Eminem Dropped A Surprise Album, And He's Throwing Shade

Eminem "Untouchable" Music Video

Less than one year after the debut of his last studio album, the critically-and-commercially divisive Revival, Eminem is back again with a surprise new release-- hoping to earn more credibility again and possibly show the new generation of hip-hop artists how it's done. Titled Kamikaze, the unexpected new 13-track album finds the 45-year-old rapper takes aim at everyone from Drake to the President of the United States himself, Donald Trump, and he's not holding back in his verbal attacks. Evidently, Eminem is planning to unleash his rabid anger onto everyone.

The announcement about the new album was made by Eminem himself, who said the following on his Twitter page late last night.

Inside the tweet was the link to the brand new album, which features 13 tracks, where Eminem dishes his disputes against the media, popular rap artists and everyone and anyone who claims he's out of the game. The album, as the title Kamikaze suggests, is a full-fledged attack on the rappers the controversial musician deems less-than-worthy of holding his former career stature, which includes Lil Yachty, Lil Pump, Lil Xan, Tyler, the Creator, Machine Gun Kelly, Joe Budden and the aforementioned Drake. Eminem also takes some shots at Vice President Mike Pence in addition to Donald Trump, and he makes some comments towards disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein. Eminem also makes remarks towards the Grammys as well.

Clearly, Eminem is not happy about how the last album was received, and he is evidently using this album to not only boost his own self-esteem, but to give the fans something more desirable. Whether or not they'll like it is something they'll need to decide for themselves. It's much too early for any critical reception of the album, as listeners are only barely digesting it (if they even had a chance to listen to it yet at all). But those who have listened to it can say assuredly that Eminem isn't looking to leave any stone unturned. He is mad, he is loud, and he wants everyone to know just how mad he is.

In addition to the new album, Eminem also dropped the new single "Venom (Music From the Motion Picture)," which is at the tail-end of the CD. The song is also expected to play over the credits of Sony's forthcoming anti-hero blockbuster. While the album has been earning some good early notices, this song, in particular, has received no shortage of scorn. The rap artist even uses the black goo which overtakes Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock in the October film as a metaphor for the musician's mixed relationship with his fanbase. Reception for the song has been mixed, so it's safe to say that this song might earn Eminem some more criticism in the next couple months, especially when the movie hits theaters on October 5th.

Nevertheless, Eminem is here to stay. And you can listen to the new album for yourself to determine whether or not it's a good return-to-form.

Will Ashton

Will is an entertainment writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. His writing can also be found in The Playlist, Cut Print Film, We Got This Covered, The Young Folks, Slate and other outlets. He also co-hosts the weekly film/TV podcast Cinemaholics with Jon Negroni and he likes to think he's a professional Garfield enthusiast.