Can't wait for this. I'm honestly unsure if I'm crazy or something. Listening to the album, I came away thinking that he wasn't actually seriously complaining about getting canceled and that was all part of the story of why he stopped being Slim Shady. It wasn't that he was forced to drop it, he just didn't like who it made him into and what that period represented in his life. So many people took that at face value though that it made me wonder if I was reading too much into it and reaching. Having listened to it about ten times, I'm pretty sure my read is right. But you never know.
I came to the same conclusion too. The songs were meant to be listened to in the position that it was placed in the album showing a progression from Slim Shady to current Eminem while giving fan service to Eminem fans who have been around since his beginning. The features on the album are great and highlights his status as the older statesman by giving almost all of his features more time to rap/sing.
For some context on the Candace Owens disses: when Vivek Ramaswamy was running for pres, he was rapping along to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”. Em didn’t like that he was using his music so he sent a cease and desist. Candace caught wind of this then took to twitter and said something along the lines of “is it just me or is Eminem turning gay?”. She fired the first shot, so I don’t see anything wrong with that one
I do, because we still need to take into account relative power, of both the speakers, and the allegations. A well known black woman utilizing homophobia to go after someone is not as powerful, at all, as an extremely famous white man utilizing misogyny to go after said black woman. We all understand it is not reasonable for a 6 foot 6 man to shove a kid as hard as he can just because the 10 year old shoved him first.
I think you’re one of *maybe* 3 people (on TH-cam) that I’m willing to listen just ramble on endlessly, because I just know you’re always going somewhere. The fact that you don’t edit your videos is hugely interesting, because (in my opinion) you manage to make more sense than people who edit the crap out of their videos; and the fact that you use paper as “editing” substitutes is just… chef’s kiss. Anyway, always great hearing your insight, and I’ll forever be grateful for the K&D beef for bringing your channel to my attention. Sending love, Professor ❤
I think the “wait, where did everybody go,” is much less an acknowledgement or admission of anything and just the line Ken Kaniff always says at the end of these albums, like on MMLP2
After a few listens, it might be my favorite album of his. It has the main concept, which is to show that he can still be Slim Shady but he's 51 years old. He's matured and doesn't really think that way anymore, so it's not going to seem genuine. We all should grow and mature as we get older. The music should reflect who you are as a person, not who you once were. At the same time, the songs themselves show the internal battle that he has. Because he's matured but he's obsessed with being the best, and making fans happy, that he starts trying to act like his younger self. It also points out the hypocrisy that people have. Everyone loves freedom of speech and wants Shady, until Shady says something that they don't like. Perfect example is the Candice Owens lines. People like the jokes about "woke" topics, but if he takes a shot at a political figure that they support, suddenly he needs to shut up. Also, people get mad at jokes about certain things, but only if it's something they care about. If it's something they don't care about, they'll join in on the jokes. People should be accepting of how others choose to live, but at the same time, people should learn how to take a joke. We shouldn't have to be afraid of making a joke. Everything shouldn't be so serious. I'm a quadriplegic, using my eyes to type this. I lmao at the Christopher Reeve song. I know he doesn't really hate cripples and he was just being funny. Will there be idiots who don't like us and use it as fuel? Probably. Who cares? It's not his fault that they can't understand what a joke is. Then, the layout of the songs transition from his older self to more of his newer style. With a more serious sound, speaking about meaningful aspects of his life. Lining up with his albums and displaying his growth, as a person and artist. I, personally, think it's a masterpiece. The beats hit and make your head nod. IMO, some of the best beat selections of his career. It mixed a little bit of all his past sounds, without sounding like it was just crammed together. Every listen has given me something new to think about. And he did all of that, without dumbing down his technicality and complex rapping ability. I can understand if it's just not some people's preference, but I can't see how anyone can say this is a bad album. Unless, they haven't really taken the time to get the full experience of it.
@@Loch1210 I respect that. I just feel like the creativeness of this album is just above the others. Also, it's just a theory at the moment, but listening to the album in reverse order actually makes more sense. Like it's leading up to the Slim Shady album. You should try it. I love the first 3 albums. I just think that nostalgia makes us view it through a lense that makes it hard to beat. We've just listened to those songs for 20 years, and went through some of the most memorable times of our lives with those songs, that it takes us back every time we hear it. But the layers in the content, the full concept, the creativity in the bars, schemes and rhyme patterns. I, personally, thought the beats were some of his best. I just think it had much more depth than any other album. I love those old albums, but they just aren't a work of art compared to this one. That's just my thoughts. Everyone values music for different things. I love the artistry and things that make my mind start thinking. This album is taking my mind through a journey, where each time I've listened I've had something different to think about.
Your comment really made me appreciate the album more and want to listen to it again. It’s definitely his best album in 20 years and I’ve heard others mention listening in reverse so now I’ll give that a try.
Am I the only one that thinks Eminem simply exercising his shadow in psychological terms through his art? Perhaps art, for him, is a personal exploration of his inner thoughts and demons, as well as his observations of the world. The creation of the Slim Shady persona seems to serve as a vehicle for expressing these darker aspects. By 'killing off' Slim Shady, Eminem may symbolize his transition into a new phase of life, signaling a need to move forward. This act could be viewed as a final 'shadow play,' a last exploration of these themes before embracing change.
I think your right but the same thing that applies to satire applies to art in all forms. If everyone can't get the point, doesn't it make anti Trans stuff just straight up hatred if that's what it results in?
everybody is so focused on the whole cancellation angle that the rest of the album gets completely forgotten even seeing Skye go 'you're not really being offensive' and then going ah, but perhaps leave trans people alone ok? maybe give an example of something slim shady could say that would be genuinely offensive and that people would not criticize for overdoing it or being x/boomer humor
after hearing the album and reflecting on your comments and hypotheses post-houdini, i feel that eminem really went the route you predicted: he reeled people in with the bygone slim persona, then showed his maturity and the problems with it. i fear, however, that the execution left something to be desired for many listeners. that, and/or people believe that the concept itself is merely an excuse to do the whole “2024 anti-woke” thing. super curious to see what you have to say!
except he isn't anti-woke as you listen to it. seeing you write the execution left something to be desired for is absolutely crazy. this album is a masterpiece. I'm a long-term die-hard Eminem fan, and despite Genius and all kinds of reaction videos and analyses on youtube it took me until the 15th listen-through to really put the pieces together and another 5 to get some of the most important references to older songs that I know by heart. This is not because the execution is bad but, quite the opposite, because it is such a meticulously crafted detailed work.
@@crampton16I agree with OP, and when I read the execution of this album I'm not thinking about his ability to write complex rhymes, come up with clever wordplay, find really interesting intricate flows etc because he does all of that excellently. I personally was very impressed at a ton of his verses as well as the production. When I read execution in this context, what I think of is what the video is about: how satire is a tricky thing to write because if you mess up, you just end up looking like the kind of asshole you're supposed to make fun of, and attract people who actually do enjoy being assholes and bullies and think the album is made to validate them. Just look up reactions to the album. Soooo many people saying they feel glad cause Em is saying it like it is, and fighting against big bad woke. I don't think he is. You don't think he is. But a ton of people listening to this record do, and that's the problem with the execution.
@@lily-_- all I've been doing the last three days is watching reactions. I know what you're saying, however, I actually think that's a good thing. I like when satire is so good that it gets people to show their true colors. Then it becomes a tool where what the artists views were is not so important anymore but its main significance is holding a mirror up to society and exposing people for who they are. mini-edit: e.g. the same can be said about South Park and Chappelle
@@crampton16Work of what, a self centred millionaire that was scared to grow up and make music that mattered. You know, America has an issue with money cos it’s like a drug and in order to get a fix you need to remain in the same state of mind. And what do you talk about when you grow up… well, Eminem I guess we will never know and in the meantime thank for listening to my idea of lack of maturity.
AVAA The one thing about Brand New Dance is that it is a song cut from Encore in 2004 and then he just recorded "Kim Jong" and "Caitlyn Jenner" on it to make it more relevant now. Does that matter? I can't say, but I do think it leans toward that 4D Chess thing since it fully is a Slim Shady song from the actual height of Slim Shady and IMO it says more about the ways Shady is stuck in.
The real question is whether you can actually "cancel" Eminem. It is exhausting to continually hear someone with over 82 million monthly Spotify listeners claim to be a victim of "cancel culture.”Especially when his entire shtick is to provoke marginalized groups.
I think the album is much deeper than that, it's not about him getting cancelled. Now shady inspired/represents the people who claim to be victims of cancel culture. Now these are the same people who don't like Eminem's recent work, who always wanted the old shady since that's what they want. Here he is giving shady, but the satire is on the shady fans now, who will be his fans even if shady says the worst things possible, not understanding that shady is just a character. At the same time it's also the fight that Eminem is having getting rid of this character. Ultimately I think it's his attempt at making his stans understand the difference between shady and himself, trying to give them message even when he knows that, they just want the rage
cancellations are blown very far out of proportion. it’s so rare that a public figure actually loses their fame or opportunity. at most, they lay low for a few years and hop right back in. at a certain point, celebrities just have to stop looking at the comment sections because that’s all they’re really responding to.
The album isn't about getting cancelled.. It's about exposing how outdated slim is and how eminem used him as a defense mechanism for his trauma... Guilty conscience 2 exposes everything. It's the climax of the album
@@gintoki_sakata__ Eminem has been critiquing cancel culture for over five years, both as Eminem and his Slim Shady persona. Side note: I enjoy most of the album. However, I often find Eminem hypocritical and overly serious. My main critique is how often he makes me cringe lol
AVAA T-13:37 My main issue with the album is that if I buy into what Eminem/Marshall/the prime man himself is saying, then Slim has been "dead" for a while now. And he's essentially had to build a zombie strawman of the character up to dance on stage for us, that he can then tear down with the most minimal of effort 2/3 of the way thru the album. And so what good music did come of that Straw Shady is undermined once we realize the schtick of the project, and instead its like, 'the real Slim Shady' would probably roll his eyes at this?
I feel like that’s kind of the point in my opinion. Slim died a while ago, Eminem outgrew him. However so many people were clamoring for him to come back with “old Em”, and to “tell it like it is”, that he uses that caricature to respond and show how Slim Shady’s outdatedness. He’s not that person anymore and he’s basically exploring why that character was put to rest.
A friend of mine is a huge Song of Ice and Fire fan. To the point where he literally read the entire series (as it stands) to me because I wouldn't do it myself. I'm pretty critical of literature, and while the books have amazing prose, they have some flaws. The main flaw I keep coming back to regarding them is how G.R.R.M tends to bury his themes in layers of obfuscation. I was fortunate enough to have enough reading comprehension to understand what he was trying to say. Most of its identifiable themes are in line with the progressive ideology which Martin promotes. The problem is by obfuscating them to the degree he does, he creates this danger zone for people without good reading comprehension. Where I see Brienne of Tarth being one of the most important characters in the book, something evidenced by how many pages she gets, in online discussions you'll see a lot of really confused people wondering why she's in the books at all. You'll find people thinking characters like Tywin Lannister or Stannis Baratheon are aspirational. When you hide what you're trying to say behind layers of obfuscation that deep, you cultivate a portion of your fanbase completely antithetical to what you're trying to say. A circumstance he unfortunately shares with one of his favorite authors, Frank Herbert. You figure he'd know better. I don't know if Marshall Mathers really cares about social issues. He seems to. He seems to be undeniably left leaning politically, if not progressive. But I do know that if he ever really cared about those issues he probably wouldn't have obfuscated them under layers of satire so deep that his fan base became composed largely of knuckle draggers who didn't understand the joke. Money is a complicating factor here. Leaving that danger zone allows for those people to join the fan tent and spend their money on your art. I don't know how much that influenced Mathers or Martin, but I suspect the influence was not zero. AVAA.
Money? Look if he cared about money he had a profile so huge he could've taken endorsement deals during his peak - famously did not because he hates doing shit outside of rap. Hated 8 mile. You dont make antiwar songs in 2004 if money is the issue. That doesnt add up.
But the trade off is the people who have higher critical faculties and more depth in their reading end up having a more satisfying experience with the text. Would you rather lose nuance and quality for the top 20% of readers to cater to the bottom 10%? Themes should not always be shouted at the readers. Not everything has to be obvious. Some of the most important texts in literary history have obfuscated themes hidden beneath layers of allegory
@@harveyweir8061its not that binary though, i agree that shouting a message like a marvel film is bad but theres so much out there that is able to better convey the point that is being made here because they choose to ease up on the layering even just a tiny bit. from the looks of things it also seems like its a lot more than the bottom 10% getting confused and more like 30-40% and it’s probably closer to 10-15% who are bothered to understand the album, thats all anecdotal of course but between talking to friends in person and seeing discourse online i think its a somewhat accurate assertion.
@@harveyweir8061 No, I wouldn't, and I completely agree with you. The important detail I left out is that, Martin didn't think his series would be a huge success when he wrote it. He wrote it as he basically always had, for nerds. The problem is when it became a huge mainstream success due largely to the show (though the reason it got a show is because it popped off as genre fic). Had he known where it would end up, I suspect he may have done things differently. I'm considering the text for mass consumption though. The place in pop culture it ended up (which is absolutely not fair). As a piece of pop culture media, I think it fails to communicate effectively. He's certainly whined on his blog about how people don't get it, so I suspect he'd agree. My point isn't to finger wag at Martin and call him a bad writer, he's pretty great in a lot of ways (not all). It's to criticize the actual text and what it's trying to accomplish in its current context. I don't think I'd want a copy of Lolita on a 7th grade bookshelf. Dangerously wrong conclusions could be reached with tangible consequences. The bad takes for Ice and Fire are less directly dangerous. More enabling romanticism of toxic masculinity and authoritarianism. Martin has an enormous backlog of both written works and public interviews you can go through to understand what his views are. How inarguably antithetical such a surface reading would be to his intentions. Marshall Mathers has nothing going for him in this regard. He hasn't earned the right to do a satirical takedown of, say, queer people if he hasn't been willing to stand up and make it clear he's on our side. At least in my opinion. Much love friend.
