The Reaction to “Relapse” Changed Eminem

When his comeback LP was received not as the work of a conquering hero returning to his kingdom, but as a disappointing grasp at previous relevance and shock value, it led to Eminem completely changing his approach

This originally appeared on The Passion of Christopher Pierznik

A few weeks ago, Marshall Mathers III, known to the world as Eminem, released an eight-minute track titled “Campaign Speech,” in which he takes aim at all sorts of individuals, most especially Donald Trump.

While much of the reaction to the rhyme was based on its lyrical content, I was struck by something else entirely: there’s no beat. It isn’t completely a capella — there is supporting orchestration present throughout — but there’s nothing to bob your head to, no bassline.

While this is rare throughout much of hip-hop, this is not new territory for Eminem. Over the past year and change, he has spit rhymes sans a beat…