Eminem slams back on the scene with, surprisingly, his most critically polarizing album to date.
Eminem, widely considered one of the greatest rap artists of all time, has come under fire with his album, Revival. People saying his flows are no good, music too pop and the most ridiculous critique, he's too old. Fans and critics rave of his past work and like to say he has 'lost it'. The nostalgia effect is in high gear for this release. To say Eminem no longer 'has it' is simply incorrect. I wonder how many people have gone back and listened to his past albums in FULL, not just his incredible singles. I have been a fan since the Slim Shady LP and while I agree that Eminem is one of the most incredible rap artists of all time.
There are a few things that are very clear as Eminem has progressed over the years. One is that he's grown more technical, his speed raps and word smithing is better than ever. Two, and this may be personal preference, but the music on his albums are better than ever. Three, he is more consistent than ever. I can listen to every song on all of his albums starting with, yes I'm going to say it, Relapse. The fourth and possibly most important thing, Em has mastered is his ability to channel passion and emotion into his verses. When Eminem wants you to feel something, he can make you feel it.
Let's start with the opening song Walk on Water featuring Beyonce. The song builds up and crescendo's in his third verse starting with 'It's true I'm a rubiks'. He masterfully builds the tension as he raps about his doubt with continuing to put new music out that may damage his legacy. It was also very impressive how raw the song is, driven by simple piano and unaltered vocals. To me, there is no other rapper better at delivering such emotional and powerful words. Walk on Water also shows some very complex rhythm schemes that are present throughout the album, that I personally found very impressive. He continues with these impressive rhythm's and rhymes on several songs like Nowhere Fast, Need Me and In Your Head. All of these songs display Eminems ability to invoke goose bumps and channel intense emotion, even in his new style of rapping.
He also has his two politically focused songs on this album, Untouchable and Like Home. People have criticized him for pandering to the liberal market with these two songs. It really surprises me all the past fans and critics are saying this, as Eminem has always been willing to get political in his songs. From mocking Bill Clinton for getting his dick sucked in the oval office, to Square Dance on the Eminem Show, where he attacks Bush. In this case, I think a lot of people are just tired of the constant political atmosphere they are bombarded with daily these days more so than Eminem making a few political songs. Untouchable impressed me honestly, Eminem manages to stay, well mostly, in the middle lane as he criticizes police and whites, but also speaks on violence in the hood, how Cops lives matter too and how it causes people to be scared of the hood.
Moving on, Believe and Chloraseptic may be his most technically impressive raps on Revival. Using off time rapping and complex rhyming throughout both, he delivers both songs with intensity and focus. It really shows that he's still getting better and expanding on his skills and abilities even now. I really enjoyed these two heavy hitters as they were very fresh sounding and he even threw in a 'Wooo!' during Chloraseptic(Was that for NF? Maybe?! Dunno, but it was kinda cool.). They are damn good songs.
Some of my favorite songs on the record are very reminiscent Relapse and The Slim Shady LP. Remind Me, Framed, Heat and Offended all have that signature crazy energy, just playing around and having fun in the studio feel. Remind Me bounces to 'I love Rock n' Roll' while he raps about a woman that reminds him of himself as they embark on a crazy drug and liquor filled love affair. Framed is one of my favorite songs, it's got a huge Relapse vibe(One of my favorite albums), where he is playing as delirious serial killer. The chorus is a bit rough, but overall the whole song is great. Heat has an uppity beat and tone with a bunch of energy while he's chasing down a woman that has caught his attention. All three songs have a great playful feel and break up the tension of the album wonderfully. I'm also surprised all those nostalgists haven't clambered to these songs.
Offended has the same feel as the last three songs mentioned, but more akin to Rap God, but with a IDGAF feel to it. The raps don't stop and he does some impressive lyrical acrobatics, closing the the song with a fantastic warp speed lyrical assault. It's excellent, I just wish there was a bit more speed raps like it on Revival, but that makes Offended stand out.
People complaining that there is no 'old school Em' flow on Revival, clearly haven't listened to the entire album. His classic flow can be heard sprinkled throughout the album, but Bad Husband, Tragic Endings, Castle and Arose are built on it. The signature smooth and fluid raps delivered with emotion take center stage. Bad Husband wraps up the cycle of hate and abuse between him and Kim in a pretty meaningful way. Castle is a fantastic retrospective of how his life changed through his meteoric rise in music. It is presented as a letters he wrote for his daughter during different periods of his life and may be the closest he's gotten to sounding like MMLP and Eminem Show, reminiscent of The Way I Am. It slides into Arose in a deeply personally way. Arose may be the most detailed songs about Em's experience after his near death OD.
While critics and nostalgists claim Revival is Eminems worst album, I argue it's his most diverse, career spanning effort yet. It showcases his technical ability, playful and serious side, and emotionally charged raps, all of which are done extremely well. Out of 19 songs, all of them are worth listening. While some argue Eminem is getting worse, I say he has only gotten better. He's changed, but contrary to what most would have you believe, it's a good change.
So give Revival a shot, turn off everyone else's thoughts and just listen to the album, more than once. Revival is a fantastic album. Critics and fans alike be damned, Revival is a triumphant return for the Legend.