I just want to say I think this comment section is the best one I've seen on TH-cam. So many people are providing insightful commentary I think it just reflects Professor Skye and the type of content he creates. Haven't listened to the album yet but I couldn't help but watch this video when I saw you uploaded it. AVAA!
I feel like the album did a good job of achieving its goal: to show people and reveal Ems self awareness that this Shady shit is and has always been cringe. He points out that fans wanted the old Slim and he gave it to them in 2024 in an intentionally over the top way to show that the shit doesn't work today and never should have. It's cringe and always has been, only the masses were begging for it in the 00's and he gave it for the $$, fame, and attention. As an example he uses the Brand New Dance that he wrote in 2004 to show that that shit is cringeworthy today but absolutely would have been eaten up by the masses if he released it then. He says multiple times he did the edgy Slim shit because the void was there and it made him $$ and successful. I don't believe he was trying to shock anyone with this album, but to show that his Shady antics have always been cringe and in today's climate it is so easy to spot it's embarrassing. For him, and in his opinion his fans.
i really loved the beat selection and flows and voices, i feel if eminem took these things and rapped about the topics on revival it'd be insane (and he kinda did at the end of TDOSS). the concept is Slim is trying to get Em cancelled - so in kayfabe speak you really are supposed to disagree with Slim, but he's the one rapping for half the album so its this weird dichotomy where Eminem is trying to make an album that everyone likes while putting an end to Slim and the past and the things everyone now dislikes, but those things everyone dislike take up such a huge portion of the album even when the flow and beats are great the actually message is a bit lackluster.
I couldn't agree more. In particular, I thought that Evil, Lucifer, and Antichrist all hit on the same general message and were pretty repetitive without much to show for it
I'm not one to really believe in cancel culture, but if it existed Eminem could never be canceled. lol If we are to cancel Eminem, its not because he offended anyone. It's that we are tired of hearing the same Eminem for 30 years. lol Two of my favorite songs growing up was Kill You and Criminal. Both of those FAR more offensive than anything on this album. lol But they both were well constructed and overall done way better than anything on this album. This album sounds like a cheap parady of his early stuff, while ramming the same few topics down our throats. Almost desperate at points. But nothing he said was really that offensive, because you can open Twitter and see the exact same thing all over it. lol I lost count of how many times he mentioned Caitlyn Jenner, Gen Z, PC culture, etc. lol And its disappointing because Eminem hasn't vocally sounded this good in a decade, and he seems to be having fun. But he really didn't do anything with the concept. Outside of the skits and Guilty Conscience pt 2, he really didn't do much with the idea. And I personally believe as someone who was in the 6th grade when the Slim Shady lp came out, that at this point of his career he has so much wisdom and a unique perspectives to give us. But instead we get Tom Mcdonald rap for 70% of the album, with a rushed ending to the concept that was almost jarring.There is literally nothing here we habe;t already gotten by Eminen in the past, done way better. I am not an Em hater. This was the first Em album I stayed up for its release in so many years. But as someone who viewed his first 3 albums as my bibles growing up this album was lackluster, and surface level. Production was better than anything he's done recently, but not spectacular, and the choruses or hooks were bad to me. I don't fault anyone who likes it. We all like music for different reasons. But I view it as edgelord shock rap, for the sake of being shocking, without much rhyme or reason. Just worse versions of his past music, with somewhat updated pop culture references. lol WAY better than Revival though. lol
Man I 1000% agree with what you say, if only Em could repress his urge to keep on trying saying the next shocking thing, and maybe stop choosing weak beats, we could still have a relevant artist today, with cross generational listeners. Sadly, I see him going the same route Madonna went, afraid of aging, stuck in his past figure, unable to reinvent himself,
Well fckn said. This was Exactly what I was hoping he wouldn't do ever since I heard Houdini.. Em has always been one of my Top 5, even when I probably shouldnt put him up there anymore. But this just confirms that he has not really matured nearly as much as I was hoping he would. Folks like Lupe, Los, Black Thought, Tech N9ne, and even Nas have matured a lot. They're able to not only perform technically, but also can execute complex topics/concepts very well. But Em.... sigh... just so unfortunate that he just isn't there. I feel like he Could do it,.... but he was just a little too stuck in the kayfabe/concept.
Even the latter part that Hailie, Eminem is stuck in the past. His parenthood story is stuck when Hailie's 5 years old. Is there nothing new and interesting about parenthood, Em?
What sold it for me was the sheer number of Christopher Reeves jokes. That shit may have been hard hitting a couple of decades ago, but who really gives a fuck anymore? Not to mention the whole “what are you going to do, cancel me?” angle throughout was completely trite and unnecessary. I guess this it what happens when you build a character and career based on controversy. I feel like what he was trying to accomplish with this album was an explanation of why the Slim Shady character doesn’t work anymore, which is problematic because Slim Shady is the character that built his career. He really doesn’t have too many angles beyond that. I’ve been saying it since Revival, it’s time for em to put the mic down and retire. You can tell he really was passionate and excited for this project, so were the fans, and it just didn’t quite work. If this is the best he can do at this stage, its time to step down. Focus his attention elsewhere.
Regarding his comments on trans people and pronouns and the idea of lampshading: I feel like the key to this would probably be Stevie, Marshall's stepchild. Stevie is non-binary and uses they/she/he pronouns, and went by a different name at the time Marshall had adopted them from his ex-wife Kim. I mention them because they are mentioned twice by name in the "Marshall" portion of the album with regards to the love he has for his children, and even makes a brief cameo alongside Hailie and Alaina in the 'Houdini' music video during the (obviously) satirical line "fuck my own kids, they're brats", which coincidentally comes very shortly after he goes on a brief tirade about having to memorize pronouns. Alongside the fact that Alaina is a mental health advocate, I would like to think none of the transphobia and ableism truly comes off as very genuine. If anything at all, his *true* feelings come off more as "hey, these are new rapid changes in society. That's crazy, yo. My kids probably know better than I do". A question I found myself asking regarding a lot of the "Boomer X" -isms of the album was, "why now?". Considering the faster discussions on identity politics and re-examining our culture, vocabulary and microaggressions started kicking into high gear in the mainstream in the past 10-ish years (there is a whole discussion to be had about Gamergate and the alt-right pipeline), this album would have been more appropriate to come out in 2016-17 had the lampshading been more sincere. Eminem comes off as poking the bear's nest to intentionally get a rise out of people with topics he doesn't have too much expertise, or frankly, care for. If anything, the timing of this album only strengthens my point about this album's Slim Shady being self-aware satire, because 'Gen Z' is far stronger as a 'subculture' to 'cancel' Eminem. He's gone far enough out of relevancy that the only true danger of his satire not being picked up on is people talking about how fucked up what he's saying is, rather than having any true power to influence much people outside of the "Boomer X" crowd, which frankly, few people have any respect left for. Longtime Eminem fan here since the Marshall Mathers LP and I loved this review! I'm otherwise more than happy with a million bad reviews for this album if the only positive ones left are the ones that misunderstand the album as ammunition against the 'woke, Gen Z, PC police' boogeyman.
This review articulates a lot of the thoughts I had listening to this record, mainly that, Eminem is trying hard to sell the concept of the album, being that he's using the caricature of Slim Shady to play around with these touchy topics, and sensitive subject matter, but only half assing it so that he's never actually saying anything interesting or genuinely shocking about it. The break-off point where Marshall kills the alter ego and goes into songs that are about his genuine life experiences, love for his daughters among other earnest and wholesome thoughts, just kinda makes me feel like they're out of place among all the bars about being too much for Gen Z to handle. There's some genuinely good moments on this album, the features are definitely a strong part that adds the variety that Eminem lacks at times, and some of the skits and more humorous bits thrown around the album keep the charm that classic Eminem tended to have. Although overall it's just hard for me to buy it, to buy the concept or the message that Marshall is trying to communicate, because it hardly translates, and most people who are taking it at face value are either gonna be turned off or will be cheering along like how people who identify with Cartman do.
em is universally agreed to be one of the GOATs, yet he seems so deeply concerned with proving himself and being liked. i look forward to hearing what you have to say!
It's weird 🤔 The fact that when he raps, there's still hunger in him.. He sounds like an underground artist trying to get signed Not sure to feel sad, inspired to admire or just worried
@@gintoki_sakata__ why would you feel sad or worried? He lives and breathes hip hop, and want nothing but respect from his peers. I don't see anything wrong with that
@@gintoki_sakata__ I think that’s the thing with trauma- and what I relate to in Em. I had a bad home life and came from poverty too. Even though I am inarguably in a great place in my life and financially I still have that hunger. It doesn’t leave you after you’ve been through shit like that. When you know you have to depend on yourself and take care of those you love.
"If you're worried about trans rights, don't worry! They're going away!" Got me rolling lol I think that's the biggest disconnect. For Eminem, trans issues aren't a life or death thing. He only views it through the lens of media representation and narratives. He is a man obsessed with words. What they mean, how they sound, how they feel, and the effect they have on people. Us trans people, we're not even having the same conversation as EM. For us it's about survival, for Em it's about semantics. For us it's about our rights being systematically stripped of rights by our government, but for Em it's about ego. Eminem out of anyone, should be keenly aware of the power of words. Yet at the same time he seems to take them so lightly. Which is it? Is he arguing words should be rigid, inflexible and tied strictly to scientific definitions, or is he saying words don't matter I can say whatever I want and you can't stop me nananana XP I'm all for freedom of speech, but something tells me for Em it's something deeper than that. If i were to take a guess, i think it stems from him feeling insecure. If you live your life being defined by achievements of your mid-20s, the less secure you feel when you fall short of that. He probably misses a time when he could hop on the mic and make groundbreaking album after groundbreaking album. Words literally saved him, but now those same words loom over him. What do you do when you feel like the thing you value most is being taken from you?
Quit whining, goddamn. You're the reason so much of the population unfairly views and judges trans people. Just do your thing, it's all good, you're fine.
What you are saying in that first paragraph is very right, and is made even weirder by the fact that one of his children is non-binary. You'd suppose he'd be closer emotionally to the topic than he displays, but there is this weird detachment to it no matter how often he brings it up
I think you should 1) listen to the whole album 2) re-listen to guilty conscious. Yes he makes those jokes but he makes them about everybody and that has a reason
thank you for this video, I was having so many similar thoughts while I was listening but I am not smart enough to put it all into words like this. for most of the runtime I was like "ok I get what hes going for here, but he didnt HAVE to say all that, and a lot of people are absolutely going to miss the point"
Thanks for this review! It was very interesting to hear your thoughts. Some of it aligned very closely to my own, others were pretty different and that was interesting to see. Eminem has always been one of my favorites, even when it was popular to hate him. But honestly, this album makes me want to retire him from my personal library just because he just hasn't matured how I'd like to see. He'll always be a GOAT of course, but I just can't bring myself to say he is still one of my favorite rappers when we got OGs like Tech N9ne, King Los, Lupe, and more still growing in maturity while maintaining their skills. Then of course we got all manner of new folks like JID, Denzel Curry, Kenny Mason, Ez Mil, Samad Savage, Tierra Whack, Megan, and more doing great things too. I just don't see the point in Em anymore if he's not going to keep up with the times. He'll always be in my older playlists, but this aint going on my new one.
AVAA you never disappoint! I’ve felt crazy trying to tell people that this album is a satire (whether or not it landed is up for debate) and was starting to question whether or not I was the one missing something! Knew I could count on Skye to have THE analysis of the album
If one day I could be 10% as smart and analytical as you are, I'd be a very happy man. Incredible analysis as always. I will now also say Coup de Grâce the correct way lmao.
I completely agree with everything. I thought this albums was gonna be the first 2-3 songs were gonna be super satire and stupid then Em gets super introspective the rest of the album and explains how he grows and talk about everything he said in those previous tracks. Instead 85% of the album is him talking about nothing and doing bad satire. It just makes the album not replayable.
You just sound like someone who has never really got Eminem and you only really said you did back in the day to give yourself some edge. I suspect you only ever really listened to the singles.
@@aarpoonwaify6694 no???? He’s just corny now. Back then it was fun because it was a new sound and his music was actually good now it just comes off as a middle aged man going through a mid life crisis. It comes off as desperate, sad and embarrassing. It’s different when he’s young because it’s funny but he’s never evolved. He’s not nearly as bad and embarrassing as Drake but it’s the same idea, Drake and em haven’t really grown. Again Drake is wayyyyy worse but it’s the same idea
@@MCwaver now he’s an expert in his craft, creating flows and schemes never heard before and way beyond the more simplistic patterns he used 20 years ago. Rather than just raw aggression and shock his analysis of the world is far more cultured and nuanced now, reflecting the fact that he is a 50 year old man. You must have missed songs like Castle and Arose because you were too busy pretending you were now down with J Cole and Kendrick, or whatever the latest scene you claimed to be into as you hung around like the Buscemi meme. What is embarrassing is people like you who jump on the bandwagon of hating on someone once their popularity hits a certain level coz heaven forbid you would ever enjoy something the masses did. It’s the same middle class bullshit that only liked Eminem when they thought it would give them cred, coming back to try and tell the poor white trash to stay in his lane. 🥱
As thought out as the album definitely is, i don't think everything said has a set intention. Like the blurring of satire and lampshading and a third or fourth is really interesting to me exactly because is so unclear and vague, and it does have a rorschach-y vibe to it. You can really feel the confusion of Eminem (or Marshall), that whole shabang of fearing what you don't understand and projecting personal insecurities. All and all a portrait of being unsure, be it him or his audience, and kind of reveling in the chaos of it - and to me, a very fun album. AVAA!
