Houdini by Eminem | Single Review
Guess who’s back? Back Again. Shady’s Back, tell a friend
Listen to “Houdini”
The American rapper and legend, Eminem, is making a comeback with a potential last project, marking his first full-length release in almost four years since Music to Be Murdered By, a record that received mostly negative reviews from both critics and users.
Despite receiving harsh critique scores, Music to Be Murdered By considered the artist’s best effort since Revival, and I agree.
I think Music to Be Murdered By was a great album. It had an interesting and entertaining production. Periodic beat switches did not let the boredom get you, and Marshall sounded pretty good on the trap beats. Towards the project’s conclusion, it seemed a bit dragged out, but the rapper still showcased a remarkable blend of skill and music.
Now coming back to the current reality, which doesn’t look that great for Eminem. Honestly, I do not understand why I have seen so much hate on Eminem in the last time, the main critiques being that his rapping became so dull or that he became irrelevant.
To prove my point, let’s take the single that he released in 2022 “From THE D 2 THE LBC” with Snoop Dogg. Even though Eminem displayed great cadence and flow on that track, he continues to face criticism for being out of touch. It is just weird for me to see that his amazing technicality and phenomenal breath control are not getting the flowers they deserve anymore.
Despite all the hate, I defended Eminem as long as I could, and here he comes back again with a new single “Houdini”, and an announcement of the new project The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de grâce). Not surprisingly, this title has sparked considerable attention as a potential last album by Eminem, where he brings back the Slim Shady persona, leading to potential controversy and highlighting his unique comedic rap style.
For those in search of controversial and amusing rap from Marshall, “Houdini” is the perfect choice.
Em really brings back that edgy Slim Shady persona that most people love in an even bigger portion. What I dig about this track is that Eminem is simply having fun. I had a similar feeling when I was listening to “Hillbilies” by Kendrick & Baby Keem, where they were not fighting for the most lyrical or the most impressive song, but simply having fun and giving you that enjoyable energy. Here, Em deviates slightly from technical perfection, opting for a funky and comedic performance.
I wasn’t being dishonest about the blend of controversy and comedy on this track, and here’s an illustration of what you may expect:
My transgender Cat Siamese
Identifies as Black, but acts Chinese
Jumping back to this current controversy within the comedic approach genre, Em also slightly delves here more into the pop-rap structure of delivery with his chorus:
Abra-abracadabra (and for my last trick) I’m bout to reach in my bag, bruh
Abra-abracadabra (and for my last trick) (poof) Just like that and I’m back, bro
Btw, if you want to fully experience the track, I strongly advise you to check out the supporting visuals. This whole thing also serves as a big reminisce bump full of nostalgia with the incorporation of Slim Shady and some interesting cameos.
Setting aside the nostalgia bias, this track is still quite good. I might not revisit it often, but I definitely enjoyed it for now. It surprised me and made me chuckle a few times.
FINAL RATING: 7.9/10
Based on this, I am looking forward to hearing more from him in the near time, and I will keep all of you updated with my reviews.
So Stay tuned
Scores guideline:
0–2 (dramatically bad)
2.1–4.5 (bad)
4.6–6 (mediocre/mid)
6.1–6.9 (Ok)
7–7.5 (good)
7.6–8.6 (great)
8.7–9.9 (amazing)
10 (perfect)
