Album Review: Eminem - Music To Be Murdered By

Before I get into my review, I just wanted to share my initial reaction to the album’s release. It’s a Friday afternoon and I’m just sitting at my computer, scrolling through reddit as usual when I see a post that says [FRESH ALBUM] Eminem - Music To Be Murdered By. Immediately my heart starts racing as I click on the link to see what the hell this is all about. My guess is that it’s a compilation of old Eminem songs but as I scroll through the comments, I begin to realize that this is the real deal. Not only that, but it’s also 20 tracks long! That’s the classic Eminem format. Then I take a quick glance at the features: Royce da 5’9”, Crooked I, Joell Ortiz, Black Thought, Q-Tip, and now I’m pumped! Ed Sheeran, Skylar Grey…. slightly less pumped. But my adrenaline is definitely pumping now, and THAT is the mind state I have going into the album. So without further ado, Eminem, Music To Be Murdered By first reaction, leeeeet’s *clap clap* FUCKING GO!

1. Premonition (Intro)

Opening the track with the sounds of a woman screaming in fear gives me Relapse vibes, and that’s a GOOD thing. For a brief second I was hoping that this was secretly the Relapse 2 we were promised 10 years ago. But obviously it’s not. And then the beat kicks in and it slaps! If Eminem is spitting over beats like this for the next 20 songs, I’m a happy man. Flow-wise, he sounds good here too. As for the content, this is subject matter he has addressed a few times before. He is super self-aware of how he is perceived by fans and critics and it still obviously gets under his skin. I would say that this is nothing new, and therefore, not that interesting, but at least he sounds angry about it. Overall, 5 stars.

Note: Let me briefly break down my rating system for music in case you think my review doesn’t match my star rating. 1 star means the song is absolutely HORRENDOUS and the world is a worse place for its existence. 2 stars means it’s not the WORST song in the world, but it’s pretty close. It has almost no redeemable qualities. 3 stars is just an average song that is nothing special. 4 stars is now a good song, but it’s missing that special something that will keep me coming back to it more than a few times. 5 stars is a song that I would put straight into a playlist so I could listen to it over and over again. Even though it’s 5 stars, it might not be perfect, but I’m fully entertained while listening to it or it has some deeper lyrical content that moves me in some way.

2. Unaccommodating (feat. Young M.A)

Consider me a happy man, because I really like this beat too. It has that modern sound that Eminem was sorely lacking in his pre-Kamikaze career. The first voice we actually hear on this track is Young M.A. and I’m a fan. I especially enjoy the rhyme scheme which she employs and maintains throughout the majority of her verse. Eminem picks up right where Young M.A. left off and even adopts her rhyme scheme for a few bars before switching to his signature double-time flow, and damn if he doesn’t sound good while doing it. I also appreciate the few bars he throws towards MGK, essentially putting that whole beef to bed.  Another 5 star song. Keep it up Marshall!

3. You Gon' Learn (feat. Royce da 5'9" & White Gold)

I don’t think the beat is working for me on this one. The tempo that was built up with the first two tracks has definitely dropped slightly with this one. The hook performed by White Gold is fine, but that is also where the beat is at its messiest and noisiest. It settles down slightly during the verses but not enough that I’m still not distracted by it. Although Bad Meets Evil is back together, I have to give this one 3 stars.

4. Alfred (Interlude)

Now of course this being a skit, I can’t give it a star rating, but I will give it a pass because I like that this album brings together one of the best rappers of all time with one of the best movie directors of all time. It works on a thematic level as Eminem is known to dabble in the horrorcore subgenre and he is also known to “murder” tracks from time to time. On a personal note though, it was only last year that I began delving into the works of Alfred Hitchcock and discovering his genius for myself. As a fan, I like the idea of someone listening to an Eminem album and subsequently being inspired to watch a Hitchcock movie. If that person happens to be you, I would recommend the following movies: Psycho (1960), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958) and North by Northwest (1959). Each one is a classic, with Psycho being my personal favourite. Now back to the review.

5. Those Kinda Nights (feat. Ed Sheeran)

Of all the Eminem/Ed Sheeran collaborations I’ve heard thus far, this is probably my favourite. Having said that though, I would like this song at least half a star more if Ed Sheeran wasn’t on it. The only way I can think to describe it is that when Eminem is rapping, it feels like an Eminem song, but when Ed Sheeran starts singing, it suddenly feels like an Ed Sheeran song. I don’t want to listen to an Ed Sheeran song on an Eminem album. Yet the beat is bouncy and infectious while Eminem is at his most fun and playful, so I still give this track 4 stars.

6. In Too Deep

What the fuck is this shit? I’ve said this a million times and I’ll say it again, no one wants to hear Eminem talk about his intimate relationships with nameless women. No one cares. The hook stinks, the content is cringe-worthy and the beat is nothing special. 2 stars.

7. Godzilla (feat. Juice WRLD)

I wanted to love this song, but I also wanted the beat to hit a bit harder, which ultimately knocks the track down from 5 stars to a 4. Eminem uses the track to show off his “Rap God” flow again while saying nothing much at all, although he does sound good while saying it. Juice WRLD (R.I.P.) provides a decent hook as well, but it’s not enough to elevate this from a 4 star song.

8. Darkness

Major props to Eminem for using his platform to tackle such a serious and relevant issue.  It’s a powerful song with a powerful message, and it works on multiple levels. Without the final verse, the song would still work effectively as a glimpse into Eminem’s mental mind state before a big show. This makes it far more impressive when it is revealed in the final verse that he was actually rapping from the perspective of a mass shooter all along. For the lyrical content alone, this is a 5 star song.

