After 3 long years of silence, The Marshall Mathers LP2, the newest album from rap sensation Eminem hits shelves today, and the world is ready to receive. Despite his long absence from the spotlight, Eminem remains one of the biggest superstars of our time. With more than 77 million Facebook page likes in total, he is second only to Rihanna at 79 million. Considering the combined reach of the pair, it is not surprising that “The Monster,” (a track one can’t help but consider to be the new version of “Love The Way You Lie”) was one of the singles released in the run-up to the album.
Eminem already made headlines this week, when he was somewhat surprisingly dubbed Artist of the Year at the YouTube Music Awards. Considering the list of fellow nominees, a rather recent return to the scene, and a relatively low number of views compared to say PSY or Epic Rap Battles of History, critics were skeptical of the win. Either way, the nomination alone helped drive video views for Slim, who saw more than 25 million in the past month. The video of his live performance of “Rap God” during the show has now been viewed more than 1.3 million times.
By now you would think that most people know who Eminem is. Yet he has the second-highest number of Wikipedia page views this past week, at more than half a million. Only rock legend Lou Reed, who passed away last week, had more. On the eve of release he counts about 16 million Twitter followers in total, more than Miley Cyrus, about as many as One Direction, and a little less than Bruno Mars. His engagement numbers are up, more than half a million twitter mentions in the past month is close to a 200 percent increase from the month before.
The album, which the rapper described as more of a “revisitation” than a “sequel” to The Marshall Mathers LP in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, feels like familiar territory.
Eminem's social numbers are up across the board as he prepares to release his eighth studio album.
On “Legacy,” both the rhythm and sounds of rainfall harken back to smash hit “Stan,” though it is “Bad Guy” that has Reddit ablaze about it being from the perspective of Stan’s younger brother Matthew. On “Rhyme or Reason,” which cleverly samples from the Zombies and even includes a Yoda impersonation, Eminem talks about his lack of a father and how this has made him – surprise, surprise – angry. “Rap God” is rife with controversial references. “The Monster,” is definitely a hit song and explores his tumultuous relationship with fame, but somehow fails to live up to the emotional rawness of “Love The Way You Lie.” His collaboration with Kendrick Lamar “Love Game,” is a playful track, again a rework of an old hit in Wayne Fontana and the Mindbender’s “The Game Of Love.” “Headlights” probably sounds more like a Fun. song than an Eminem track, but Eminem’s trademark rap style still shines through when he takes the mic.
Overall, it’s Eminem as we know him. He’s still angry. He still calls himself Slim. He’s still a bit of a petulant child. And he is still making hits.
from Forbes.com: Most popular stories http://www.forbes.com/sites/livbuli/2013/11/05/the-return-of-a-rap-god/
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق