Eminem isn’t really a Rap God. The title is just a metaphor. Rappers have been calling themselves “King” since Run-DMC’s second album. They’ve been calling themselves “God” for a long time too, as Wu-Tang fans can attest, but the boastful declaration has received a recent surge in popularity. Kanye West’s Yeezus album, released a few months ago, includes a song entitled I Am A God. Jay-Z is also one on his album. It’s a new trend among popular rappers. What separates Eminem from the rest is that he generally raps better than they do. So when he follows along and calls himself a God, which the most religious of his detractors will probably consider blasphemous, it’s a little closer to the truth.

The problem is that the song doesn’t really match the claim. Not to say that it’s a lackadaisical affair. It seems Eminem put a lot of effort into composing these verses, the third of which lasts for nearly sixty bars. It’s just that rhyming a complex array of words at Supersonic speed doesn’t compensate for a lack of clever or otherwise interesting things to say. The “Columbine” line is a nostalgic highlight; listen for the gun sound effect; and the Ray J bit is sort of funny, but most of this is just a long-winded Eminem rapping to a generic beat produced by someone he should’ve passed for DJ Premier. The hook is weak too. The song, based on the concept alone, would’ve been better without any breaks.

my rating : 3 of 5

2013