that guy whatsoever . He only cares about money and fame . He makes music for 3 to 12 year olds . And people said ICP were corny 20 years ago . SMH . RA The Rugged Man predicted this in the late 90’s .

    Yes , mainstream ( or popular ) music is the worst it’s ever been . It has zero variety or balance . Blame technology and greed for that .

    Let’s hope Lil Dicky , Ed Sheeran , Lil Pump , Ariana Grande , Bhad Babie , The Migos and the rest of the minges are totally forgotten in ten years time . I hope YouTube and social media makes it so competitive for these hacks that the runs of whoever comes next will only last one year or less before the fickle sheep move on with the latest materialistic trend .

    At least Eminem has an appreciation of hip hop culture . Uncle Marshall is far from the best or most authentic emcee out there . But the guy was born in October of 1972 . He grew up with a much larger variety of musical influences and a much , much , much , much deeper appreciation of the culture .

    The sad thing is that Chris Brown and Lil Dicky are my age and they are doing this stuff . It’s really sad actually . Maybe if they were 15 years old like Bhad Babie I could somewhat understand it .

    Eminem idolized Rakim , Boogie Down Productions , Run-DMC , Kool G Rap and The Beastie Boys . Mumble rappers grew up listening to Lil Wayne , Bow Wow and Drake .

  22. I think Machine Gun Kelly got Eminem on “Rap Devil” . Uncle Marshall is trying to blackball an emcee who is 18 years younger than him and an emcee who is willing to work with underground , alternative and independent artists . Eminem seems to only care about how many units he moved and how much money he’s made . Like you said in our corrupt , fallen world money is king and whoever has the money on their side in the mainstream wins . It’s a soulless popularity contest . Eminem is so set in his ways that he’s forgotten about his love of hip hop when he was just a fan . Before he was an artist . When he first heard Double Dee and Steinski , Kurtis Blow or The Treacherous Three . Back when he lived in a trailer with his family in 1983 .

    He is now extremely wealthy and has become complacent . Shame on him .

    You have to admit that “Rap Devil” was better than “Kill Shot” . I know Kelly gave Eminem props for inspiring him to pick up the mic . And he said Eminem was in his top 10 . Still , “Rap Devil”
    was the better of the two tracks .

    • Killshot was absolute garbage in my opinion. The instrumental is literally a loop preset taken from a Splice kit and the flow is just very unsatisfying; as in skitish and generic. There wasn’t a whole lot of lyrics that I thought were funny and just came off as cringeworthy(Man-bun line)

      MGK won not only because his flow was constant and and had clever line, but because Ronny J’s bass heavy production slapped, and the acoustic string melody was reminiscent of G-funk in the 90’s. It really sucks that eminem fell off, because even though I was never a huge fan of his music, many of his songs up to TES I thought to be pretty funny and entertaining. But now he lacks what made him garner respect in the hip hop community. He should instead collaborate with Griselda(Conway, Westside Gunn etc.) since he was the one who signed them to his record label, and they already have a large devoted following of oldheads thanks to their unique flows and dusty production by Darringer.

  25. Hopsin has returned to spirituality since
    “Ill Mind 7” was released just over four years ago . He had a stand-out track on his last album “No Shame” called “Marcus’s Gospel” . I’ve posted the video / audio of it on here before .

    Hopsin’s stage when he wore neon contact lenses was from 2000 to 2010 . ICP , Esham , Tech N9ne , MF Doom , Twiztid , Kool Keith , Eminem , RA The Rugged Man , Vinnie Paz , Master P , Kid Rock , The Beastie Boys , LL Cool J , Method Man and Red Man , Coolio , Fat Joe , Snoop Dogg , King Gordy , Bizarre , Necro , Mr. Hyde , Ill Bill , Cypress Hill , Kottonmouth Kings , Outkast and RZA ( almost every emcee actually ) have all used some sort of gimmick ( or gimmicks ) in their careers .

  27. I liked this album, yet I respect your opinion, is better than the bitching whining Eminem from Revival, and I think he was sincere in his criticism on this album. and I respect songs like “Stepping Stones” on this album, when hip hop used to be a media to give a message to your comrades and the people that you care. He’s out of ideas though, Revival had a good concept, the concious rap, but is badly executed overall, generic pop songs and superficial ideas, out of message sacrificing corny bars and “shout outs”. This was more an album to please his fans and play with technical stuff instead of gaining new audience, which is sad. The Eminem that made songs like “White America” and “Like toy Soldiers” would be more welcome.

