MTV News serves up a closer look at Em’s rhymes.
Eminem isn’t one for holding back. Throughout his career, Slim Shady has used a rhyme book as a canvas to draw out his deep-rooted feelings, inner demons and wildest fantasies. On his upcoming November 5 album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Em shows no signs of switching things up.
On Monday night, Em linked with Rihanna to drop their new duet “The Monster,” and along with it’s catchy chorus and acoustic pop bounce, the Detroit MC dropped some pretty heavy lyrics that may take fans a few listens to digest.
MTV News spun it a few times and here is a breakdown of our favorite lines.
Beware Of The Fame Monster
Back in his battle-rap days, it seemed that all Eminem wanted to do was be the best MC that he could. Somewhere along the way he hooked up with Dr. Dre and became the top-selling artist in the last decade. All of the hoopla has always made Slim uncomfortable, and on this new track, he’s once again at odds.
“I wanted the fame but not the cover of Newsweek/ Oh well, guess beggers can’t be choosy/ wanted to receive attention for my music/ wanted to be left alone in public, excuse me,” Em raps.
Who The Heck Is Kool Keith?
Eminem’s Kool Keith reference may have gone over the heads of many, but it’s just Marshall’s way of paying homage to those that came before him. The Bronx, New York-born Keith Thornton was a founding member of the influential 1980s rap group Ultramagnetic MC’s, and with his solo career, he emerged as one of rap’s most creative and strange characters.
Albums like 1996’s Dr. Octagonecologyst surely influenced an up-and-coming Eminem. “Going as cuckoo and kooky as Kool Keith/ But I’m actually weirder than you think,” he spits nodding to the underground legend.
Em Loves An Underdog And Football And Tupac
When Em spit “It’s payback, Russell Wilson falling way back,” he accomplished so much.
On the surface, the line is a toss to the NFL quaterback who slipped to the lowly third round of the NFL draft in 2012 because NFL scouts thought he was too short. Last year, the Seattle Seahawks star led his team to the playoffs and won the league’s Rookie of the Year Award.
Ultimately the star lyricist calls out Wilson’s critics and those who never thought Em would make it because of his skin color — and he used a Tupac rhyme pattern SaveFrom.net to boot.
When In Doubt, Quote Yourself
So who was Eminem talking about when he spit, “Now, I ain’t much of a poet, but I know somebody once told me to seize the moment and don’t squander it”? Well he was talking about himself, of course, referencing his 2002 #1 single SaveFrom.net “Lose Yourself.”
Someone Call A&E
The TV network A&E’s “Intervention” was one of our favorite shows before it ended in July (especially this episode SaveFrom.net), and clearly Em was a fan as well, calling out to the show’s motivational speaker. “I think you’ve been wandering off down yonder/ And stumbled onto Jeff VanVonderen/ ‘Cause I need an interventionist to intervene between me and this monster,” he rhymes.
