This year's hip-hop releases look identical to 2004's. We’ve received new offerings from Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Jay Z, and now Eminem is throwing his hat into the ring with the sequel to his finest LP to date, the "Marshal Mathers LP 2."
Like Bruce Wayne unretiring in The Dark Knight Rises, Em grabbed a peroxide bottle for the first time in nearly five years to tease the album in the only way possible in 2013: in a commercial.
MMLP’s lead single, "Berzerk," dropped last night.
"Berzerk"'s raw energy and prominent Billy Squire sample is credited to hip-hop poobah Rick Rubin, the producer responsible for the song’s Beastie Boys-inspired sound. It took ten years, a public flameout, and a struggling recovery for Em finally to come to his senses and contract out his beats again.
Lyrically, "Berzerk" follows the same formula Em’s used his entire career. Slim Shady raps from out of a copy of US Weekly while frequently reminding the audience of his skin color. Em’s never been the most eloquent wordsmith, but we’ve never gone to Marshall Mathers for platitudes on income inequality in America.
Eminem’s true talent is that he raps simply and directly while never insulting his audience’s intelligence. "Berzerk" harkens back to Em’s early 00’s zenith of aggressive, offensive, and funny lyricism, and is a thrilling tease of what’s to come.
2013 is the "Year of the Old Man Rapper." So when can we expect the next Fiddy Cent album?