Music to Be Murdered By - Side B 2020 Album

Eminem

Perhaps this is more consistent than his past couple of albums. There aren't the really poor moments, but the really high moments are also less frequent. He has so many songs like 'Black Magic' with a softly sung hook from Skylar that he's done before. 'Alfred's Theme' is a minute too long without any change-up in the beat. 'Tone Def' is a little better, but again, the beat isn't great by any means. The first couple get a touch boring and the beat change helps 'Book of Rhymes' be the first noteworthy song and one of the best on the album. The hook on 'Favorite Bitch' is good where Em personifies hip hop. 'Gnat' is enjoyable thanks to a vibey beat and with a topical Covid chorus. 'She Loves Me' sounds like something from Relapse and the final track 'Discombobulated' feels similar. 'Killer' has a bouncy beat as well. He still raps as well as anyone and is often a joy to listen to, but the beats aren't to my liking at any high level. I wish he'd just go back to rapping over beats from the Eminem Show era or get Premo or a more boom-bappy producer to produce a whole album for him. Best Tracks: Book of Rhymes, Gnat, Killer, Discombobulated