  28. I dislike Eminem’s music . Because he’s a sell-out . Because he’s overrated . Because he never gave enough back to the underground . But don’t you think still harping on him for a song he made in early 1992 is going too far ?? He made a big mistake when he recorded “Foolish Pride” . Can you ever forgive Uncle Marshall for that instance ? And also for the homophobic things he has said in the past ? And focus on him being a sell-out , being overrated and not giving back to the underground instead ??? People can change and become better human beings over time . I don’t know Eminem personally so I can’t say that he is a racist or a homophobe today in late 2018 .

    • One of the reasons this site exists is to mention stuff the mainstream conveniently forgets. It has nothing to do with me personally forgiving Eminem, it’s the fact that the media and the public seem place him on a higher level than everybody else. I mean a 1992 Buju Banton song is still brought up to this day in order to prevent him from performing in the UK but Eminem is fine… why? ‘Cause he’s white? Double standards.

    • Hold the fuck on, I just read what you actually said… where did I mention “Foolish Pride” in this article? I called out his homophobia (which was still occurring in the 1990s and 2000s) but only because that was relevant to the homophobic lyrics in this album. I mentioned his racism within my review of Revival because again, that was relevant to the contradicting lyrics contained in that LP. So who’s “harping” on about a “1992” song? Why the fuck are you trying to steer shit in a direction other than the one outlined in the review?

  29. I’m not trying to steer things in a different direction . I think Eminem is grossly overrated and that he is a sell-out . “Kamikaze” was a subpar album . Machine Gun Kelly pulled his card on “Rap Devil” . “Kill Shot” was terrible .

    I don’t think Eminem is a racist . I don’t think Slick Rick , Menace Clan , Dead Prez , Jus Allah , Ras Kass , Kool G Rap , Canibus or K-Rino are racists . All of those aforementioned artists have put racially insensitive and politcally incorrect material on wax before .

    I don’t think Necro , Ill Bill or Vinnie Paz hate gay people . Despite their use of homophobic slurs .

    Almost every emcee born before 1980 ( in the case of Eminem and all the artists I’ve listed ) have put things that would be considered homophobic , racist , sexist or politcally incorrect on wax .

    Times change and people change with the times . Thankfully racism and homophobia isn’t paraded around in mainstream hip hop as much anymore . Bigotry still exists but social norms in mainstream society have progressed over the last 25 years . You wouldn’t see the peaceful kneeling protest in the NFL during the Rodney King era of 1992 . And that protest wouldn’t have been embraced by Hollywood , Coca Cola or Nike back then . The world as a whole is far from perfect , but that is a victory . I don’t think K-Rino or Eminem are the same person they were in 1992 .

    • 1. If you’re mentioning something that isn’t tackled in the article above, you’re steering

      2. If a rapper makes bigoted music, they’re bigots by definition

      3. If someone “changes” their public opinion only because society is no longer accepting of it, they’re not genuinely changed

    • @Paul Bocian @WWWORW

      For point 3),

      We assume by default that action follows belief, and that just because a person is behaving as though they believe something doesn’t mean they don’t actually believe the opposite. But, the more I study how reaction and authoritarianism work, the more I believe that, at least half the time, belief follows action. Many beliefs people hold, especially the unexamined ones, are rationalizations for whatever life they’re living. And if someone behaves as though, say, homophobia is wrong, or as though feminism is right, I think many people will start to internalize it. I mean, this is why there is so much wrong with our society now: People are racist because they live in a society built by white supremacy and need to rationalize it.

      So, if people start to behave well because being a bigot isn’t socially acceptable, many will rationalize themselves into better people. That’s how normalization works.

      Problem is, unexamined beliefs are the ones that shift back the easiest. People slide easily back into bigotry as soon as it’s back in fashion. So, I guess the question about “genuine change” is not about what is believed, but about how deeply the person has thought about what they believe and why. Most shitty beliefs are the ones people refuse to think very deeply on at all. This makes their beliefs easy to change but hard to make stick.

