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.

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 Guardian_s 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 Fit_s 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 Reporter_s 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 Union_
- Joyner 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"

## Other websites

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

## Infobox (album)

- **name**: Kamikaze
- **type**: studio
- **artist**: Eminem
- **recorded**: January–August 2018
- **studio**: Effigy Studios, Ferndale, Michigan, U.S.
- **genre**: Hip hop music, Hip hop
- **length**: 45:49
- **label**: * Shady Records, Shady
* Aftermath Entertainment, Aftermath
* Interscope Records, Interscope
- **producer**: * Eminem (also exec.)
* Swish Allnet
* Fred Ball (producer), Fred Ball
* Boi-1da
* Illa da Producer
* Jeremy Miller
* Tay Keith
* LoneStarrMuzik
* Mike Will Made It
* Luis Resto (musician), Luis Resto
* Ronny J
* Symbolyc One, S1
* Tim Suby
* Jahaan Sweet
- **prev title**: Revival (Eminem album), Revival
- **prev year**: 2017
- **next title**: Music to Be Murdered By
- **next year**: 2020