You're so on point with your analysis, I love this album, even though I could never get away with saying half of what he said. Truth be told, he arranged words, double meanings and punch lines in a way that I've only heard for Lil Wayne.
AVAA, some of your framing was very helpful to understanding and helping explain the project, I referenced your South Park analogy in my upcoming review, hope you don’t mind, genuinely a genius way to illustrate what Eminem is doing here
Such a great video, exactly what I needed. This album was so confusing for me! I grew up with em but also have young friends and I could not think he was more cringe in this album but he's also hitting on nostalgia with really good technical skill and it makes my brain HURT talking about this to other people of different generations
The thing that people miss about the supposed satire of this album, is that in the text, Em doesn’t actually kill Shady. Everything up until Head Honcho is a dream. He had a bad dream about losing control of his Shady persona, which is and will always be a part of him. He didn’t actually kill it off, other than maybe this will be the last time that he does it. So yeah, he’s acknowledging that certain things Shady says on this album are bad, but Marshall himself still wants to say them, and he did
I actually love your analysis of the album. I understand not being sure of it was satire or not. I took it as satire and was so confused why everyone disliking it was not seeing the possible satire at all. I however do like temporary, if give the album 7-7.5/10. Eminem however is my favorite artist, but I truly believe this is his best work since mmlp2/relapse.
Definitely gotta say, initially I enjoyed a couple of the tracks as they released. But things got me tilting my head when I really listened. Looking forward to your take on Em's latest offerings
What if you view this album as a play, and the repetitive mentions of the same people are the characters in the play, so they make multiple appearances in different songs? I view the story as Marshall's internal struggle between Eminem and Slim Shady. Who he mentions, and why, take a backseat to the internal story. I think he wants people to know that Slim Shady died when he overdosed in 2007. He has dreams that Shady is back, and he's scared to let him back out. Not because he cares if he gets canceled, but because of what that would mean for Marshall the human. Slim Shady was birthed from drugs and alcohol, and that nearly killed him. He probably has PTSD thinking about that time in his life, and people are always saying he needs to bring Shady back. I think this is his way of showing why he can't let that happen. Personally, he just can't. But also because he knows the shady persona wouldn't hit the same way these days while still showing we shouldn't be scared to speak our minds for fear of getting canceled.
AVAA I think the only time that this album's schtick actually works is on the the song Trouble, its genuinely so stupid and doesnt try to defend itself to the point where it loops back around and becomes funny. its a fun coincidence that the only song where the schtick works is only 40 seconds long
There are Liberal edge lords that still understand that the joke of being edgy is that what you’re saying is wrong. The problem with centrist or right edge lords is that they aren’t joking. They just say things they believe in a joking tone. My problem with the album is, the audience will either dislike his joke or clap along with it.
You very eloquently managed to capture the reasoning behind some of the general awkwardness I feel when I see present Eminem. Granted, there was a gap period between the times I would actively listen to him. But coming back to present Em, I sometimes wondered how he can evolve now that he's VERY comfortably in a place of, as you say, privilege. Prefacing this discussion with South Park and the topic of satire was absolutely perfect. I'm a new follower of this channel, and here is my very happy first "AVAA"!! Great video.
His war with GenZ and wokeness and cancel culture is 100% satire. Not sure why you're even doubting. It's the funniest part of the album for me. And the reason he makes excuses for what he says when speaking as his old self is because that's what the old him would do. He would use his daughters to prove he's not misogynistic. EDIT: Road Rage seems like satire to me with how it's presented. It also seems to be written like I'm Not Racist by Joyner Lucas. I think that's what he was going for. Old Eminem trying to explain himself. There's a whole skit inserted of him shutting modern Eminem's mouth and saying "I know what I'm doing". I think you're supposed to look at this album as old Eminem coming back, not Slim Shady, that includes the old Marshall too.
AVAA. Thank you for your review, it's really good coming from the perspective of a critical casual listener of Eminem. As a Stan who is a nonbinary feminist, I love this album. It's basically an Encore 2, a posthumous album. It's so subversive and very queer-pessimistic. I consider it to be a fan service album. The reason why the groups he targeted is weirdly specific is because most of them are all related to himself in some way. He is always conscious of his height, that's why Slim calls him m---et. He also uses this word to refer to rappers that are inferior to him. He also have hearing problem and once induced severe tinnitus. He's been called the r word by his teacher because of his neurodivergence. He's been called gay (lesbian) and trans by MAGA and transvestigators for years ever since Revival. And he has an nonbinary child. Drug abuse, mental health issues and excessive eating also lead him to obesity and overdose during his hiatus years 2006-2008. Before fame he's also struggled with overweight issue. My take on this is that he's ultimately projecting the hatred towards himself. He has always been very self conscious and self-deprecating. I don't necessarily agree with the idea that the first part is only the death of Slim Shady, because he's also torturing Marshall himself. It's him actually being apologetic and connecting with the targeted group in a twisted manner. Him going after gen z to me is just again him trolling his old age. What impresses me the most is that he is using transgenderism as an analogy to his own identity which is a bit more complex than the rich middle age straight white man that he appears to be. He has always been transgressing boundaries. He's a lower class white person growing up in a black community and eventually becoming a megastar via black music. He's looked down upon as the w*gger, but he's also been called vulture. More examples are him being homophobic but also homoerotic (in his lyrics, his broadcast appearances, and in this album the song Evil in which he says he's not straight). He likes to crossdress in his music videos. He's been seen as this cringey old edge-lord but also a perpetual child. He's both a bully and a victim. There's so many contradictions that it's just impossible to fit him neatly into one category. Throughout the album he mentions Caitlyn Jenner, a homophobic MAGA trans woman multiple times. He also says he's more confused than black transgender Klan member, he's a master of masquerading, a god of facade. Essentially, he's comparing himself to these people who are very complicated in terms of identity politics. He parallels his Marshall/Slim Shady hybrid to the idea of transgenderism. It's so creative and inspiring to me as a nonbinary person, and I just love it. Slim Shady is also a metaphor of his addiction(to drugs, to offend, to competition etc.). It's very apparent. Also in Road Rage obesity verse, he's comparing his addiction to drugs to obese people's overeating (a phase he's been through). He's again going after himself with this verse. In Houdini, again the Bud Light shirt and the transgender cat line is just the transgenderism recurring theme. Interestingly, in the music video, the color palette of room filled with Slim Shadys of different genders and races is the color of the bisexual flag. I think by now his stance on trans rights and queer rights are pretty clear. In this album he's so introspective, self-reflective and self aware. He hates himself so much. It's really sad hearing him going down the spiral of self loathing as a fan. But it's also about his renaissance because he's put Slim Shady, an embodiment of his struggles, pain and anger, to his deathbed. It's a new beginning.
Love your whole take! … and that you brought up class, because even though his success made him rich …. it’s gets so often ignored by critics and overlooked that with him it’s an huge issue ….for years he never displayed wealth (quite the opposite)….and to this day he identifies with the uneducated lower class white trash part of society (f.e. his hall of fame speech where he specifically mentions that he just has an HipHop education)…and like in the Tobey Video still working the lowest paying job in his „Detroit stamping“- jumpsuit etc…. Ps: regarding transgenderism and his whole crossdressing thing……His middlename is Bruce, hence the „fixation“ on Kaitlin Jenner….just an idea Love, love the complexity and thoughtfulness of this album from front to back….and at the same time being very entertaining to listen to…
people don't get satire. but more broadly people take things out of context, as people are with the new em. i remember when it happened to kdot's auntie diaries v trans community
AVAA! As always, thank you for the very insightful review Prof Skye, especially the point you made about the intricate nature of satire. I cannot help but think that Plato’s observation that all comedy are inherently tragic applies to this album very well. In comedy, the spectator laughs at the suffering of those who are worse off than them in virtue and other qualities. But in doing so they are blinded by their own conceit and vices. In turn, they become worse off than they were originally, which is the exact formula of tragedy - not to mention the total blindness to oneself. In a similar way this is what this album feels like. Everything feels like a joke and not a joke. There seems to be a cult of those who are “in on the joke” and everybody else who are outside this circle is made fun of. But this could easily slide into a complete blindness of one’s own blindness to oneself through this false sense of superiority. At his best moment Eminem brings in a seriousness that is properly self-reflexive of what he is doing. But perpetual satirization (just like perpetual lying) only pulls the ground of one’s ability to distinguish what is genuine and what is not. This is why I think a lot of times I cannot tell if he is lampshading or notching, or if he is satirizing or actually being hateful. It also does not help, as you pointed out, that a lot of these remarks 1. Targeted against specific marginalized groups within marginalized groups who have far less of a voice 2. Feel contrived in terms of their shock value. It thus feels as if he wants to appear shocking, as if he hopes that he could get canceled to prove his point that “people today can’t take satire anymore.” But of course he is not going to get canceled(or even appear shocking), and I am very skeptical of the value of this kind of sophistical rhetoric. We do not need more contrived shocks when what is actually shocking are normalized as everyday matters.
I kinda disagree about south park. I mean, yes, they're making Jew jokes, but Cartman is explicitly a bad person in the show. Matt and Trey are not punching down at Jewish people in a similar way Tarantino isn't punching down at black people by making a movie (Django) where slave-owners use the n-word.
The first question i had going into the Album was why would the album start with him spitting on a grave? Instead of everyone questioning that, they were stuck on the hawk tuah girl. Then more questions arose looking back the roll of this album. "and for my last trick." what exactly was the last trick? In the Tobey video, did Slim cut off em's are or the other way around? The alarms and screams. Its at the end of some songs and skits. But also at 2:55 of Antichrist after the Diddy line, why? Why did he laugh after Paul hung up on him? I'm sure there more certain sound cues during other songs. The album isn't just about how the satire doesn't work anymore, it's about what slim represents in his life. The good and the bad. The addiction and him neglecting his family. At that time. It's his inner stuggle with addiction and his fans want the old Em. The old Em/slim literally almost killed him. Its does really seem the albums goes both ways and the all thr songs after Guilty Concious 2 aren't like an EP, but they make total sense and an integral part of the story. There just seems to be more to it. I haven't listen listened to the bonus tracks, i would if there's any other lines or sound cues.
I think all in all, the best thing to think about is how we age. I'm only 19, and I'm driven and healthy(ish), but i know I won't be that way forever, and I have always found Eminem interesting as a result because of how he chooses to react to the world he is in. He has litterally everything he could ever want and it seems like he still has peeves and gripes lol. Idk, I'm most likely overthinking it, but it's definitely a interesting little "thought exercise" lol Also, Pete Rock and commons new album is all about embracing your age and rocking with it, so there is a juxtaposition there imo
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and opinions on this great albums even though i don't agree with all you said i love how you tried to make in depth and insightful
As a black man fuck it ill say it, regardless of what you believe in politically a white man shouldn’t be telling a black woman she turnt her back on black people because she what, makes us take accountability for our actions? That whole rant he went on was ridiculous and in a way Candace is correct because i see a lot of black conservative reactors that ALWAYS have a problem with anybody else’s art who also happens to be a liberal because they’re apparently “snowflakes” but because Eminem has these 14 year old type jokes and is an edgelord they totally switch the grift specifically for him even though he has an entire cringy freestyle dissing Donald Trump, i just get pissed off by the lack of consistency amongst different reviews Ive seen
This is how I explain enjoying this album. I spend an hour and a half explaining all the problems but then say, almost in whisper, I really liked it though.
Candace Owens said he was washed up and a closeted homosexual because he wouldn't allow a republican use Lose Youself in their campaign ralleys. That is why Candace gets referenced in the album.
Great analysis. I’m also stoked on this album. I do have to say though, that in the Guilty conscience 2 Em actually does say coup de grace with an “s”, so at least he knows how to pronounce it. As a side note, one of my favourite TH-camrs pronounces it “cut the grass”, which is hilarious for me. Also, as literally everyone is saying, I don’t think it’s possible to cancel Eminem, even if anyone would want to. And nobody wants to, except maybe Candace fans, who have no power to do it. As I watch the reviews and reactions, it’s clear that people either don’t care about Eminem, and couldn’t be bothered to do anything to actively cancel the man, or they are fans, and will stan him even if he went full Ye. The rest, the actual haters, are a statistical error, all they can cancel is their Disney Plus subscription.
AVAA!! Have you ever thought of starting another channel where you talk about classic and even modern literature? There's so few content creators making good content about literature, and i would love your insight. Cant wait for you to review anna karenina, ali and nino, middlemarch, inferno and so much more.
So can I ask did you listen to this album in the correct order??? Try listening to it from the back to the front. This is actually him bringing back Slim Shady which most likly will be his last album as his alter ego.
