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Album Review: “Music to be Murdered By”

Last updated on Feb 6, 2020

BY JASON GLICKMAN
STAFF WRITER

Guess who’s back, back again? Eminem dropped his 11th studio album, “Music to Be Murdered By” on Friday, Jan. 17. He released the album without warning; it seemingly came out of nowhere, similar to how he released “Kamikaze” back in 2018.

Even though the album attracted instant attention on social media,  some dismissed it since it came out at the same time as the late  Mac Miller’s album “Circles.” Others dismissed it because his music’s style has changed.

Some students didn’t finish listening to the album or even start listening to it at all. “Listening to Eminem in 2020? Couldn’t be me,” Jada Harrison, a junior broadcasting major, said.

The album features multiple younger artists, such as the late Juice WRLD, Ed Sheeran, Anderson .Paak, Don Toliver, and Young M.A. While the younger artists delivered flashy verses and catchy hooks, Eminem supplied a flurry of lyricism and double entendres to complement.

Of course, it wouldn’t be an Eminem album without controversy. He brought up the Manchester bombing at the Ariana Grande concert that happened back in 2017. The mention came on the second track of the album, “Unaccommodating,” which served as an intro to the hard-hitting “Darkness” five songs later.

However, some students appreciate the controversy. Freshman nutrition major Adriana Ciminelli loves that Eminem says what he thinks. “It’s so raw and honest,” she said. “He doesn’t sugar coat anything at all and just says it how it is.”

One of the most impactful of the songs on the album was “Darkness,” where Eminem wrote from the perspective of the Las Vegas shooter from 2017 while drawing parallels to his younger, drug-addicted self. At the beginning of the song, Eminem uses lyrics such as, “If I pop any caps, it better be off of vodka, that’s a lot of shots, huh?” That could refer to either his younger self abusing alcohol, or to the shooter.

As with all music, some like the album, some dislike it. Overall, Eminem has done better in the past, but this album is still significantly better than 2017’s “Revival” or 2018’s “Kamikaze.” If a student has some time to kill and wants to listen to some new music, they can put on some headphones, and listen to some “Music to Be Murdered By.”

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