      Anyway, for most people, we won’t know the difference between a public opinion that is genuine from one that is just for show, so I tend not to fixate on it beliefs and focus more on behavior. If someone’s behavior improves, I consider that a win, and it may lead to a change of actual belief down the line

    • I actually agree but in the case of Eminem, labeling all black women in one way because of the alleged actions of one black woman was a definite racist thing to write/rap even in the 1990s. Since he recorded that song before becoming famous, we can say that that was his genuine opinion. Anything he’s said since mainstream fame including his apology can’t be confirmed to be genuine as it only came from the celebrity rather than the everyday citizen. A celebrity apologising is generally to appease the public (and fans), but if he still lived in Detroit and was poor, would Eminem still have that point of view? And if that reactionary racist’s life followed on from that song without the addition of fame, would he be dissing Donald Trump or supporting him today? Therefore was it a change of environment and monetary gain that changed Eminem’s behavior? Yes. But has that lead to genuine change of belief? Nobody can say for sure.

      See, comments steered right into racism when I didn’t mention “Foolish Pride” in the review. Great work Paul.

  31. Yes , but Eminem isn’t the only emcee who is still their old self then . Kanye West , for example . Look at his meeting with President Trump . People can say Eminem or Kanye have mental illness or have had addiction problems in the past . We have to have compassion for people with mental illness . Even if they are rich celebrities like Uncle Marshall or Kanye .

    Lord Jamar — I think is a bigot like Kanye . L.J. is openly
    racist , homophobic and transphobic . He says outrageous things in DJ Vlad interviews ( DJ Star says even more outrageous things to Vlad ) . It’s kept him relevant and made him quite a bit of money . So do you think Lord Jamar and Eminem are both bigots ? Like an Archie Bunker / George Jefferson kind of dynamic .

  32. One thing I’ll say is that Eminem played a pivotal role in hip hop leaving the poor and working class communities and the artform being appropriated by the highest tiers of the socioeconomic ladder . Despite what cliched movies like “Malibu’s Most Wanted” portray rich white kids ( and rich kids in general ) weren’t fucking with hip hop in the 1980’s or the first half of the 1990’s .

    Eminem was a gamechanger in that he emboldened a fanbase of minges who have no real connection to the culture . Those who haven’t done their research on hip hop music in its entirety . Those who have never heard of Ras Kass , Esham , Bahamadia , Chino XL or Cage . Those who have never even heard of Kool G Rap , Rakim , Chuck D , Treach , MC Lyte or Scar Face .

    That forever fucked up mainstream hip hop and the way hip hop culture is perceived by non-hip hop listeners ( the mainstream media included ) .

    Imagine if Eminem was never inked by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine .

    I don’t even think indie labels like Psychopathic , Subnoize , Strange , Rawkus , Fondle ‘Em , Eastern Conference , Def Jux , Babygrande , Uncle Howie , Psycho+Logical , Reel Life or Rhymesayers would have signed him for more than a couple of albums .

    In late 2018 he would be in a position like DZK , Nems or Copywrite are in right now .

    I want to know this blogger’s opinion on what would have happened to mainstream hip hop if Dre and Jimmy heard “The Slim Shady E.P.” and passed on it in January 1998 .

    • Hey look, I’ll acknowledge that Eminem had some talent back in the day but he sounded too much like other artists for him to go the distance without the help of Interscope and Dre. Chino XL who I was a big fan of in the 1990s, did that style better and had Eminem stayed in the underground, he wouldn’t have got that far among fans who listened to other lyrical MCs. In the same way that Drag-On sounded a bit too much like Cam’Ron when he first came out, Eminem wouldn’t have gained so much momentum in the underground. The combination of the mainstream media who hyped him up and the mainstream fans who thought he was original was a great combination for him, without them he’d be just another average rapper.

  33. I just relistened to the “Slim Shady E.P.” ( released in December 1997 ) .

    It’s surreal listening to the track “If I Had …” and listening to “Kamikaze” . The guy is near the biggest sell-out in hip hop history . I’d put him , Timbaland , Pharrell , Dre , Will.i.am and Diddy in the pantheon of hip hop sell-outs .

    When was the last time you’ve listened to the “Slim Shady E.P.” or “Infinite” ? It’s always good to listen to again from time to time as you always pick up new things .

    For instance Eminem sampled Violent J’s vocals from 1993’s “Beverly Kills” on the original version of “Just Don’t Give A Fuck” .

    When you look back at Cage going back to
    1991 on wax , Twiztid on wax in 1991 as House Of Krazees , Chino XL on wax in 1991 as part of Art Of Origin and ICP when they were Inner City Posse it seems Uncle Marshall never had an original idea in his big shiny atavistic egg-like dome .

  34. What do you think would have happened , though , to mainstream hip hop as a whole if Dre and Jimmy never signed him ? Do you think another white guy – like Cage , Eyedea ( Rest In Paradise ) , Evidence or Miilkbone – would have been thrust into that position ? Do you think mainstream hip hop would have become as whack as it is today ?