There's an idea going around Twitter today that this album can be reversed and listened backwards to get a second version of the album and its concept. Think of the Judas Priest trial, with accusations of playing the music backwards reveals hidden satanic messages? Em did it literally. In the reverse order, Slim Shady changes Marshall Mathers to look like him with the blonde hair, and Shady kills Marshall, ending with Shady spitting on MM's grave. So that's like a return to the Death of Marshall, like you mentioned. We're not left with Em, we're left with Shady. I think in a way this is him owning all his bad behavior on this album, and him accepting that Shady isn't just a mouthpiece. There's a pop-up store with a Shady theme going on today and there are 2 coffins in there. One coffin has "Shady" with blonde hair and the Jason mask, and the other casket is empty save for dead roses. Think of the symbolism there. The man in the mask is Marshall. And the guy we think is dead is out there running around.
I get the criticism, I probably fall somewhere similar to you in that I am keen on the album but there are still things I disliked. I think some people just like hating the guy and despite him saying things they agree with, if he says things they don't agree with, they can't look past it and just completely dismiss the album. This album has some killer tracks and some I'll never listen to again much like many albums. I don't think it's a dud or a masterpiece
As a standup comedian, artist, and creator; Satire will always walk a fine line between being precociously antagonistic and endorsing. Being a hetro married queer colored person (wow what a set of pronouns without verbs), I say all the bad words. Personally I do it because bigots use avoidance to dog whistle their ideas and when you say it out loud it grounds the idea in the foundation of hate that it stems from. Being aggressive with this language is necessary to rage against the machine. I won’t work on Maggie’s farm no more.
I don't necessarily agree with what you're saying, but i completely see your point. People can be dumb sometimes, but art makes a point that's ahead of its time too, you know
16:24 prof didn't make a mistake here. See, it's his subtle comment on Em's usage of satire and flipping it around and back to flip people's head around... then getting his message across the album. Masterful physical performance, prof! AAVA
I love this video i would love to know what you think about Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Throughout watching this video I kept thinking of RXKNephew and how he is actually shocking and hilarious and he attacks both sides. I get what I used to get out of eminem when I was in my teens out of RXK now
trouble is actually probably my favorite track. I feel while you can argue for Someone save me being the most emotional on the album, I feel like trouble and other first half tracks were the most emotion I felt. Eminem arguing with himself throughout this track actually felt genuine. The thing is, Eminem has never been the most emotionally intellectual and mature, and I think the track itself does a really good job at reflecting this. A lot of it is Eminem really asking himself why he feels so strongly and weird about this, and why he continues to have outrageous lyrics and be edgy. He doesn't know why, and I think for a lot of people learning to be better people they might not know either, and it's also why I guess you could say the slim shady persona is so volatile, because Em doesn't have the answers to these questions. I think it also explains why the second half feels so messy, all over the place, and just not well structured. It's Eminem trying to organize his thoughts. I think when you consider emotions into opinions and thoughts about things, it can get really fuzzy and muddled. On first listen, it felt like he was trying to justify his brash and edgy attitude, but looking back, it feels more like the ramblings a very confused person. I don't think Em quite hit the mark on this album as a story. It doesn't really make a defining point about anything, but I think that's also what makes it so good. It's a snapshot on who Eminem is right now. And, as pretty much a dedicated Em hater, I really can respect him for that.
I get what you are saying but I'm ready to go back to just being fine saying whatever you want. Yeah there were really bad parts of that. But this new feelings first mentality has put us somewhere where we can't actually point crap that's right in front of us. There's so much over hysteria and feelings about everything that nothing matters. There are so many people offended for shit that applies to me and doesn't apply to them. And I find funny or just don't care. It's exhausting and makes us be a population that can't say the emperor has no clothes.
AVAA: I know im a little late on this review, but in my opinion, this alumn is the musical 'reincarnation' of the Bill Burr movie. Like Eminem, I do think that Bill Burr is an intelligent and influential figure in pop culture that does or did have some important things to say. As a comedian, he does what most great comedians do and uses hyperbole and a great story telling voice to ultimately reveal important things about our culture. But the whole time I watched Bill Burr's movie, I felt that he was just pandering to Boom-Xers, just like you said this album does. And the thing is, I tried really hard to like the movie. Again, I enjoy some of Bill Burr's previous work and people who I know in real life and people I've seen through other content I consume have praised the movie and made it out to be this amazing piece of art that the "woke critics" just don't understand. But at the end of the day, it had the same problem you mention this album does. It seems like it's fighting invisible stawmen of cancel culture and left wing radicalism that don't really even exist. It's like watching someone with ptsd swing and scream at things that aren't there. And ultimately, there are just too many layers of satire and irony that the whole thing comes off as shallow, rather than being genuinely thought provoking. And even as someone who isn't very fond of cancel culture and tried to have a generous viee going into the movie, it was very painfully clear that he ultimately was trying to appease and act as some kind of pseudo-chamption for the Boom-Xers. These same people complain about big companies being sell-outs to "woke culture", and yet fail to see that is exactly what Bill Burr did with his movie, except he sold out to middle aged suburban dads. I think this point is perfectly illustrated with the way the film portrays mental health. I don't know if youre interested on watching the film, but spoiler alert: Burr's character eventually gives in to the wishes of his wife and seeks therapy for his agression, after seeing a reflection of himself (as someone who hates gen z wokeness) in an old man (someone of the silent generation who's hating on his generation, gen x). This was honestly a pretty good resolution, and I think would have been a sign of good story telling, both humanizing Burr's character and both acting as a way to destigmatize men seeking mental health. But in the final scene, Burr essentially erases this entire narrative development to make another anti-woke joke, and suggesting that therapy didn't actually solve Burr's characters issues or allow him to develop, it just allowed him to more quietly express the same cartoonish distain for anything "soft" or "gen-z". Also side note: the whole time he's trying to go for a late 90s or early 2000s disney movie vibe with the narration, which I assume is either meant to be another element of satire or nostalgia-bate, but honestly it was just really, really cheesy.
@31:00 AAVA fuck yeah, the chorus to fuel is so cold, didn't think Em had it in him. JID's verse blew me away but then Em lowkey matched him crazy shit
👍great video. Just wanted to say he brings up PDiddy because they had beef in the 2000’s and then again when MGK(signed to diddy) and Eminem took shots. Candace Owens called Eminem gay and washed up two years ago, so that’s why she was mentioned. I loved the album. Only songs I skip are “temporary” and “somebody save me”. I agree, that’s not the Em I wanna hear. I hope karma gets whoever put their balls on your head..you’re a better man than me. I don’t possess that inner peace. keep up the great work.
This human is a gem... That whole part of : " I'll take it even further..." And then he proceeded to name all his identities and acknowledged the privileges that come with each membership🙏... Most humans that look and identify like him, go through life just cashing blank checks... and choosing to ignore the realities surrounding their privileged lives...💔, this is why we appreciate this man🙏... the universe really needs to bottle whatever makes him... him...💯 💐 and offer it to other members of those exclusive groups!! Em has always been deep... But this time he might've buried himself too deep.💯.. Whatever the intent and message was... it got lost in the satiric metaphors 👎... But at least language enthusiasts are having a blast, especially if they are fans of the rap/hip-hop genre, like you😊 For those unaware of Em bond with Kdot... thinking he would ever disrespect the Current Culture Chosen King of the genre... THEY are obviously NOT locked in😂 ! Your acknowledgement of your ever present homophobia reminded me of the moment I made the same realization 😢... My identities do not place me in many dominant, privileged groups, as a dark skinned black woman, mom and wife... but being a Christian, heterosexual and gorgeous😂... human, it took me years to admit and acknowledge my homophobic unconscious bias and tendencies 😢 .💔.. and it was horrifying! So I learned to commit to a lifelong effort to constantly reaffirm my ally training and actions. I had to accept and expect non closure, ... and that was hard for the overachiever super mom within💯 There is no easy, 3 seminars, checklist fix .. 😂 Believe me I tried 😭.. So Pls keep sharing your insightful point of views.... the longer the videos, the better🙏 😂... Enjoy every moment, every dance with your child... it goes by too fast😢 Et, on aime quand vous parlez Francais 😊... et le "coup de grace" example etait vraiment magnifique💐
Good dialogue, I suspect we have an actual part 2 coming that hopefully brings some more context but I do think it ends up being an okay execution of a decent if shallow concept
YES! I came here to pose an inquiry re: whether you were going to review the album. Hopefully, little less painful "devil's advocacy" than on Houdini alone... 👀
The Jason mask had nothing to do with Ye. He has used it a few times throughout the years. It was the cover on his Shady XV and I'm pretty sure he used it in his cartoon too
He did a whole tour in 2001 right after MMLP full in Jason gear, mask and chainsaw and all… it’s part of the SlimShady persona since day one…. having their origin in Detroits horrorcore rap scene….which was very popular at that time…and which got him signed. This guy just acts like some old school HipHop academic but clearly has not listened to a lot of Eminem…. Not that his perspective isn’t interesting… but it’s also a lot of projection going on too….
@@mirmimi1 I wouldn't say it's projection. More likely just ignorant to more of the irl lore. Like the Candace Owen stuff. The amount of times Professor Sykes says that this might be racially problematic when her and Diddy are completely valid targets. It would be weirder to say Em can't go at them imo
@@SlothGahd I meant more his whole essay about South Park + satire in general, it’s interesting but it’s also a topic in which he is academically interested in … and he is using this “review” to display his knowledge and lecturing everybody…. with little knowledge about the subject (Em) itself …. but yeah it engages and sparks a lot interesting conversation in the comments …. I like it.
AVAA. very conflicted on this album but for a modern Eminem album, I won’t call that a bad thing. I recommend you check out the Summer Listening Assignment EP by Mace Floyd. I think you would enjoy it as a professor. One of the catchiest rap albums of the year too!
Tech N9ne is probably one of my favorite rappers who has been consistent since the 90s. Dude has not only kept up his skills and output, but he has continued to mature his sound/ideas even while maintaining his core style. He still can make party music as well as conscious music. He's never bent over for mainstream appeal, but he's your rapper's favorite rapper and has the respect of many in the industry. He has really innovated the genre too with all the ways that he delves into other genres. Plus he has fostered a truly incredibly inclusive audience AND tons of new talent. I'd say he is the paragon of hiphop at this point.
Lupe is completely the type to DM a professor who reviews his album LMAO I'm a new Em hater. I haven't listened to Fuel because I knew the quality of the album from the Houdini single. I'm going to have to check it out now.
Didnt want to like this album when it was initially announced along with Houdini, still not a fan of the song but the album was amazing. I think he executed the concept brilliantly. Was it perfect? No. Did every bar hit? No. Were there Cringe moments? Quite a bit actually. In context of the concept/idea it fits. Im not on the Fuel bandwagon, although i think it WAS fire but wasnt the best showing from either JID or Em. The standouts for me were Lucifer, Temporary, Somebody Save Me, and in my opinion the best song on the album is Guilty Conscience 2. A track on which i ignorantly did not think he could pull that off so perfectly. It was a brilliant idea for a follow up to the original. I give the album a solid 8.5/10 and i do believe its top 3 in his catalog.
"Lamp Shady" is a brilliant way of putting it. I had this thought while listening to the album: the repetitive & outdated shock humour was nowhere near as annoying as em following up every single one of those jokes with a line talking about how lame or shocking the joke he just said was. but you worded it better so i'm stealing that. AVAA
AAVA! You mentioned the last leg of the album was an “EP”. I thought it sounded disconnected from the album but I can’t find anything online about it being a separate EP. Is that true or is that your interpretation?
Can't wait for this. I'm honestly unsure if I'm crazy or something. Listening to the album, I came away thinking that he wasn't actually seriously complaining about getting canceled and that was all part of the story of why he stopped being Slim Shady. It wasn't that he was forced to drop it, he just didn't like who it made him into and what that period represented in his life. So many people took that at face value though that it made me wonder if I was reading too much into it and reaching.
Having listened to it about ten times, I'm pretty sure my read is right. But you never know.
Your read is right but so far I think the more I pay attention to that story and understand it, the less satisfying the album is.
I came to the same conclusion too. The songs were meant to be listened to in the position that it was placed in the album showing a progression from Slim Shady to current Eminem while giving fan service to Eminem fans who have been around since his beginning.
The features on the album are great and highlights his status as the older statesman by giving almost all of his features more time to rap/sing.
Your analysis is correct
The "cancelled" was just an angle and excuse used to portray how outdated slim shady is
I agree with this assessment. Well said
completely agree
For some context on the Candace Owens disses: when Vivek Ramaswamy was running for pres, he was rapping along to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”. Em didn’t like that he was using his music so he sent a cease and desist. Candace caught wind of this then took to twitter and said something along the lines of “is it just me or is Eminem turning gay?”.
She fired the first shot, so I don’t see anything wrong with that one
Sounded pretty gay to me, references sucking off a dude a few times on the album it was weird…and gay.
I do, because we still need to take into account relative power, of both the speakers, and the allegations. A well known black woman utilizing homophobia to go after someone is not as powerful, at all, as an extremely famous white man utilizing misogyny to go after said black woman. We all understand it is not reasonable for a 6 foot 6 man to shove a kid as hard as he can just because the 10 year old shoved him first.
@@FishareFriendsNotFood972 But it’s Eminem… He even says in the album punching down isn’t beneath him
Only a deranged lunatic would be offended by another deranged lunatic calling him "gay"
@@FishareFriendsNotFood972 physical violence is in no way shape or form relatable to two idiots saying words to each other lol.
"I just want to eat my onion rings, man,"
Is the realest thing ever.
