Dope, classic or straight confused? Well, the latter ain't for me. This is Eminem's first single off MMLP2, and the thoughts are explosive. So Eminem's eighth studio album was released in style as a commercial at the VMA's, along with the release date of 5th November 2013. Shocked by the date? Nope. The album title? Yes. In case you didn't know, MMLP2 stands for Marshall Mathers LP 2, sequel to Em's 3rd album that further pushed his fame into universal stardom and put him on his way to one of the best rappers of all time. He is, after all, one of my favourite rappers of all time and one I look up to, so I gripped and twisted my fingers hoping Berzerk, the first single, would be at least Recovery standard. But, it's gone high and above it. Let's talk about the producer for Berzerk: Rick Rubin. So if you haven't known, Rick has produced some of my personal favourites, and recently includes Linkin Park's Living Things and Jay-Z's Magna Carter... Holy Grail. However, his past work is where he shines, producing for The Beastie Boys, one of America's finest artists in previous years. However, this time, he lends his expertise and even samples the 'Go berserk' line during the chorus. The track blends brilliantly well with Em's aggressive style raps and verses, delivering punchlines and his often forgotten Slim Shady persona, now among the Eminem faithful, is finally back again. On to the song, Berzerk feels very lively and energetic. Off the top and simply regenerated, Eminem seems to have ditched the style he wore with Recovery, this time proving that the predecessor record might have been a mistake, as stated in the song with 50 Cent and Adam Levine in My Life. However, Berzerk was just a complete diffusion from the track that was simply firing and hammering, which Survival was, released last week for the Call of Duty: Ghosts game. It is a little radio hip, you have to no doubt claim that this is the closest Eminem has ever been back to his old self, which is during The Eminem Show and Encore (well, not much). Relapse seemed to feel like The Eminem Accents Show, of which my only favourite to be fair was Beautiful. I've heard praises from Recovery, but a true Eminem fan won't deny that it was his best record. In fact, The Marshall Mathers LP was the best record and one of my personal favourites. Now, a sequel is on it's way. Berzerk is classic and sheer vintage Eminem. You can hear the utmost perfect Slim Shady voice through the mic and as the dust settles, you nearly forget that Eminem had aged after all these years. Berzerk consists of some metaphorical nonsense including 'Mayhem to the a.m.' and a particular diss at the Kardashians. Even a close reference to Kendrick Lamar could be heard. Nostalgic about it? Berzerk may broaden Em's fan base, but let's be honest, 15.4 million followers on Twitter? This single is bound to be loved by fans around the world, but the Recovery patients might not like it. We're gonna' rock this house until we knock it down Originality: 9/10 - Eminem sounds better than ever, and with Rick pushing greater boundaries, the track consumes critics and haters alike.
Sound: 9/10 - Eminem's Slim Shady persona and alter-ego might be externalised, but it hasn't lost touch. The verses and hook is just granted the nucleus of the track. Lyrics: 9/10 - The verses packs punchlines, , metaphors and resolved words and vocabulary. The hook, combined, precedes over it well and sets us up for the next album. Overall: 27/30 - Eminem is back, and there's no doubt about it. Stronger, more aggressive and just rhyming out this world, he comes back to tell us that Slim Shady still lives under a certain shadow, this time it's his turn to shine. I'll be playing it for days, so let's celebrate Em's finest return in true glory. Berzerk is out on iTunes, so go grab it!
2 Comments
William
2/9/2013 10:55:26 am
Just curious - what original song is the sampled "go berserk" line in the chorus from?
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B30
2/9/2013 02:13:38 pm
I remembered it being a Beastie Boys song, but not sure which one.
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AuthorBenny Ong: Just your regular guy who likes soccer more than most people, and also a little downtime is pretty nice. Archives
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