Kamikaze (stylized as KAMIKAZƎ) is the tenth studio album by American rapper Eminem, surprise released on August 31, 2018. It features guest appearances from Joyner Lucas, Royce da 5'9", Jessie Reyez, and uncredited vocals by Justin Vernon.
Kamikaze received mixed to positive from critics. The album was officially certified Platinum by the RIAA on October 22, 2018. The album has sold 434,000 copies.
Description[]
"Everybody's been telling me what they think about me for the last few months," Eminem says on "Fall." "Maybe it's time I tell them what I think about them." Just eight months after the vulnerable Revival, Eminem has heard the doubts about his relevance and issues a brutal rebuttal; those doubters might feel nervous upon listening to "The Ringer," which is Em going through receipts over an ominous beat. (Prediction: "I can see why people like Lil Yachty, but not me, though" will break Rap Twitter.) Kamikaze feels like 2002 again—Eminem blowing off steam and blowing up the high road, rapping angry, yet in total control. On "Not Alike," he teams up with his old right-hand man Royce da 5'9" to clown Auto-Tuned rappers over a trap beat reminiscent of BlocBoy JB's Drake-featuring hit "Look Alive." "Greatest" is a prime Shady flex, brushing off disses like crumbs (Die Antwoord gets roasted). As usual, relationships aren't spared his rage; "Nice Guy" is a salty he said/she said featuring rising R&B star Jessie Reyez. During his freestyle cypher at the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards, Eminem drew a line in the sand to weed out Trump supporters from his fan base. Kamikaze extends the challenge to his non-believers: Which side are you on? – Apple Music
Recording and release[]
On October 10, 2017, Eminem released an anti-Donald Trump freestyle titled "The Storm" at the 2017 BET Hip-Hop Awards. His freestyle was later mentioned on the song "The Ringer". Producer Illa da Producer sees Kamikaze identical to The Slim Shady LP in terms of its ferocity rather than Revival.
On August 30, 2018, Eminem posted a 15-second teaser of a new song on Twitter, featuring the logo of the comic book film Venom, without comment. American singer Justin Vernon of the indie folk band Bon Iver, whose vocals were uncredited on track 10 of Kamikaze titled "Fall," disclaimed his participation in the album, claiming he was not in the studio when the recording was made.
Artwork[]
The artwork was fully illustrated by Mike Saputo, where he and Em's team put the booklet and packaging together in three days. He only received a memo a month ahead of the album release, where Eminem requested a homage to Beastie Boys' debut album Licensed to Ill.[1]
Front to back, the full album cover of Kamikaze shows Lt. Mathers III, a fighter pilot, intentionally crashing a North American F-86 Sabre fighter jet into an unknown object. The tail number "TIKCUS" backwards is "SUCKIT" ("suck it"). The Beastie Boys' cover had the tail number "3ATM3," which reads "EATME" when read in reverse.
Controversy[]
Eminem vs. Machine Gun Kelly feud[]
Eminem and rapper Machine Gun Kelly have had an ongoing feud for years because on May 7, 2012, he tweeted about Eminem's daughter Hailie, who was 16 at the time and he was 22, saying she was "hot as fuck." On September 3, 2018, MGK released a diss track titled "Rap Devil" in response to "Not Alike." Ronny J produced both songs. The track's title refers to "Rap God" and Eminem went into the studios days later to record his own response. His song was called "Killshot" and was released on September 14.
Homophobic slur[]
On the track "Fall", Eminem uses the homophobic slur "f****t" against rapper Tyler, the Creator. Singer Dan Reynolds of rock band Imagine Dragons has criticized his use of the slur, calling his language "hateful." Guest vocalist Justin Vernon has separated himself from the collaboration due to the message. Eminem later apologized in his "Kamikaze interview" with Sway Calloway.
Response[]
Rapper Ja Rule responded on Twitter, re-igniting a feud the two had in 2002. Joe Budden, Lord Jamar, 6ix9ine, Iggy Azalea, Die Antwoord and Lupe Fiasco have publicly responded to Eminem, with the third releasing a skit called "Legend" that raps over "Lose Yourself". Artists like 50 Cent have come out in support of Eminem.
"Hi Bich" allegations[]
In response to allegations that the pre-chorus and chorus of the song "Not Alike" sound similar to Danielle Bregoli/Bhad Bhabie's "Hi Bich," she has responded that she takes the comparison as a compliment. She revised the lyrics of her debut mixtape 15 to pay respect to Eminem.
Reception[]
Despite the controversy, Kamikaze received generally positive reviews from music critics. Metacritic gave the record a 62 out of 100 based on 16 critics.