AVAA
I think you’re one of *maybe* 3 people (on TH-cam) that I’m willing to listen just ramble on endlessly, because I just know you’re always going somewhere. The fact that you don’t edit your videos is hugely interesting, because (in my opinion) you manage to make more sense than people who edit the crap out of their videos; and the fact that you use paper as “editing” substitutes is just… chef’s kiss.
Anyway, always great hearing your insight, and I’ll forever be grateful for the K&D beef for bringing your channel to my attention. Sending love, Professor ❤
I think the “wait, where did everybody go,” is much less an acknowledgement or admission of anything and just the line Ken Kaniff always says at the end of these albums, like on MMLP2
After a few listens, it might be my favorite album of his. It has the main concept, which is to show that he can still be Slim Shady but he's 51 years old. He's matured and doesn't really think that way anymore, so it's not going to seem genuine. We all should grow and mature as we get older. The music should reflect who you are as a person, not who you once were. At the same time, the songs themselves show the internal battle that he has. Because he's matured but he's obsessed with being the best, and making fans happy, that he starts trying to act like his younger self. It also points out the hypocrisy that people have. Everyone loves freedom of speech and wants Shady, until Shady says something that they don't like. Perfect example is the Candice Owens lines. People like the jokes about "woke" topics, but if he takes a shot at a political figure that they support, suddenly he needs to shut up. Also, people get mad at jokes about certain things, but only if it's something they care about. If it's something they don't care about, they'll join in on the jokes. People should be accepting of how others choose to live, but at the same time, people should learn how to take a joke. We shouldn't have to be afraid of making a joke. Everything shouldn't be so serious. I'm a quadriplegic, using my eyes to type this. I lmao at the Christopher Reeve song. I know he doesn't really hate cripples and he was just being funny. Will there be idiots who don't like us and use it as fuel? Probably. Who cares? It's not his fault that they can't understand what a joke is. Then, the layout of the songs transition from his older self to more of his newer style. With a more serious sound, speaking about meaningful aspects of his life. Lining up with his albums and displaying his growth, as a person and artist. I, personally, think it's a masterpiece. The beats hit and make your head nod. IMO, some of the best beat selections of his career. It mixed a little bit of all his past sounds, without sounding like it was just crammed together. Every listen has given me something new to think about. And he did all of that, without dumbing down his technicality and complex rapping ability. I can understand if it's just not some people's preference, but I can't see how anyone can say this is a bad album. Unless, they haven't really taken the time to get the full experience of it.
*@kinglui3422* 👏👏👏
I know it’s only your opinion but gosh it was a beautiful opinion! 🫶
His first 3 are the best. MMLP2 was his prime.This album is great to me though
Handicapped ppl always have the best sense of humor
@@Loch1210 I respect that. I just feel like the creativeness of this album is just above the others. Also, it's just a theory at the moment, but listening to the album in reverse order actually makes more sense. Like it's leading up to the Slim Shady album. You should try it.
I love the first 3 albums. I just think that nostalgia makes us view it through a lense that makes it hard to beat. We've just listened to those songs for 20 years, and went through some of the most memorable times of our lives with those songs, that it takes us back every time we hear it. But the layers in the content, the full concept, the creativity in the bars, schemes and rhyme patterns. I, personally, thought the beats were some of his best. I just think it had much more depth than any other album. I love those old albums, but they just aren't a work of art compared to this one. That's just my thoughts. Everyone values music for different things. I love the artistry and things that make my mind start thinking. This album is taking my mind through a journey, where each time I've listened I've had something different to think about.
Your comment really made me appreciate the album more and want to listen to it again. It’s definitely his best album in 20 years and I’ve heard others mention listening in reverse so now I’ll give that a try.
Am I the only one that thinks Eminem simply exercising his shadow in psychological terms through his art? Perhaps art, for him, is a personal exploration of his inner thoughts and demons, as well as his observations of the world. The creation of the Slim Shady persona seems to serve as a vehicle for expressing these darker aspects. By 'killing off' Slim Shady, Eminem may symbolize his transition into a new phase of life, signaling a need to move forward. This act could be viewed as a final 'shadow play,' a last exploration of these themes before embracing change.
Not the only one, people are just misunderstanding the album for the most part
Trust me, everyone gets it.
I think your right but the same thing that applies to satire applies to art in all forms. If everyone can't get the point, doesn't it make anti Trans stuff just straight up hatred if that's what it results in?
everybody is so focused on the whole cancellation angle that the rest of the album gets completely forgotten
even seeing Skye go 'you're not really being offensive' and then going ah, but perhaps leave trans people alone
ok? maybe give an example of something slim shady could say that would be genuinely offensive and that people would not criticize for overdoing it or being x/boomer humor
Your “Houdini” analysis kind of foretold this album concept. I’ve been waiting for your take on the album because of that.
Literally I thought I was the only one who caught that
AVAA
You said “what rappers from the 90’s are still making good stuff” and forgot about Black Thought. Dropped great albums in 2023 and 2022
What does AVAA mean
@@Kaiserfi Amazing Video As Always
THE rapper of the 90s Nas is still making good music. Andre 3k is making good music a feature verse at a time.
@@Mighty_Atheismo true. I even loved the flute album haha
Don Quixote bar on cheat codes with danger mouse
after hearing the album and reflecting on your comments and hypotheses post-houdini, i feel that eminem really went the route you predicted: he reeled people in with the bygone slim persona, then showed his maturity and the problems with it. i fear, however, that the execution left something to be desired for many listeners. that, and/or people believe that the concept itself is merely an excuse to do the whole “2024 anti-woke” thing. super curious to see what you have to say!
except he isn't anti-woke as you listen to it. seeing you write the execution left something to be desired for is absolutely crazy. this album is a masterpiece. I'm a long-term die-hard Eminem fan, and despite Genius and all kinds of reaction videos and analyses on youtube it took me until the 15th listen-through to really put the pieces together and another 5 to get some of the most important references to older songs that I know by heart. This is not because the execution is bad but, quite the opposite, because it is such a meticulously crafted detailed work.
@@crampton16I agree with OP, and when I read the execution of this album I'm not thinking about his ability to write complex rhymes, come up with clever wordplay, find really interesting intricate flows etc because he does all of that excellently. I personally was very impressed at a ton of his verses as well as the production.
When I read execution in this context, what I think of is what the video is about: how satire is a tricky thing to write because if you mess up, you just end up looking like the kind of asshole you're supposed to make fun of, and attract people who actually do enjoy being assholes and bullies and think the album is made to validate them.
Just look up reactions to the album. Soooo many people saying they feel glad cause Em is saying it like it is, and fighting against big bad woke. I don't think he is. You don't think he is. But a ton of people listening to this record do, and that's the problem with the execution.
@@lily-_- all I've been doing the last three days is watching reactions. I know what you're saying, however, I actually think that's a good thing. I like when satire is so good that it gets people to show their true colors. Then it becomes a tool where what the artists views were is not so important anymore but its main significance is holding a mirror up to society and exposing people for who they are.
mini-edit: e.g. the same can be said about South Park and Chappelle
Think you are all right in your own way.
@@crampton16Work of what, a self centred millionaire that was scared to grow up and make music that mattered. You know, America has an issue with money cos it’s like a drug and in order to get a fix you need to remain in the same state of mind. And what do you talk about when you grow up… well, Eminem I guess we will never know and in the meantime thank for listening to my idea of lack of maturity.
AVAA
The one thing about Brand New Dance is that it is a song cut from Encore in 2004 and then he just recorded "Kim Jong" and "Caitlyn Jenner" on it to make it more relevant now. Does that matter? I can't say, but I do think it leans toward that 4D Chess thing since it fully is a Slim Shady song from the actual height of Slim Shady and IMO it says more about the ways Shady is stuck in.
The real question is whether you can actually "cancel" Eminem. It is exhausting to continually hear someone with over 82 million monthly Spotify listeners claim to be a victim of "cancel culture.”Especially when his entire shtick is to provoke marginalized groups.
I think the album is much deeper than that, it's not about him getting cancelled. Now shady inspired/represents the people who claim to be victims of cancel culture. Now these are the same people who don't like Eminem's recent work, who always wanted the old shady since that's what they want. Here he is giving shady, but the satire is on the shady fans now, who will be his fans even if shady says the worst things possible, not understanding that shady is just a character. At the same time it's also the fight that Eminem is having getting rid of this character.
Ultimately I think it's his attempt at making his stans understand the difference between shady and himself, trying to give them message even when he knows that, they just want the rage
cancellations are blown very far out of proportion. it’s so rare that a public figure actually loses their fame or opportunity. at most, they lay low for a few years and hop right back in. at a certain point, celebrities just have to stop looking at the comment sections because that’s all they’re really responding to.
The album isn't about getting cancelled.. It's about exposing how outdated slim is and how eminem used him as a defense mechanism for his trauma... Guilty conscience 2 exposes everything. It's the climax of the album
@@gintoki_sakata__ Eminem has been critiquing cancel culture for over five years, both as Eminem and his Slim Shady persona.
Side note: I enjoy most of the album. However, I often find Eminem hypocritical and overly serious. My main critique is how often he makes me cringe lol
@@zacharygeesamanem overly serious????? Yea i just dont see it lol
AVAA T-13:37
My main issue with the album is that if I buy into what Eminem/Marshall/the prime man himself is saying, then Slim has been "dead" for a while now. And he's essentially had to build a zombie strawman of the character up to dance on stage for us, that he can then tear down with the most minimal of effort 2/3 of the way thru the album. And so what good music did come of that Straw Shady is undermined once we realize the schtick of the project, and instead its like, 'the real Slim Shady' would probably roll his eyes at this?
I feel like that’s kind of the point in my opinion. Slim died a while ago, Eminem outgrew him. However so many people were clamoring for him to come back with “old Em”, and to “tell it like it is”, that he uses that caricature to respond and show how Slim Shady’s outdatedness. He’s not that person anymore and he’s basically exploring why that character was put to rest.
A friend of mine is a huge Song of Ice and Fire fan. To the point where he literally read the entire series (as it stands) to me because I wouldn't do it myself. I'm pretty critical of literature, and while the books have amazing prose, they have some flaws. The main flaw I keep coming back to regarding them is how G.R.R.M tends to bury his themes in layers of obfuscation. I was fortunate enough to have enough reading comprehension to understand what he was trying to say. Most of its identifiable themes are in line with the progressive ideology which Martin promotes. The problem is by obfuscating them to the degree he does, he creates this danger zone for people without good reading comprehension. Where I see Brienne of Tarth being one of the most important characters in the book, something evidenced by how many pages she gets, in online discussions you'll see a lot of really confused people wondering why she's in the books at all. You'll find people thinking characters like Tywin Lannister or Stannis Baratheon are aspirational. When you hide what you're trying to say behind layers of obfuscation that deep, you cultivate a portion of your fanbase completely antithetical to what you're trying to say. A circumstance he unfortunately shares with one of his favorite authors, Frank Herbert. You figure he'd know better.
I don't know if Marshall Mathers really cares about social issues. He seems to. He seems to be undeniably left leaning politically, if not progressive. But I do know that if he ever really cared about those issues he probably wouldn't have obfuscated them under layers of satire so deep that his fan base became composed largely of knuckle draggers who didn't understand the joke. Money is a complicating factor here. Leaving that danger zone allows for those people to join the fan tent and spend their money on your art. I don't know how much that influenced Mathers or Martin, but I suspect the influence was not zero.
AVAA.
Excellent comment. 👍🏿
Money? Look if he cared about money he had a profile so huge he could've taken endorsement deals during his peak - famously did not because he hates doing shit outside of rap. Hated 8 mile. You dont make antiwar songs in 2004 if money is the issue. That doesnt add up.
But the trade off is the people who have higher critical faculties and more depth in their reading end up having a more satisfying experience with the text. Would you rather lose nuance and quality for the top 20% of readers to cater to the bottom 10%?
Themes should not always be shouted at the readers. Not everything has to be obvious. Some of the most important texts in literary history have obfuscated themes hidden beneath layers of allegory
@@harveyweir8061its not that binary though, i agree that shouting a message like a marvel film is bad but theres so much out there that is able to better convey the point that is being made here because they choose to ease up on the layering even just a tiny bit. from the looks of things it also seems like its a lot more than the bottom 10% getting confused and more like 30-40% and it’s probably closer to 10-15% who are bothered to understand the album, thats all anecdotal of course but between talking to friends in person and seeing discourse online i think its a somewhat accurate assertion.
@@harveyweir8061 No, I wouldn't, and I completely agree with you.
The important detail I left out is that, Martin didn't think his series would be a huge success when he wrote it. He wrote it as he basically always had, for nerds. The problem is when it became a huge mainstream success due largely to the show (though the reason it got a show is because it popped off as genre fic). Had he known where it would end up, I suspect he may have done things differently.
I'm considering the text for mass consumption though. The place in pop culture it ended up (which is absolutely not fair). As a piece of pop culture media, I think it fails to communicate effectively. He's certainly whined on his blog about how people don't get it, so I suspect he'd agree. My point isn't to finger wag at Martin and call him a bad writer, he's pretty great in a lot of ways (not all). It's to criticize the actual text and what it's trying to accomplish in its current context.
I don't think I'd want a copy of Lolita on a 7th grade bookshelf. Dangerously wrong conclusions could be reached with tangible consequences. The bad takes for Ice and Fire are less directly dangerous. More enabling romanticism of toxic masculinity and authoritarianism.
Martin has an enormous backlog of both written works and public interviews you can go through to understand what his views are. How inarguably antithetical such a surface reading would be to his intentions. Marshall Mathers has nothing going for him in this regard. He hasn't earned the right to do a satirical takedown of, say, queer people if he hasn't been willing to stand up and make it clear he's on our side. At least in my opinion.