    • I doubt that another white rapper would have taken his place. Bubba Sparxxx had Timbaland behind him but he never really took off, Genovese came out around the same time and had Universal Music behind him but they shelved him, Non Phixion were too raw for the mainstream. Mainstream Hip-Hop was on a path of dumbing-down anyway, I remember when Jay-Z, Noreaga, Ruff Ryders etc. essentially started rapping over stereotypical southern beats and the only logical conclusion to that was for east/west artists to start rapping like deep south rappers and homogenise the genre which is what has happened.

      Fucking-up Hip-Hop is down to a lot more artists that Eminem. Dre, Jay, Puffy, Kanye, Pharell, Timbaland, No Limit, Cash Money, they all had a hand in it, something that Eminem should have acknowledged when he starting dissing mumble rap. There is a direct line from every mainstream rapper/producer circa 2000 to the middle-of-the-road trap that exists today, he/they just don’t want to admit it.

  35. Then you would agree that the mainstream of hip hop is totally lost . No legitimacy . Pro Era , Hopsin and Denzel Curry are the biggest ( in cash flow and fame ) you can get whilst still being credible and having talent ? ( And every five years the new artists that could be put into that sub-list or category will become less and less lyrically talented . Unless you go real deep underground . )

    • Mainstream Hip-Hop was always pretty shitty but 1988-1994 had some decent mainstream rappers (they weren’t necessary “lyrical” though). If you’re talking about Nature Of The Threat, Broken Language, Alphabetical Slaughter, Poet Laureate Infinity-type lyrical Hip-Hop then sure, there’s nobody making that type of rap music today but people like Denzel Curry and AK from the Underachievers, even Kendrick (technically) have the ability to do so if it ever became en vogue once more.

  36. Eminem and Royce are truly sell-outs . Remember he said , “You don’t want to know what me and Royce are really thinking …” . Are Marshall and Royce really that gutless ?

  37. I don’t think Kendrick Lamar could pull that off . Or Denzel Curry . The only ones I could see doing it with storytelling ability are Hopsin , Chris Rivers , Joey Badass and Dizzy Wright . A-F-R-O could do some crazy chopper style multisyllabic stuff like an early Tech N9ne or a prime Busta Rhymes , Inspectah Deck , Bone Thugs or Red Man .

    When you think about it Nas wasn’t even close to the best lyrical Afrocentric conscious rapper . You had Wise Intelligent , Grand Puba , Sadat X , Jus Allah , Timbo King , Tragedy Khadafi , K-Solo , Rakim ( the originator of the Afrocentric lyrical conscious style ) , Killarmy , Ras Kass , Dres , Lakim Shabazz , AZ , King Sun , Mos Def , Talib Kweli , KRS and Brother J ( I know about X Clan’s sexual abuse allegations ) . Early Non Phixion were killing it with conscious and political lyrics and they were white boys .

    • You said “[rappers] will become less and less lyrically talented” so I was just pointing out mainstream rappers who have the potential flow, delivery etc. to do something akin to old-school lyrical Hip-Hop. There’s some stuff on 13 that Denzel does that proves he has flow and some of Kendrick’s features proves he has a delivery that could potentially be complex. The problem is these artists don’t want to make something special like Alphabetical Slaughter (or it’s no longer in style). Sure A-F-R-O could make something like that (and Que Hampton among others) but you were discussing mainstream rappers.

  38. Add all of the D.I.T.C. members except for Big L ( Rest In Paradise ) and Fat Joe to that list . And Killah Priest / Sunz of Man and a lot of the Wu-Tang affiliated groups / emcees .

  39. Also remove Buckwild and Diamond D from D.I.T.C. from the list . So — Showbiz and A.G. , Lord Finesse and O.C. . And YZ is another underrated East Coast emcee to mention , as well .

  40. Nothing went wrong with Kamikaze, it’s one of Eminem’s most enjoyable albums. Incredible, rapid-fire (yet highly varied) flows, solid understated production, lots of dissin’, amazing wordplay, and (mercifully) a minimum of cheesy, overpolished guest-singer choruses mucking things up. I could have done without “Fall,” “Good Guy,” and the dumb movie tie-in, and am slightly ambivalent to Stepping Stone, but everything else is great. The first 3 tracks in particular are killer. I hope he continues in this vein. Way better than Revival.