Eminem ‘Music To Be Murdered By’ Album Review (Track By Track Review)
This is not a drill. Out of nowhere, the lyrical legend drops a full-length album. Who will we get? Will Kamikaze Eminem show up? Will Revival Eminem make an appearance? Or will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
Judging from the title Music To Be Murdered By, I’m guessing we’ll get something similar to Kamikaze Eminem. He’s likely pissed that he’s been doing this for 20 years and is now getting slept on. But we’re not here to assume.
I’m ready for some complex rhyme schemes and lyrics that I’ll finally understand after listening to the same song on repeat for 60 minutes straight.
The rules are simple. 1 listen. Straight from the gut — no rewinds, no skips, no stops. All raw reactions. Forever tattooed on virtual paper.
Let’s get it.
Update: I’ll now be writing my reviews at AdamTrebs.com. Check it out for new reviews and general Music musings.
1. Premonition — Intro
Starting off with a woman screaming. Piano keys. Marshall Matthers LP. FKA Twigs style. Em is snapping. Good pace on the flow. He talks about how the old heads get forgotten about for being old and references Tech N9ne and Jay-Z. He also says 2Chainz is just as old but doesn’t get categorized in the same way.
2. Unaccommodating ft. Young M.A
Young M.A. is an interesting feature, Em is introducing a whole new audience to her. I can’t even write to Eminem, these flows and rhyme schemes are too complex. I just want to sit back and enjoy.
3. You Gon’ Learn ft. Royce Da 5’9″ & White Gold
Royce Da 5'9" dropping knowledge and getting deep “Try not to adopt my father’s old philosophies / Same time I’m prayin’ to God that everything works out at his colonoscopy.” White Gold lays an anthemic chorus. I wonder what reversed sample this is. Em’s got some hilarious lines “It ain’t even worth / dissing someone so offbeat / That they can’t even figure out where their words / Should hit the kick and the snare.”
4. Alfred — Interlude
Some Alfred Hitchcock! TIL that Alfred Hitchcock also has a compilation album titled Music To Be Murdered By.
5. Those Kinda Nights ft. Ed Sheeran
Wordplay “Is that a mini-skirt if it’s a maxi? / That’s the shortest thing for a dress since an addy.” Ed Sheeran and Eminem could make an entire album. They mesh incredibly well together. Eminem is talking about a story from back in the 50 Cent, D12 days. “I’m high and you’re bi, I’m comin’, you’re goin’” is a clever ass line.
6. In Too Deep
I couldn’t write any reactions because I was engulfed in the story. It’s a story about Eminem cheating on his girlfriend with another girl who is cheating on her husband. They both enjoy their relationship with each other more than the relationships they are in, but don’t make any moves to leave their current relationships.
7. Godzilla ft. Juice WRLD
This a turn up party beat. I never thought I’d see the day where we get a Juice WRLD and Em collab but here we are. Juice’s hook is strong on this beat, and complements Em’s verses. Em is speeding up the rhymes on this third verse. Uh oh the beat is changing. Speeding up even more. He’s officially spazzed! How fast is he going??? Gotta check the stats on that. There’s not many albums where you want to check the stats for after you hear a song. Special.
8. Darkness
Goosebumps already. He’s in Vegas. Sounds like he’s having a tough time. “Fuck the Colt 45, I’ma need somethin’ stronger.” Sirens in the background. He’s talking about murdering a show from his hotel room. Omg. He’s talking about the Vegas shooting incident at the Route 91 country music festival. Unbelievable that he gave us the perspective of the shooter as a way to show the impact of mental illness and how destructive it is to society. Ending with media clips from other mass shootings. Chills.
9. Leaving Heaven ft. Skylar Grey
Triumphant beat, ready to win. Skylar Grey and Eminem is always an A collab.
10. Yah Yah ft. Rocye Da 5’9″, Black Thought, Q-Tip & Denaun
Busta Rhymes sample. Hip hop heads are ready for this posse cut. Straight bars from Royce Da 5'9" and Black Thought to start. “Keep ’em guessin’ hard while broads say my bars is like ASMR.” Q-Tip only on the chorus but glad we got something from him.
11. Stepdad — Intro
Stepdad pissed at his stepson.
12. Stepdad
Eminem is pissed off at his stepdad. His storytelling makes you feel the anger. The hard drum kick beat further elevates the anger. In the end he murks his stepdad in what he makes feel is a triumphant victory.
13. Marsh
Love these Eminem flows. The internal rhymes make it sound seamless. “When I’m strapped, when I spit rapid, like a ratchet.” Going to need to revisit this for the rest of the rhymes.
14. Never Love Again
Classic break up song with a twist. He’s talking about drugs. Or is he talking about Kim? “And you just want me for my money so I got you wrapped all in saran.” Fantastic concept.
15. Little Engine
More Hitchcok samples. Eerie beat, this belongs in a Hitchcok movie.
16. Lock It Up ft. Anderson .Paak
.Paak! Holy. He is going wild. How does .Paak slay everything? Dr. Dre probably produced this. The Eminem to .Paak transition is something else. Absolute banger. .Paak has developed an iconic voice that is more than ready for any song.
17. Farewell
Another breakup song. I wonder who this one’s about? Another song, more rhyme schemes I need to deeply study to understand.
18. No Regrets ft. Don Toliver
Don Toliver is going to have a huge 2020. I was introduced to him on the Jackboys album. Now he’s got an Eminem feature. I’ll be waiting for his next project. D.A. got that dope tag. Eminem is veering into the new school on here. This combination actually works. Really well.
19. I Will ft. KXNG Crooked, Royce Da 5’9″ & Joell Ortiz
Slaughterhouse reunion minus Joe Budden. Imagine this crew jumping back in the booth together. Reminiscing on the old times while ready to drop bombs on this new track. When one MC steps in the booth, the rest of the crew is blown away at every bar. Crazy Wu Tang bars by Eminem. “Word to Method Man / She heard some Wu-Tang coming from towards the patio / She was like, “What the heck was that?” / She went to check on the noise and go inspect the deck / Then I jumped out with a sword and yelled, “Protect your neck”.
20. Alfred — Outro
Project. Done.
Eminem — Music To Be Murdered By: Final (First Listen) Thoughts
Eminem adapted the best of previous albums to drop some heat with Music To Be Murdered By. Themes ranged from relationships to drug abuse all the while using lyrical slaughter to prove his dominance in the rap game. The man never ceases to amaze with his wordplay, rhyme schemes, and intricate flows.
Using the legendary Alfred Hitchcock to drive the theme of the album, Eminem packs a cohesive story into a strong hour-long project. The features are well thought out and the production exemplifies the story of each track.
Top 3 songs are: Lock It Up, Darkness, No Regrets
Again, I’ll now be writing my reviews at AdamTrebs.com. Peep it to see new reviews and general Music musings.
Previous 1-Listen Album Reviews:
- Quando Rondo — QPac (January 2020)
- Cam’ron — Purple Haze 2 (December 2019)
- Khalid — Free Spirit (April 2019)
- 2 Chainz — Rap or Go to the League (March 2019)
- Offset — Father of 4 (Feb 2019)
- Future — Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD (Jan 2019)
- James Blake — Assume Form (Jan 2019)
- Boogie — Everythings for Sale (Jan 2019)
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