Much love friend.
I just want to say I think this comment section is the best one I've seen on TH-cam. So many people are providing insightful commentary I think it just reflects Professor Skye and the type of content he creates.
Haven't listened to the album yet but I couldn't help but watch this video when I saw you uploaded it. AVAA!
Ok
I feel like the album did a good job of achieving its goal: to show people and reveal Ems self awareness that this Shady shit is and has always been cringe.
He points out that fans wanted the old Slim and he gave it to them in 2024 in an intentionally over the top way to show that the shit doesn't work today and never should have. It's cringe and always has been, only the masses were begging for it in the 00's and he gave it for the $$, fame, and attention.
As an example he uses the Brand New Dance that he wrote in 2004 to show that that shit is cringeworthy today but absolutely would have been eaten up by the masses if he released it then.
He says multiple times he did the edgy Slim shit because the void was there and it made him $$ and successful.
I don't believe he was trying to shock anyone with this album, but to show that his Shady antics have always been cringe and in today's climate it is so easy to spot it's embarrassing. For him, and in his opinion his fans.
I didn't get that from the album at all. He wants to have his cake and eat it too.
i really loved the beat selection and flows and voices, i feel if eminem took these things and rapped about the topics on revival it'd be insane (and he kinda did at the end of TDOSS).
the concept is Slim is trying to get Em cancelled - so in kayfabe speak you really are supposed to disagree with Slim, but he's the one rapping for half the album so its this weird dichotomy where Eminem is trying to make an album that everyone likes while putting an end to Slim and the past and the things everyone now dislikes, but those things everyone dislike take up such a huge portion of the album even when the flow and beats are great the actually message is a bit lackluster.
I couldn't agree more. In particular, I thought that Evil, Lucifer, and Antichrist all hit on the same general message and were pretty repetitive without much to show for it
Respect for acknowledging how good FUEL is. That is a solid 14/10.
I'm not one to really believe in cancel culture, but if it existed Eminem could never be canceled. lol If we are to cancel Eminem, its not because he offended anyone. It's that we are tired of hearing the same Eminem for 30 years. lol Two of my favorite songs growing up was Kill You and Criminal. Both of those FAR more offensive than anything on this album. lol But they both were well constructed and overall done way better than anything on this album. This album sounds like a cheap parady of his early stuff, while ramming the same few topics down our throats. Almost desperate at points. But nothing he said was really that offensive, because you can open Twitter and see the exact same thing all over it. lol
I lost count of how many times he mentioned Caitlyn Jenner, Gen Z, PC culture, etc. lol And its disappointing because Eminem hasn't vocally sounded this good in a decade, and he seems to be having fun. But he really didn't do anything with the concept. Outside of the skits and Guilty Conscience pt 2, he really didn't do much with the idea. And I personally believe as someone who was in the 6th grade when the Slim Shady lp came out, that at this point of his career he has so much wisdom and a unique perspectives to give us. But instead we get Tom Mcdonald rap for 70% of the album, with a rushed ending to the concept that was almost jarring.There is literally nothing here we habe;t already gotten by Eminen in the past, done way better. I am not an Em hater. This was the first Em album I stayed up for its release in so many years. But as someone who viewed his first 3 albums as my bibles growing up this album was lackluster, and surface level. Production was better than anything he's done recently, but not spectacular, and the choruses or hooks were bad to me.
I don't fault anyone who likes it. We all like music for different reasons. But I view it as edgelord shock rap, for the sake of being shocking, without much rhyme or reason. Just worse versions of his past music, with somewhat updated pop culture references. lol WAY better than Revival though. lol
Your view is wrong thou
Man I 1000% agree with what you say, if only Em could repress his urge to keep on trying saying the next shocking thing, and maybe stop choosing weak beats, we could still have a relevant artist today, with cross generational listeners. Sadly, I see him going the same route Madonna went, afraid of aging, stuck in his past figure, unable to reinvent himself,
Well fckn said. This was Exactly what I was hoping he wouldn't do ever since I heard Houdini.. Em has always been one of my Top 5, even when I probably shouldnt put him up there anymore. But this just confirms that he has not really matured nearly as much as I was hoping he would.
Folks like Lupe, Los, Black Thought, Tech N9ne, and even Nas have matured a lot. They're able to not only perform technically, but also can execute complex topics/concepts very well. But Em.... sigh... just so unfortunate that he just isn't there. I feel like he Could do it,.... but he was just a little too stuck in the kayfabe/concept.
Even the latter part that Hailie, Eminem is stuck in the past. His parenthood story is stuck when Hailie's 5 years old. Is there nothing new and interesting about parenthood, Em?
What sold it for me was the sheer number of Christopher Reeves jokes. That shit may have been hard hitting a couple of decades ago, but who really gives a fuck anymore? Not to mention the whole “what are you going to do, cancel me?” angle throughout was completely trite and unnecessary. I guess this it what happens when you build a character and career based on controversy. I feel like what he was trying to accomplish with this album was an explanation of why the Slim Shady character doesn’t work anymore, which is problematic because Slim Shady is the character that built his career. He really doesn’t have too many angles beyond that. I’ve been saying it since Revival, it’s time for em to put the mic down and retire. You can tell he really was passionate and excited for this project, so were the fans, and it just didn’t quite work. If this is the best he can do at this stage, its time to step down. Focus his attention elsewhere.
Regarding his comments on trans people and pronouns and the idea of lampshading: I feel like the key to this would probably be Stevie, Marshall's stepchild.
Stevie is non-binary and uses they/she/he pronouns, and went by a different name at the time Marshall had adopted them from his ex-wife Kim.
I mention them because they are mentioned twice by name in the "Marshall" portion of the album with regards to the love he has for his children, and even makes a brief cameo alongside Hailie and Alaina in the 'Houdini' music video during the (obviously) satirical line "fuck my own kids, they're brats", which coincidentally comes very shortly after he goes on a brief tirade about having to memorize pronouns.
Alongside the fact that Alaina is a mental health advocate, I would like to think none of the transphobia and ableism truly comes off as very genuine. If anything at all, his *true* feelings come off more as "hey, these are new rapid changes in society. That's crazy, yo. My kids probably know better than I do".
A question I found myself asking regarding a lot of the "Boomer X" -isms of the album was, "why now?". Considering the faster discussions on identity politics and re-examining our culture, vocabulary and microaggressions started kicking into high gear in the mainstream in the past 10-ish years (there is a whole discussion to be had about Gamergate and the alt-right pipeline), this album would have been more appropriate to come out in 2016-17 had the lampshading been more sincere. Eminem comes off as poking the bear's nest to intentionally get a rise out of people with topics he doesn't have too much expertise, or frankly, care for.
If anything, the timing of this album only strengthens my point about this album's Slim Shady being self-aware satire, because 'Gen Z' is far stronger as a 'subculture' to 'cancel' Eminem.
He's gone far enough out of relevancy that the only true danger of his satire not being picked up on is people talking about how fucked up what he's saying is, rather than having any true power to influence much people outside of the "Boomer X" crowd, which frankly, few people have any respect left for.
Longtime Eminem fan here since the Marshall Mathers LP and I loved this review! I'm otherwise more than happy with a million bad reviews for this album if the only positive ones left are the ones that misunderstand the album as ammunition against the 'woke, Gen Z, PC police' boogeyman.
yes! i was waiting to see your analysis and reaction to this album as soon as i finished my first listen! can’t wait to say AVAA :)
This review articulates a lot of the thoughts I had listening to this record, mainly that, Eminem is trying hard to sell the concept of the album, being that he's using the caricature of Slim Shady to play around with these touchy topics, and sensitive subject matter, but only half assing it so that he's never actually saying anything interesting or genuinely shocking about it.
The break-off point where Marshall kills the alter ego and goes into songs that are about his genuine life experiences, love for his daughters among other earnest and wholesome thoughts, just kinda makes me feel like they're out of place among all the bars about being too much for Gen Z to handle. There's some genuinely good moments on this album, the features are definitely a strong part that adds the variety that Eminem lacks at times, and some of the skits and more humorous bits thrown around the album keep the charm that classic Eminem tended to have.
Although overall it's just hard for me to buy it, to buy the concept or the message that Marshall is trying to communicate, because it hardly translates, and most people who are taking it at face value are either gonna be turned off or will be cheering along like how people who identify with Cartman do.
em is universally agreed to be one of the GOATs, yet he seems so deeply concerned with proving himself and being liked. i look forward to hearing what you have to say!
@@megan-mr9vk Bad childhood coupled with bullying - that'll stick with you...
It's weird 🤔
The fact that when he raps, there's still hunger in him.. He sounds like an underground artist trying to get signed
Not sure to feel sad, inspired to admire or just worried
@@gintoki_sakata__ why would you feel sad or worried? He lives and breathes hip hop, and want nothing but respect from his peers. I don't see anything wrong with that
@@gintoki_sakata__ I think that’s the thing with trauma- and what I relate to in Em. I had a bad home life and came from poverty too. Even though I am inarguably in a great place in my life and financially I still have that hunger. It doesn’t leave you after you’ve been through shit like that. When you know you have to depend on yourself and take care of those you love.
em himself critiques those feelings on guilty conscience 2 :) I think it shows a lot of introspection
"If you're worried about trans rights, don't worry! They're going away!" Got me rolling lol
I think that's the biggest disconnect. For Eminem, trans issues aren't a life or death thing. He only views it through the lens of media representation and narratives. He is a man obsessed with words. What they mean, how they sound, how they feel, and the effect they have on people. Us trans people, we're not even having the same conversation as EM. For us it's about survival, for Em it's about semantics. For us it's about our rights being systematically stripped of rights by our government, but for Em it's about ego.
Eminem out of anyone, should be keenly aware of the power of words. Yet at the same time he seems to take them so lightly. Which is it? Is he arguing words should be rigid, inflexible and tied strictly to scientific definitions, or is he saying words don't matter I can say whatever I want and you can't stop me nananana XP
I'm all for freedom of speech, but something tells me for Em it's something deeper than that. If i were to take a guess, i think it stems from him feeling insecure. If you live your life being defined by achievements of your mid-20s, the less secure you feel when you fall short of that. He probably misses a time when he could hop on the mic and make groundbreaking album after groundbreaking album. Words literally saved him, but now those same words loom over him. What do you do when you feel like the thing you value most is being taken from you?
Quit whining, goddamn. You're the reason so much of the population unfairly views and judges trans people. Just do your thing, it's all good, you're fine.
What you are saying in that first paragraph is very right, and is made even weirder by the fact that one of his children is non-binary. You'd suppose he'd be closer emotionally to the topic than he displays, but there is this weird detachment to it no matter how often he brings it up
I think you should 1) listen to the whole album 2) re-listen to guilty conscious. Yes he makes those jokes but he makes them about everybody and that has a reason
thank you for this video, I was having so many similar thoughts while I was listening but I am not smart enough to put it all into words like this. for most of the runtime I was like "ok I get what hes going for here, but he didnt HAVE to say all that, and a lot of people are absolutely going to miss the point"
I hope it was Lupe who messaged you
Listen to how he pronounces it at the end of “guilty conscience 2” I think he’s aware of the correct pronunciation
Thanks for this review! It was very interesting to hear your thoughts. Some of it aligned very closely to my own, others were pretty different and that was interesting to see.
Eminem has always been one of my favorites, even when it was popular to hate him. But honestly, this album makes me want to retire him from my personal library just because he just hasn't matured how I'd like to see. He'll always be a GOAT of course, but I just can't bring myself to say he is still one of my favorite rappers when we got OGs like Tech N9ne, King Los, Lupe, and more still growing in maturity while maintaining their skills.
Then of course we got all manner of new folks like JID, Denzel Curry, Kenny Mason, Ez Mil, Samad Savage, Tierra Whack, Megan, and more doing great things too. I just don't see the point in Em anymore if he's not going to keep up with the times. He'll always be in my older playlists, but this aint going on my new one.
AVAA you never disappoint! I’ve felt crazy trying to tell people that this album is a satire (whether or not it landed is up for debate) and was starting to question whether or not I was the one missing something! Knew I could count on Skye to have THE analysis of the album
If one day I could be 10% as smart and analytical as you are, I'd be a very happy man. Incredible analysis as always. I will now also say Coup de Grâce the correct way lmao.
AVAA. Love the message and the energy prof. I feel the frustration and share it too. ❤️
I completely agree with everything. I thought this albums was gonna be the first 2-3 songs were gonna be super satire and stupid then Em gets super introspective the rest of the album and explains how he grows and talk about everything he said in those previous tracks. Instead 85% of the album is him talking about nothing and doing bad satire. It just makes the album not replayable.
You just sound like someone who has never really got Eminem and you only really said you did back in the day to give yourself some edge. I suspect you only ever really listened to the singles.
@@aarpoonwaify6694 no???? He’s just corny now. Back then it was fun because it was a new sound and his music was actually good now it just comes off as a middle aged man going through a mid life crisis. It comes off as desperate, sad and embarrassing. It’s different when he’s young because it’s funny but he’s never evolved. He’s not nearly as bad and embarrassing as Drake but it’s the same idea, Drake and em haven’t really grown. Again Drake is wayyyyy worse but it’s the same idea
@@MCwaver now he’s an expert in his craft, creating flows and schemes never heard before and way beyond the more simplistic patterns he used 20 years ago. Rather than just raw aggression and shock his analysis of the world is far more cultured and nuanced now, reflecting the fact that he is a 50 year old man. You must have missed songs like Castle and Arose because you were too busy pretending you were now down with J Cole and Kendrick, or whatever the latest scene you claimed to be into as you hung around like the Buscemi meme.
