The Bloc-ROCK
Kamikaze
The album of the day was a surprise for everybody. Indeed, in secret Eminem released an album on the 31st of August 2018, called Kamikaze.
A few months after Revival, Eminem then released this new record. Without pre-emptory build up, Eminem simply tweeted "I tried not 2 overthink this 1... enjoy". And, indeed, the first lyrics of the album are "I'm just gonna write down my first thoughts and see where it takes me". And Em is angry, really angry. But don't we love it?
Revival was a disaster. The album is not particularly great and the critics were harsh. And Slim Shady wanted to give them all the perfect answer. He's not happy and he wants everybody to know it. He says in the opening seconds of the first song "The Ringer" : "I feel like I want to punch the world in the fucking face right now".
The album is an answer to all the negative press that surrounded the released of Revival. It is also an album in which he talks about all the people he doesn't like. The press, Trump (he calls him the evil snake), the critics and the opponent. He especially doesn't like Trump. He had already challenged the president in an acapella song posted online in October 2017. And today Eminem once again says it out loud. He says Trump sent the Secret Service after him. "Agent Orange just sent the Secret Service, To meet in person to see if I really think of hurtin' him, Or ask if I'm linked to terrorists.".
Eminem included a lot of features in this new album such as with Joyner Lucas, Royce Da 5'9'' or Jessie Reyez. The artwork is a tribute to the Licensed to Ill cover (Beastie Boys). On the cover art you can read the words Kamikaze, FU-2 and even SuckIt written on the side of a plane.
The album is a 13-song, 45-minute hip hop answer to all. It's great. "Revenge is the best medicine", Em raps on Kamikaze. But once again, this album received a lot of negative criticisms. "... blaming everyone except himself" (Billboard) - "The good news is that it's really the best Eminem album in more than a decade. The bad news is that it still sucks" (Stereogram) - "... yet another empty, intermittently-tone deaf onslaught..." (Pitchfork).
Eminem answered them quickly. "# 1 in 103 countries and 434k equivalent album units in the US first week, Thanks for the support, a**holes!". Unfortunately we won't have another album like this, and that is really sad because Eminem put together such a powerful album in only eight months. Just to remind us that he is still the best and make sure we don't forget it.