Track listing[]
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Ringer" | Marshall Mathers, Katorah Marrero, Matthew Jacobson, Ray Fraser | Illa da Producer (Part 1), Ronny J (Part 2), Eminem[a] | 5:37 |
| 2. | "Greatest" | Mathers, Anthony Tiffith, Asheton Hogan, Jeremy Miller, Jordan Carter, Jordan Jenks, Kendrick Duckworth, Michael Williams II, Symere Woods | Mike Will Made It, Miller | 3:46 |
| 3. | "Lucky You" (featuring Joyner Lucas) | Mathers, Matthew Samuels, Jahaan Sweet, Gary Lucas, Fraser | Boi-1da, Jahaan Sweet (Part 1), Illa da Producer (Part 2), Eminem[a] | 4:04 |
| 4. | "Paul (Skit)" (featuring Paul Rosenberg) | Paul Rosenberg | Eminem | 0:35 |
| 5. | "Normal" | Erik Bodin, Fraser, Larry Griffin, Jr., Mathers, Yukimi Nagano, Maurice Nichols, R. Sheldon, Fredik Wallin, Hakan Wirenstrand | Illa da Producer (Part 1), LoneStarrMuzik, S1 (Part 2), Swish Allnet[a] | 3:42 |
| 6. | "Em Calls Paul (Skit)" | Mathers | Eminem | 0:49 |
| 7. | "Stepping Stone" | Mathers, L. Resto, Mario Resto | Eminem, L. Resto[a] | 5:09 |
| 8. | "Not Alike" (featuring Royce da 5'9") | Brytavious Chambers, Mathers, Ryan Montgomery, Spence, Jr. | Tay Keith (Part 1), Ronny J (Part 2), Eminem[a] | 4:48 |
| 9. | "Kamikaze" | Bobby Ervin, Mathers, Dwayne Simon, James Smith, Timothy Suby | Suby, Eminem[a] | 3:36 |
| 10. | "Fall" | B.J. Burton, Mathers, L. Resto, Justin Vernon, Williams | Mike Will Made It, Eminem[a] | 4:22 |
| 11. | "Nice Guy" (with Jessie Reyez) | Mathers, Fred Ball, L. Griffin, Jr., L. Resto, Jessica Reyez | Ball, S1, Eminem[a] | 2:30 |
| 12. | "Good Guy" (featuring Jessie Reyez) | Mathers, Reyez, Norio Ano, Fraser, Lisa Gomamoto, Yukata Yamada | Illa da Producer, Eminem[a] | 2:22 |
| 13. | "Venom" (Music from the Motion Picture) | Mathers, L. Resto | Eminem, L. Resto[a] | 4:29 |
Notes
- ^[a] signifies an additional producer.
Sample credits
- "The Ringer" contains an interpolation from "Ooouuu", written by Matthew Jacobson and Young M.A, as performed by the latter.
- "Greatest" contains an interpolation from "Humble" as performed by Kendrick Lamar and "wokeuplikethis*" as performed by Playboi Carti featuring Lil Uzi Vert.
- "Normal" contains a sample from "Seconds", written and performed by Little Dragon.
- "Kamikaze" contains a sample from "I'm Bad", written by Bobby Ervin, Dwayne Simon, and LL Cool J, as performed by the latter.
- "Good Guy" contains a sample from a cover of "Glassy Sky" from the anime series Tokyo Ghoul, sung by Donna Burke.
Charts[]
Weekly charts[]
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
 Australian Albums (ARIA)
|
1 |
 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)
|
1 |
 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)
|
1 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)
|
3 |
 Canadian Albums (Billboard)
|
1 |
 Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)
|
1 |
 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)
|
1 |
 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
|
1 |
 Estonia (Eesti Ekspress)
|
1 |
 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)
|
1 |
 French Albums (SNEP)
|
3 |
 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
|
2 |
| German Albums (Top 20 Hip Hop)
|
1 |
 Greek Albums (IFPI)
|
1 |
 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)
|
8 |
 Irish Albums (IRMA)
|
1 |
 Italian Albums (FIMI)
|
1 |
 Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)
|
24 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)
|
32 |
 Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)
|
1 |
 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
|
1 |
 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)
|
1 |
 Polish Albums (ZPAV)
|
3 |
 Portuguese Albums (AFP)
|
4 |
 Scottish Albums (OCC)
|
1 |
 Slovak Albums (IFPI)
|
1 |
 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)
|
12 |
 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
|
1 |
 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)
|
1 |
 UK Albums (OCC)
|
1 |
 US Billboard 200
|
1 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
|
1 |
Year-end charts[]
| Chart (2018) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)
|
6 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)
|
25 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)
|
21 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)
|
82 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)
|
10 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)
|
25 |
| Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)
|
14 |
| Estonian Albums (Eesti Ekspress)
|
12 |
| French Albums (SNEP)
|
92 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
|
34 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)
|
89 |
 Icelandic Albums (Plötutíóindi)
|
41 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)
|
19 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)
|
65 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
|
9 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)
|
108 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)
|
100 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
|
19 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)
|
9 |
| UK Albums (OCC)
|
10 |
| US Billboard 200
|
17 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
|
13 |
| Chart (2019) | Position |
| Australian Albums (ARIA)
|
23 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)
|
62 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)
|
169 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)
|
25 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)
|
72 |
| Icelandic Albums (Plötutíóindi)
|
97 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
|
20 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
|
67 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)
|
90 |
| UK Albums (OCC)
|
67 |
| US Billboard 200
|
52 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
|
39 |
Decade-end charts[]
| Chart (2010–2019) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200
|
184 |
Certifications[]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| [[File:|20px|link=]] Platinum | 70,000*** | |
| [[File:|20px|link=]] Platinum | 15,000*** | |
| [[File:|20px|link=]] Platinum | 20,000*** | |
| [[File:|20px|link=]] Platinum | 100,000*** | |
| [[File:|20px|link=]] Gold | 100,000*** | |
| [[File:|20px|link=]] Gold | 25,000*** | |
| [[File:|20px|link=]] Platinum | 15,000*** | |
| [[File:|20px|link=]] Gold | 10,000*** | |
| [[File:|20px|link=]] Platinum | 20,000*** | |
| [[File:|20px|link=]] Gold | 5,000* | |
| [[File:|20px|link=]] Platinum | 300,000*** | |
| [[File:|20px|link=]] Platinum | 1,000,000*** | |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References[]
- ↑ "Mike Saputo (@msaputo)". Instagram. August 30, 2018.
Kamikaze
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