What is embarrassing is people like you who jump on the bandwagon of hating on someone once their popularity hits a certain level coz heaven forbid you would ever enjoy something the masses did.
It’s the same middle class bullshit that only liked Eminem when they thought it would give them cred, coming back to try and tell the poor white trash to stay in his lane.
🥱
As thought out as the album definitely is, i don't think everything said has a set intention. Like the blurring of satire and lampshading and a third or fourth is really interesting to me exactly because is so unclear and vague, and it does have a rorschach-y vibe to it. You can really feel the confusion of Eminem (or Marshall), that whole shabang of fearing what you don't understand and projecting personal insecurities. All and all a portrait of being unsure, be it him or his audience, and kind of reveling in the chaos of it - and to me, a very fun album. AVAA!
You're so on point with your analysis, I love this album, even though I could never get away with saying half of what he said.
Truth be told, he arranged words, double meanings and punch lines in a way that I've only heard for Lil Wayne.
AVAA, some of your framing was very helpful to understanding and helping explain the project, I referenced your South Park analogy in my upcoming review, hope you don’t mind, genuinely a genius way to illustrate what Eminem is doing here
Such a great video, exactly what I needed. This album was so confusing for me! I grew up with em but also have young friends and I could not think he was more cringe in this album but he's also hitting on nostalgia with really good technical skill and it makes my brain HURT talking about this to other people of different generations
The thing that people miss about the supposed satire of this album, is that in the text, Em doesn’t actually kill Shady. Everything up until Head Honcho is a dream. He had a bad dream about losing control of his Shady persona, which is and will always be a part of him. He didn’t actually kill it off, other than maybe this will be the last time that he does it. So yeah, he’s acknowledging that certain things Shady says on this album are bad, but Marshall himself still wants to say them, and he did
He’s basically saying, this is a part of me, and I know it isn’t great, but I can never really get rid of it
When did Eminem say he was a hero? Slim Shady is not a hero he speaks what everyone else is thinking but is afraid to say
speak for yourself. if what Slim Shady says is what you're thinking about but you're afraid to say, you might have some issues lol
I actually love your analysis of the album. I understand not being sure of it was satire or not. I took it as satire and was so confused why everyone disliking it was not seeing the possible satire at all. I however do like temporary, if give the album 7-7.5/10. Eminem however is my favorite artist, but I truly believe this is his best work since mmlp2/relapse.
Shady DMed me. Said he spit on those onion rings anyway.
Definitely gotta say, initially I enjoyed a couple of the tracks as they released. But things got me tilting my head when I really listened. Looking forward to your take on Em's latest offerings
What if you view this album as a play, and the repetitive mentions of the same people are the characters in the play, so they make multiple appearances in different songs?
I view the story as Marshall's internal struggle between Eminem and Slim Shady. Who he mentions, and why, take a backseat to the internal story.
I think he wants people to know that Slim Shady died when he overdosed in 2007. He has dreams that Shady is back, and he's scared to let him back out. Not because he cares if he gets canceled, but because of what that would mean for Marshall the human. Slim Shady was birthed from drugs and alcohol, and that nearly killed him. He probably has PTSD thinking about that time in his life, and people are always saying he needs to bring Shady back.
I think this is his way of showing why he can't let that happen. Personally, he just can't. But also because he knows the shady persona wouldn't hit the same way these days while still showing we shouldn't be scared to speak our minds for fear of getting canceled.
“people rub balls on my head all the time” AVAA
AVAA
I think the only time that this album's schtick actually works is on the the song Trouble, its genuinely so stupid and doesnt try to defend itself to the point where it loops back around and becomes funny. its a fun coincidence that the only song where the schtick works is only 40 seconds long
808s and heartbreak was the blueprint for My Beautiful dark twisted fantacy
MTBMB was the blueprint for TDOSS
Black thought is still making good albums 😢😢
There are Liberal edge lords that still understand that the joke of being edgy is that what you’re saying is wrong. The problem with centrist or right edge lords is that they aren’t joking. They just say things they believe in a joking tone.
My problem with the album is, the audience will either dislike his joke or clap along with it.
You very eloquently managed to capture the reasoning behind some of the general awkwardness I feel when I see present Eminem. Granted, there was a gap period between the times I would actively listen to him. But coming back to present Em, I sometimes wondered how he can evolve now that he's VERY comfortably in a place of, as you say, privilege. Prefacing this discussion with South Park and the topic of satire was absolutely perfect. I'm a new follower of this channel, and here is my very happy first "AVAA"!! Great video.
His war with GenZ and wokeness and cancel culture is 100% satire. Not sure why you're even doubting. It's the funniest part of the album for me. And the reason he makes excuses for what he says when speaking as his old self is because that's what the old him would do. He would use his daughters to prove he's not misogynistic.
EDIT: Road Rage seems like satire to me with how it's presented. It also seems to be written like I'm Not Racist by Joyner Lucas. I think that's what he was going for. Old Eminem trying to explain himself. There's a whole skit inserted of him shutting modern Eminem's mouth and saying "I know what I'm doing". I think you're supposed to look at this album as old Eminem coming back, not Slim Shady, that includes the old Marshall too.
AVAA, Again!
Prof Skye is IT. :-)
Your students are/were so fortunate. Thank you for giving us your wisdom and objective opinion.
AVAA. Thank you for your review, it's really good coming from the perspective of a critical casual listener of Eminem. As a Stan who is a nonbinary feminist, I love this album. It's basically an Encore 2, a posthumous album. It's so subversive and very queer-pessimistic. I consider it to be a fan service album.
The reason why the groups he targeted is weirdly specific is because most of them are all related to himself in some way. He is always conscious of his height, that's why Slim calls him m---et. He also uses this word to refer to rappers that are inferior to him. He also have hearing problem and once induced severe tinnitus. He's been called the r word by his teacher because of his neurodivergence. He's been called gay (lesbian) and trans by MAGA and transvestigators for years ever since Revival. And he has an nonbinary child. Drug abuse, mental health issues and excessive eating also lead him to obesity and overdose during his hiatus years 2006-2008. Before fame he's also struggled with overweight issue.
My take on this is that he's ultimately projecting the hatred towards himself. He has always been very self conscious and self-deprecating. I don't necessarily agree with the idea that the first part is only the death of Slim Shady, because he's also torturing Marshall himself. It's him actually being apologetic and connecting with the targeted group in a twisted manner. Him going after gen z to me is just again him trolling his old age.
What impresses me the most is that he is using transgenderism as an analogy to his own identity which is a bit more complex than the rich middle age straight white man that he appears to be.
He has always been transgressing boundaries. He's a lower class white person growing up in a black community and eventually becoming a megastar via black music. He's looked down upon as the w*gger, but he's also been called vulture. More examples are him being homophobic but also homoerotic (in his lyrics, his broadcast appearances, and in this album the song Evil in which he says he's not straight). He likes to crossdress in his music videos. He's been seen as this cringey old edge-lord but also a perpetual child. He's both a bully and a victim.
There's so many contradictions that it's just impossible to fit him neatly into one category. Throughout the album he mentions Caitlyn Jenner, a homophobic MAGA trans woman multiple times. He also says he's more confused than black transgender Klan member, he's a master of masquerading, a god of facade. Essentially, he's comparing himself to these people who are very complicated in terms of identity politics. He parallels his Marshall/Slim Shady hybrid to the idea of transgenderism. It's so creative and inspiring to me as a nonbinary person, and I just love it.
Slim Shady is also a metaphor of his addiction(to drugs, to offend, to competition etc.). It's very apparent. Also in Road Rage obesity verse, he's comparing his addiction to drugs to obese people's overeating (a phase he's been through). He's again going after himself with this verse.
In Houdini, again the Bud Light shirt and the transgender cat line is just the transgenderism recurring theme. Interestingly, in the music video, the color palette of room filled with Slim Shadys of different genders and races is the color of the bisexual flag. I think by now his stance on trans rights and queer rights are pretty clear.
In this album he's so introspective, self-reflective and self aware. He hates himself so much. It's really sad hearing him going down the spiral of self loathing as a fan. But it's also about his renaissance because he's put Slim Shady, an embodiment of his struggles, pain and anger, to his deathbed. It's a new beginning.
Love your whole take! … and that you brought up class, because even though his success made him rich …. it’s gets so often ignored by critics and overlooked that with him it’s an huge issue ….for years he never displayed wealth (quite the opposite)….and to this day he identifies with the uneducated lower class white trash part of society (f.e. his hall of fame speech where he specifically mentions that he just has an HipHop education)…and like in the Tobey Video still working the lowest paying job in his „Detroit stamping“- jumpsuit etc….
Ps: regarding transgenderism and his whole crossdressing thing……His middlename is Bruce, hence the „fixation“ on Kaitlin Jenner….just an idea
Love, love the complexity and thoughtfulness of this album from front to back….and at the same time being very entertaining to listen to…
You "understand" that it's a concept album and then proceed to not understand it's a concept album for the rest of the video
people don't get satire. but more broadly people take things out of context, as people are with the new em. i remember when it happened to kdot's auntie diaries v trans community
AVAA!
As always, thank you for the very insightful review Prof Skye, especially the point you made about the intricate nature of satire. I cannot help but think that Plato’s observation that all comedy are inherently tragic applies to this album very well. In comedy, the spectator laughs at the suffering of those who are worse off than them in virtue and other qualities. But in doing so they are blinded by their own conceit and vices. In turn, they become worse off than they were originally, which is the exact formula of tragedy - not to mention the total blindness to oneself. In a similar way this is what this album feels like. Everything feels like a joke and not a joke. There seems to be a cult of those who are “in on the joke” and everybody else who are outside this circle is made fun of. But this could easily slide into a complete blindness of one’s own blindness to oneself through this false sense of superiority. At his best moment Eminem brings in a seriousness that is properly self-reflexive of what he is doing. But perpetual satirization (just like perpetual lying) only pulls the ground of one’s ability to distinguish what is genuine and what is not. This is why I think a lot of times I cannot tell if he is lampshading or notching, or if he is satirizing or actually being hateful.
It also does not help, as you pointed out, that a lot of these remarks 1. Targeted against specific marginalized groups within marginalized groups who have far less of a voice 2. Feel contrived in terms of their shock value. It thus feels as if he wants to appear shocking, as if he hopes that he could get canceled to prove his point that “people today can’t take satire anymore.” But of course he is not going to get canceled(or even appear shocking), and I am very skeptical of the value of this kind of sophistical rhetoric. We do not need more contrived shocks when what is actually shocking are normalized as everyday matters.
I kinda disagree about south park. I mean, yes, they're making Jew jokes, but Cartman is explicitly a bad person in the show. Matt and Trey are not punching down at Jewish people in a similar way Tarantino isn't punching down at black people by making a movie (Django) where slave-owners use the n-word.
The first question i had going into the Album was why would the album start with him spitting on a grave? Instead of everyone questioning that, they were stuck on the hawk tuah girl. Then more questions arose looking back the roll of this album. "and for my last trick." what exactly was the last trick?
In the Tobey video, did Slim cut off em's are or the other way around?
The alarms and screams. Its at the end of some songs and skits. But also at 2:55 of Antichrist after the Diddy line, why?
Why did he laugh after Paul hung up on him?
I'm sure there more certain sound cues during other songs.
The album isn't just about how the satire doesn't work anymore, it's about what slim represents in his life. The good and the bad. The addiction and him neglecting his family. At that time. It's his inner stuggle with addiction and his fans want the old Em. The old Em/slim literally almost killed him. Its does really seem the albums goes both ways and the all thr songs after Guilty Concious 2 aren't like an EP, but they make total sense and an integral part of the story.
There just seems to be more to it. I haven't listen listened to the bonus tracks, i would if there's any other lines or sound cues.
AVAA DON QUIXOTE MENTIONED that book stopped me from being bored to death when I was in the mental hospital
What were you in for
the commitment to printing and not editing is so needed today AAVA
I think all in all, the best thing to think about is how we age.
I'm only 19, and I'm driven and healthy(ish), but i know I won't be that way forever, and I have always found Eminem interesting as a result because of how he chooses to react to the world he is in.
He has litterally everything he could ever want and it seems like he still has peeves and gripes lol.
Idk, I'm most likely overthinking it, but it's definitely a interesting little "thought exercise" lol
Also, Pete Rock and commons new album is all about embracing your age and rocking with it, so there is a juxtaposition there imo
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and opinions on this great albums even though i don't agree with all you said i love how you tried to make in depth and insightful
As a black man fuck it ill say it, regardless of what you believe in politically a white man shouldn’t be telling a black woman she turnt her back on black people because she what, makes us take accountability for our actions? That whole rant he went on was ridiculous and in a way Candace is correct because i see a lot of black conservative reactors that ALWAYS have a problem with anybody else’s art who also happens to be a liberal because they’re apparently “snowflakes” but because Eminem has these 14 year old type jokes and is an edgelord they totally switch the grift specifically for him even though he has an entire cringy freestyle dissing Donald Trump, i just get pissed off by the lack of consistency amongst different reviews Ive seen
This is how I explain enjoying this album. I spend an hour and a half explaining all the problems but then say, almost in whisper, I really liked it though.
Black Thought still makes good albums!!!
True!
Candace Owens said he was washed up and a closeted homosexual because he wouldn't allow a republican use Lose Youself in their campaign ralleys. That is why Candace gets referenced in the album.
