His new album, “Kamikaze,” has had sales surge, fueled by a healthy dose of controversy. From the people he raps about, to the people he raps with, and even the his raps themselves: everything seems to be surrounded in controversy.
But, let’s face it, it’s nice to have some of the old Eminem back.
A high point of the album has to be the soulful number, “Stepping Stones.”
He shares his opinion of how the world was and how it’s gotten to where it is now. Eminem sings about kids nowadays not knowing who he is and his old audience leaving him; about how he has been there for all his friends, but they aren’t there for him, which is something we can all probably identify with.
He airs his frustration about how men can’t talk about their feelings or do anything other than be manly.
Eminem, uncharacteristically, also reflects on things he might have done wrong, like using some people as the track’s iconography as stepping stones and then apologizing for that abuse.
He raps about wanting to change his course and walk a straight line because he feels like he’s spent too much time helping other people, and now he and his fans are suffering.
The album title and controversy generator, “Kamikaze,” also demands to be discussed.
He named dropped a number of people including MGK (Machine Gun Kelly), who is one of his biggest rivals at the moment. Whether it was a brazen act of ego or a calculated selling technique is impossible to say, but so far it’s paid off in spades, generating orders and downloads reminiscent of his prime.
As much a fan of Eminem as I am, I have to say it was sad to hear some of the songs clearly made in an attempt to stay relevant.
For example, his song, “Not Alike,” sounds an awful lot like “Bad and Boujee” by Migos, creating cheap mimicries instead of his usual trendsetters.
He’s trying to reach out to a younger audience. This is great, as long as he keeps some of his original sound for the loyalists.
When’s Eminem is being himself and rapping about what he knows best, that’s when he’s at his best.
For the most part, this was a great album. There are some new and experimental tracks as he feels his way into new markets, but it still has enough of the core Eminem we all came for to make it worthwhile for the long-time listeners.