The morning of August 31, 2018 marked the beginning of a new era in Eminem’s catalogue.
With no warning and no promo, Marshall released a surprise drop that crash-landed at No. 1 with 434,000 units in its first week – the fourth-biggest opening week of 2018 in the US. More than half (252,000) came from traditional album sales, and 225 million streams gave Eminem his largest streaming week up to that date. In the US, it was certified Platinum by the RIAA in under two months and is registered as the best-selling pure hip hop album of the year.
Tried not 2 overthink this 1… enjoy. 🖕#KAMIKAZE Out Now – https://t.co/ANw73KbwMt pic.twitter.com/qfQoTYBTUy
— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) August 31, 2018
Since then, the album was certified Platinum in 8 countries and has gained over 3.6 billion streams on Spotify.
It seemed like the audience really appreciated the urgency that they could taste in every track. Released just eight months after Revival, which critics received coldly, Kamikaze was recorded in response to that treatment and carried that immediacy. It was embedded in the moment and left an impression of being alive and unfiltered. The whole release went against the working method Marshall usually seems to prefer. If Eminem normally works on his songs until he is completely satisfied, puts almost finished ideas away, then returns later to see whether they still hold up, Kamikaze felt more spontaneous and direct. And the audience liked it.
Yet even though Kamikaze was rooted in one very specific moment, its replay value remains high. Admittedly, Kamikaze is not among Eminem’s most streamed projects. Eight years later, listeners still return to it more often than to The Slim Shady LP and, ironically, Revival. For an angry slap back, that is a definitive victory.