Great analysis. I’m also stoked on this album. I do have to say though, that in the Guilty conscience 2 Em actually does say coup de grace with an “s”, so at least he knows how to pronounce it. As a side note, one of my favourite TH-camrs pronounces it “cut the grass”, which is hilarious for me. Also, as literally everyone is saying, I don’t think it’s possible to cancel Eminem, even if anyone would want to. And nobody wants to, except maybe Candace fans, who have no power to do it. As I watch the reviews and reactions, it’s clear that people either don’t care about Eminem, and couldn’t be bothered to do anything to actively cancel the man, or they are fans, and will stan him even if he went full Ye. The rest, the actual haters, are a statistical error, all they can cancel is their Disney Plus subscription.
AVAA!! Have you ever thought of starting another channel where you talk about classic and even modern literature? There's so few content creators making good content about literature, and i would love your insight. Cant wait for you to review anna karenina, ali and nino, middlemarch, inferno and so much more.
So can I ask did you listen to this album in the correct order??? Try listening to it from the back to the front. This is actually him bringing back Slim Shady which most likly will be his last album as his alter ego.
great analysis professor skye :) thank you for sharing your opinions AVAA
There's an idea going around Twitter today that this album can be reversed and listened backwards to get a second version of the album and its concept. Think of the Judas Priest trial, with accusations of playing the music backwards reveals hidden satanic messages? Em did it literally.
In the reverse order, Slim Shady changes Marshall Mathers to look like him with the blonde hair, and Shady kills Marshall, ending with Shady spitting on MM's grave.
So that's like a return to the Death of Marshall, like you mentioned. We're not left with Em, we're left with Shady. I think in a way this is him owning all his bad behavior on this album, and him accepting that Shady isn't just a mouthpiece.
There's a pop-up store with a Shady theme going on today and there are 2 coffins in there. One coffin has "Shady" with blonde hair and the Jason mask, and the other casket is empty save for dead roses. Think of the symbolism there. The man in the mask is Marshall. And the guy we think is dead is out there running around.
I think you’re 100% correct. The point of the album was to blur the line between Shady and Marshall. Shady is and will always be a part of him
I’m not so sure he apologized to Benzino or Ja, he just says that he’s done mocking them
I get the criticism, I probably fall somewhere similar to you in that I am keen on the album but there are still things I disliked. I think some people just like hating the guy and despite him saying things they agree with, if he says things they don't agree with, they can't look past it and just completely dismiss the album. This album has some killer tracks and some I'll never listen to again much like many albums.
I don't think it's a dud or a masterpiece
The question is not whether he should be cancel but whether he can be cancelled
As a standup comedian, artist, and creator; Satire will always walk a fine line between being precociously antagonistic and endorsing. Being a hetro married queer colored person (wow what a set of pronouns without verbs), I say all the bad words. Personally I do it because bigots use avoidance to dog whistle their ideas and when you say it out loud it grounds the idea in the foundation of hate that it stems from. Being aggressive with this language is necessary to rage against the machine. I won’t work on Maggie’s farm no more.
I don't necessarily agree with what you're saying, but i completely see your point. People can be dumb sometimes, but art makes a point that's ahead of its time too, you know
16:24 prof didn't make a mistake here. See, it's his subtle comment on Em's usage of satire and flipping it around and back to flip people's head around... then getting his message across the album. Masterful physical performance, prof!
AAVA
I love this video i would love to know what you think about Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Throughout watching this video I kept thinking of RXKNephew and how he is actually shocking and hilarious and he attacks both sides. I get what I used to get out of eminem when I was in my teens out of RXK now
trouble is actually probably my favorite track. I feel while you can argue for Someone save me being the most emotional on the album, I feel like trouble and other first half tracks were the most emotion I felt. Eminem arguing with himself throughout this track actually felt genuine.
The thing is, Eminem has never been the most emotionally intellectual and mature, and I think the track itself does a really good job at reflecting this. A lot of it is Eminem really asking himself why he feels so strongly and weird about this, and why he continues to have outrageous lyrics and be edgy. He doesn't know why, and I think for a lot of people learning to be better people they might not know either, and it's also why I guess you could say the slim shady persona is so volatile, because Em doesn't have the answers to these questions.
I think it also explains why the second half feels so messy, all over the place, and just not well structured. It's Eminem trying to organize his thoughts. I think when you consider emotions into opinions and thoughts about things, it can get really fuzzy and muddled. On first listen, it felt like he was trying to justify his brash and edgy attitude, but looking back, it feels more like the ramblings a very confused person.
I don't think Em quite hit the mark on this album as a story. It doesn't really make a defining point about anything, but I think that's also what makes it so good. It's a snapshot on who Eminem is right now. And, as pretty much a dedicated Em hater, I really can respect him for that.
I get what you are saying but I'm ready to go back to just being fine saying whatever you want. Yeah there were really bad parts of that. But this new feelings first mentality has put us somewhere where we can't actually point crap that's right in front of us. There's so much over hysteria and feelings about everything that nothing matters. There are so many people offended for shit that applies to me and doesn't apply to them. And I find funny or just don't care. It's exhausting and makes us be a population that can't say the emperor has no clothes.
AVAA: I know im a little late on this review, but in my opinion, this alumn is the musical 'reincarnation' of the Bill Burr movie. Like Eminem, I do think that Bill Burr is an intelligent and influential figure in pop culture that does or did have some important things to say. As a comedian, he does what most great comedians do and uses hyperbole and a great story telling voice to ultimately reveal important things about our culture.
But the whole time I watched Bill Burr's movie, I felt that he was just pandering to Boom-Xers, just like you said this album does. And the thing is, I tried really hard to like the movie. Again, I enjoy some of Bill Burr's previous work and people who I know in real life and people I've seen through other content I consume have praised the movie and made it out to be this amazing piece of art that the "woke critics" just don't understand. But at the end of the day, it had the same problem you mention this album does. It seems like it's fighting invisible stawmen of cancel culture and left wing radicalism that don't really even exist. It's like watching someone with ptsd swing and scream at things that aren't there. And ultimately, there are just too many layers of satire and irony that the whole thing comes off as shallow, rather than being genuinely thought provoking. And even as someone who isn't very fond of cancel culture and tried to have a generous viee going into the movie, it was very painfully clear that he ultimately was trying to appease and act as some kind of pseudo-chamption for the Boom-Xers. These same people complain about big companies being sell-outs to "woke culture", and yet fail to see that is exactly what Bill Burr did with his movie, except he sold out to middle aged suburban dads.
I think this point is perfectly illustrated with the way the film portrays mental health. I don't know if youre interested on watching the film, but spoiler alert: Burr's character eventually gives in to the wishes of his wife and seeks therapy for his agression, after seeing a reflection of himself (as someone who hates gen z wokeness) in an old man (someone of the silent generation who's hating on his generation, gen x). This was honestly a pretty good resolution, and I think would have been a sign of good story telling, both humanizing Burr's character and both acting as a way to destigmatize men seeking mental health. But in the final scene, Burr essentially erases this entire narrative development to make another anti-woke joke, and suggesting that therapy didn't actually solve Burr's characters issues or allow him to develop, it just allowed him to more quietly express the same cartoonish distain for anything "soft" or "gen-z".
Also side note: the whole time he's trying to go for a late 90s or early 2000s disney movie vibe with the narration, which I assume is either meant to be another element of satire or nostalgia-bate, but honestly it was just really, really cheesy.
@31:00 AAVA fuck yeah, the chorus to fuel is so cold, didn't think Em had it in him. JID's verse blew me away but then Em lowkey matched him crazy shit
He went at Candace owens because she said something about him. Stop it
👍great video. Just wanted to say he brings up PDiddy because they had beef in the 2000’s and then again when MGK(signed to diddy) and Eminem took shots. Candace Owens called Eminem gay and washed up two years ago, so that’s why she was mentioned. I loved the album. Only songs I skip are “temporary” and “somebody save me”. I agree, that’s not the Em I wanna hear. I hope karma gets whoever put their balls on your head..you’re a better man than me. I don’t possess that inner peace. keep up the great work.
AVAA The only review of this album I actually care about
This human is a gem... That whole part of : " I'll take it even further..." And then he proceeded to name all his identities and acknowledged the privileges that come with each membership🙏... Most humans that look and identify like him, go through life just cashing blank checks... and choosing to ignore the realities surrounding their privileged lives...💔, this is why we appreciate this man🙏... the universe really needs to bottle whatever makes him... him...💯 💐 and offer it to other members of those exclusive groups!! Em has always been deep... But this time he might've buried himself too deep.💯.. Whatever the intent and message was... it got lost in the satiric metaphors 👎... But at least language enthusiasts are having a blast, especially if they are fans of the rap/hip-hop genre, like you😊 For those unaware of Em bond with Kdot... thinking he would ever disrespect the Current Culture Chosen King of the genre... THEY are obviously NOT locked in😂 !
Your acknowledgement of your ever present homophobia reminded me of the moment I made the same realization 😢... My identities do not place me in many dominant, privileged groups, as a dark skinned black woman, mom and wife... but being a Christian, heterosexual and gorgeous😂... human, it took me years to admit and acknowledge my homophobic unconscious bias and tendencies 😢 .💔.. and it was horrifying! So I learned to commit to a lifelong effort to constantly reaffirm my ally training and actions. I had to accept and expect non closure, ... and that was hard for the overachiever super mom within💯 There is no easy, 3 seminars, checklist fix .. 😂 Believe me I tried 😭.. So Pls keep sharing your insightful point of views.... the longer the videos, the better🙏 😂... Enjoy every moment, every dance with your child... it goes by too fast😢 Et, on aime quand vous parlez Francais 😊... et le "coup de grace" example etait vraiment magnifique💐
Good dialogue, I suspect we have an actual part 2 coming that hopefully brings some more context but I do think it ends up being an okay execution of a decent if shallow concept
YES! I came here to pose an inquiry re: whether you were going to review the album. Hopefully, little less painful "devil's advocacy" than on Houdini alone... 👀
The Jason mask had nothing to do with Ye. He has used it a few times throughout the years. It was the cover on his Shady XV and I'm pretty sure he used it in his cartoon too
He did a whole tour in 2001 right after MMLP full in Jason gear, mask and chainsaw and all… it’s part of the SlimShady persona since day one…. having their origin in Detroits horrorcore rap scene….which was very popular at that time…and which got him signed.
This guy just acts like some old school HipHop academic but clearly has not listened to a lot of Eminem…. Not that his perspective isn’t interesting… but it’s also a lot of projection going on too….
@@mirmimi1 I wouldn't say it's projection. More likely just ignorant to more of the irl lore. Like the Candace Owen stuff. The amount of times Professor Sykes says that this might be racially problematic when her and Diddy are completely valid targets. It would be weirder to say Em can't go at them imo
@@SlothGahd I meant more his whole essay about South Park + satire in general, it’s interesting but it’s also a topic in which he is academically interested in … and he is using this “review” to display his knowledge and lecturing everybody…. with little knowledge about the subject (Em) itself …. but yeah it engages and sparks a lot interesting conversation in the comments …. I like it.
@@mirmimi1 ah I got you
AVAA. very conflicted on this album but for a modern Eminem album, I won’t call that a bad thing. I recommend you check out the Summer Listening Assignment EP by Mace Floyd. I think you would enjoy it as a professor. One of the catchiest rap albums of the year too!
1 hour professor skye video LEEEESGOOOOO
Im excited to hear your thoughts. I liked the concept of the album but i think it could have been executed better.
Tech N9ne is probably one of my favorite rappers who has been consistent since the 90s. Dude has not only kept up his skills and output, but he has continued to mature his sound/ideas even while maintaining his core style. He still can make party music as well as conscious music.
He's never bent over for mainstream appeal, but he's your rapper's favorite rapper and has the respect of many in the industry.
He has really innovated the genre too with all the ways that he delves into other genres. Plus he has fostered a truly incredibly inclusive audience AND tons of new talent.
I'd say he is the paragon of hiphop at this point.
Lupe is completely the type to DM a professor who reviews his album LMAO
I'm a new Em hater. I haven't listened to Fuel because I knew the quality of the album from the Houdini single. I'm going to have to check it out now.
Excellent video thank you professor
Didnt want to like this album when it was initially announced along with Houdini, still not a fan of the song but the album was amazing. I think he executed the concept brilliantly. Was it perfect? No. Did every bar hit? No. Were there Cringe moments? Quite a bit actually. In context of the concept/idea it fits. Im not on the Fuel bandwagon, although i think it WAS fire but wasnt the best showing from either JID or Em. The standouts for me were Lucifer, Temporary, Somebody Save Me, and in my opinion the best song on the album is Guilty Conscience 2. A track on which i ignorantly did not think he could pull that off so perfectly. It was a brilliant idea for a follow up to the original. I give the album a solid 8.5/10 and i do believe its top 3 in his catalog.
I'm gen Z and saying Reeve is a bad Supe is crazy still
Your lampshading sort of lol. This is very educational.
"Lamp Shady" is a brilliant way of putting it.
I had this thought while listening to the album: the repetitive & outdated shock humour was nowhere near as annoying as em following up every single one of those jokes with a line talking about how lame or shocking the joke he just said was. but you worded it better so i'm stealing that. AVAA
Balls on head? What goes on in male friendships?? lmao
AAVA!
You mentioned the last leg of the album was an “EP”. I thought it sounded disconnected from the album but I can’t find anything online about it being a separate EP. Is that true or is that your interpretation?
AVAA PS! Would love to hear your thoughts on reverse theory!