Kamikaze (Eminem album)

Kamikaze (stylized as KAMIKAZƎ) is the tenth studio album by American rapper Eminem. The album was released on August 31, 2018, through Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, Interscope Records and Goliath Records.

The album features guest appearances from Joyner Lucas, Royce da 5'9", Jessie Reyez, and uncredited vocals by Justin Vernon. The album is executively produced by Eminem, credited as Slim Shady, and frequent collaborator Dr. Dre. Production on the album comes from a variety of producers, including Mike Will Made It, Illa da Producer, Ronny J, Cubeatz, Backpack, Boi-1da, Jahaan Sweet, Tay Keith, Tim Suby, LoneStarr Muzik, Fred Ball, S1, Luke Wild, and Luis Resto.

Recording and release 
Eminem had previously mentioned working on a song for Venom and released the album to streaming music service Spotify without any promotion or announcement on August 31, 2018.<ref name="release">{{Cite web |url=https://news.avclub.com/eminem-drops-a-surprise-album-raps-about-venom-1828735511 |title=Eminem Drops a Surprise Album, Raps About Venom|last=Hughes |first=William |work=The A. V. Club |date=August 31, 2018}}</ref>

The title track had previously been performed at the 2017 BET Awards.

The cover art is inspired by the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill.

 Critical reception 

According to review aggregator Metacritic, the album has an average critic review score of 67/100 based on four reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Aja Romano of Vox called the album Eminem's best in years, citing a return to the rapper's old school sound after deviating with Revival. Ed Power of The Daily Telegraph also compared this album to Revival, calling Kamikaze a "a high-kicking, low-punching riposte", indicating it is a better release. In NME, Dan Stubbs gave the album three out of five stars, saying that Eminem is out of step with trends in hip hop by writing, "there's a sense Eminem struggles with the modern world" but stating that "there are plenty of moments... that remind us of Em's greatness". The Guardians Alexis Patridis also gave the album three out of five stars and commented on Eminem's generational difference with current hip hop stars, summing up, "...if you're going to listen to a middle-aged man complain that hip-hop isn't as good as it used to be, that it might as well be Eminem." The Line of Best Fits William Rosebury gave the album 7 of 10 stars and commented that "...Kamikaze is the sound of Eminem with his back against the wall, and this has led to some of his most invigorated writing in years—albeit with some troubling lyrical results. Whether he'll be able to maintain this level of energy into his next project is up for debate; for now though, any inspiration is promising. Similarly, A. D. Amorosi of Variety sees the album as similar to Eminem's earlier work, stating, "[his] voice hasn't sounded quite so cranky, silly, impassioned or enraged since his early days". In The Atlantic, Spencer Kornhaber addresses both comparisons with Revival and current hip hop stars on Kamikaze stating, "Really, though, Eminem is waging a war over aesthetics, and Kamikaze is a better listen than Revival because its concision confirms Eminem's value as an entertainer... Certainly it's refreshing that in a genre especially obsessed with statements of dominance, Eminem doesn't disguise his feelings of irrelevance. He does, however, try to claim his influence."

In a negative review, The Hollywood Reporters Jonny Coleman considered the album an "epic fail" and described it as "the work of an aging artist trying, and failing, to remain relevant by acting out." In Billboard, Mikelle Street said "Eminem needs to be held accountable for using homophobic slurs (again)," further adding, "the idea that listeners are too "soft" for critiquing the ways in which rappers weaponize the identities of others against them ignores how hip-hop is a reflection and arbiter of culture."

 Track listing 
Credits adapted from Spotify.

Notes
  signifies a co-producer
 "Greatest" contains an interpolation of "Humble", written and performed by Kendrick Lamar
 "Kamikaze" and "Fall" feature uncredited vocals by Justin Vernon

Personnel
Eminem – vocals, production

Additional musicians

Asheton Hogan – composition on "Greatest", for sampling "Humble"
Kendrick Lamar – composition on "Greatest", for sampling "Humble"
Little Dragon – composition on "Normal", for sampling "Seconds" from Ritual UnionJoyner Lucas – rapping on "Lucky You"
Jessie Reyez – rapping on "Nice Guy" and "Good Guy"
Paul Rosenberg – discussion on "Paul"
Royce da 5'9" – rapping on "Not Alike"
Justin Vernon – vocals on "Fall"

Technical personnel
Swish Allnet – production on "Normal"
Fred Ball – production on "Nice Guy"
Boi-1da – production on "Lucky You"
Cubeatz – production on "Not Alike"
Dr. Dre – executive production
Illa Da Producer – production on "The Ringer", "Lucky You", "Normal", and "Good Guy"
Tay Keith – production on "Not Alike"
LoneStarr Muzik – production on "Normal"
Mike Will Made It – production on "Greatest" and "Fall", composition on "Greatest", for sampling "Humble"
Backpack – production on "Greatest"
Luke Wild – production on "Greatest"
Luis Resto – production on "Stepping Stone" and "Venom'' (Music from the Motion Picture)"
Ronny J – production on "The Ringer" and "Not Alike"
S1 for S.K.P. Inc. – production on "Normal" and "Nice Guy"
Jahaan Sweet – production on "Lucky You"
Tim Suby – production on "Kamikaze"
Gianni Giuliani – production on "Not Alike"

References

Other websites 

List of references to other rappers on the album
10 Things to Know About Eminem’s Surprise Album, Kamikaze from Vulture

2018 albums
Eminem albums