9. Leaving Heaven (feat. Skylar Grey)

What would a modern day Eminem album be without a Skylar Grey feature? A slightly better album probably.  The content is decent here, but nothing we haven’t heard before. Unfortunately, the beat is plain boring, and Skylar Grey, in typical Skylar Grey fashion, drags this song down to a generous 3 stars.

10. Yah Yah (feat. Royce da 5'9", Black Thought, Q-Tip & Mr. Porter)

God damn! Now THIS is music to be murdered by! Everyone absolutely killed it on this song, with Black Thought being the clear standout ("Rappers avoid eye contact, that's outta respect/ For the God in the flesh, the ominous Indominus Rex!"). I also appreciated Eminem listing off all of his influences at the end of his verse, from Big L to Public Enemy to Ol’ Dirty Bastard. At first I wasn’t sure about the beat but it really grew on me and by the end I was loving it. It’s a low-key banger. 5 stars!

11. Stepdad (Intro)

Not much to say here, just a skit that leads directly into…..

12. Stepdad

….. the absolute WORST hook on the entire album. Completely derails the entire song, which is a shame because I like the content of this song. Eminem paints a very unflattering picture of his step-dad and ultimately plays out a scenario in which he kills said step-dad. That all works for me, but unfortunately the rock-tinged beat also does the track no favours and I’m forced to give this one 3 stars.

13. Marsh

Since when does he go by the name “Marsh?” That’s news to me. Anyway, this is the definition of a 4 star song for me. The beat is good, but not great. Eminem sounds good, but he’s not saying anything of substance, and his hook is completely unmemorable, if not downright bad. I like the song overall, but I don’t love it. I wouldn’t skip it if I was listening to the album, but I don’t think I’m putting it in my playlist. Nice try though “Marsh!”

14. Never Love Again

So here’s a song that is just BEGGING you for a second listen. As soon as Eminem started rapping, I was sure that I was listening to “In Too Deep” part two. The two verses that followed did nothing to alleviate the disappointment I was feeling in that moment. But then something strange happened. There’s a sudden beat switch and my ears perk up. I start nodding my head and… what’s this?? The song was about drugs the whole time!? With this sudden revelation, I immediately hit that rewind button, and lo and behold, what I experience the second time through is an entirely new song! He’s done it before (“25 To Life”) and he’s done it again! Mind blown. 5 stars.

15. Little Engine

The crazy thing about this song is that the hook performed by “Marsh” himself is actually the best thing about it. Infectious and catchy. Once again, Eminem is saying a whole bunch of nothing on this track, but he sounds good enough doing it, and the beat is interesting (and potentially produced by Dr. Dre), so I’m throwing up the big 5 stars for this one too.

16. Lock It Up (feat. Anderson .Paak)

I think there’s something about this song that went over my head. The beat is the closest thing we’ve had to a banger for a few tracks now, but ONCE AGAIN, Eminem isn’t saying anything, and I have NO IDEA what we’re supposed to be “locking.” Anderson .Paak’s hook makes absolutely no sense to me.  For the beat alone though, I’ve got to give this song 4 stars.

17. Farewell

This is just a waste of a good beat. Eminem deems it necessary for us to sit through ANOTHER 4 minutes of his ramblings about a messed up relationship he had with some nameless woman. This type of subject matter does not interest me in the slightest. At least Eminem’s ear for beats seems to be getting slightly better with age as he recruits Ricky Racks (best known for his collaborations with Young Thug) to craft him a slapping Summer-style beat that deserves better. 3 stars.

18. No Regrets (feat. Don Toliver)

Now THIS is more like it. This track sees Eminem addressing some of his past mistakes while maintaining that he has no regrets and wouldn’t change a thing. What stood out to me most was his admission that the beef he had with Tyler, The Creator and Earl Sweatshirt was misguided and should have been redirected to those more deserving of his animosity (Joe Budden?). The crooning hook provided by Don Toliver worked for me too, as did the beat, and the result is a 5 star song.

19. I Will (feat. KXNG Crooked, Royce da 5'9" & Joell Ortiz)

Was Eminem saving the best for last? You could certainly make an argument for it. The only thing that might hold this song back is the wordy hook, but despite that minor critique, this song is fire! Everyone kills it, but Eminem comes out as the victor, despite the unfair advantage of having a verse that is twice as long as anyone else’s. From shouting out the Wu-Tang Clan to destroying Lord Jamar’s entire career, his verse has it all. The corny punchlines that we’ve heard throughout the album are nowhere to be seen here, and what we get instead is pure gold (“Enter my house of horrors with a thousand floors/ Got a crown of thorns, but it won't fit around the horns”). What a way to close out the album. 5 stars!

20. Alfred (Outro)

Alfred Hitchcock gets the last word, and we’re out!

Final Verdict:

Not only was I surprised by the release of the album but I was also surprised by how good it turned out to be. Out of 17 actual songs, only one of them was a complete trash fire (“In Too Deep”) so that is easy to forgive. 4 out of the 17 tracks were songs that I would deem mediocre at best and are songs I will most likely skip on future play throughs. However, that leaves a total of 12 out of 17 songs that range from good to fantastic and I would consider that a major win for current day Eminem. Within those 12 songs, we get to see many different versions of Eminem, from introspective Em (“Premonition Intro“, “No Regrets”) to masterful storyteller Em (“Darkness”, “Never Love Again”) to I’m-the-best-rapper-alive Em (“I Will”). Overall, Music To Be Murdered By was a pleasant surprise by all accounts, and goes a long way towards restoring my faith in one the greatest rappers of all time.

Album Rating: 4 stars