Eminem, one of Detroit’s biggest rappers, built his early career out of being the most controversial emcee on the block. Dating back to “Hi, My Name Is” in 1999, Em, aside from being a more than competent lyricist, has relied on shock value to sell his bars. In less turbulent times, his aesthetic was passable. Fans ate up his tongue-in-cheek lyricism while he spat homophobic bars and generally insensitive quips that made listeners laugh and cringe at the same time.
But over time, the world has become more sensitive and culturally correct. The “faggots” and “retards” that comprised his earliest cuts simply aren’t accepted. Seemingly coinciding with the changing cultural tide, Eminem’s own journey into the soul has been comprised of maturation. Relapse, Recovery, and Revival, three of his albums in the early to late 2000s, chronicled his exploration of self, deterring away from the harsh attempts at controversy. Marshall Mathers 2 hinted at the maturity he was brandishing being inauthentic, but, if anything, his new album Kamikaze confirms it.
On a surface level, Kamikaze is good. There’s the standard Em; throwing shots with clever, borderline genius, oodles of wordplay and a general sense of “I don’t give a fuck” lurking behind each and every bar. But the controversial aspect that made his early albums pop has returned. In light of contemporary cultural sensitivity, it sounds more awful than ever. On “Fall,” the project’s most discussed track, Em raps “Tyler create nothing. “I see why you call yourself a f*****, bitch.” It sounds as harsh reading it as it does when he raps it.
Now throwing casual shots isn’t a big deal; Em has a bone to pick with nearly everyone in hip-hop. But the casual homophobia just doesn’t work like it did at the inception of his career. It wasn’t fine then, it’s even worse now. It just won’t cut it in 2018. There’s no way to slice it.
Listen to Eminem’s latest below.