Dr. Dre recently announced via Jimmy Kimmel Live that a new Eminem album is on the way. According to the acclaimed producer, the project is nearly finished, meaning it could be released very soon. For the last several years, Eminem has taken to surprise album drops with no advanced notice or promotional singles, meaning the latest still-untitled project could be released any day now. While fans are understandably excited, Eminem has hit a few stutter steps in his career that raise trepidation in hip hop heads awaiting his latest full-length release, with hardcore Stans hoping for a few specific outcomes. Let’s examine five things we desperately want from Eminem’s forthcoming eleventh solo studio album.
5. A Tight Tracklist
Eminem’s career on the mic has spanned over three decades at this point, meaning the veteran MC has persisted through a number of industry trends. One issue plaguing new releases right now is overly bloated tracklists designed to capitalize on streaming hours. While some artists, such as French Montana, have released albums clocking in at over 90 minutes, others have taken to tightening their projects down to only 7-9 tracks to provide a quality-over-quantity approach. While Eminem’s biggest fans would certainly be happy to take in as much new music as possible on the new album, it may be best for the 51-year-old to focus on a concise, thematically-focused LP with no filler.
Eminem’s last full-length efforts, Music To Be Murdered By Sides A and B, were criticized for containing 20 and 16 tracks, respectively, offering fans a sort of “throw it at the wall and see what sticks” approach. His next album should remove extraneous tracks and skits and offer a tight tracklist that leaves fans wanting more.
4. Dr. Dre Beats & Production
Some of Eminem’s best work, dating back to the origins of his career, has seen him locking in with his mentor and frequent collaborator Dr. Dre. Luckily, Dre has already confirmed his involvement with the new album during his Jimmy Kimmel Live appearance, stating, “I’ve got songs on it, and it’s fire.” While there’s no way of knowing just how involved Dr. Dre is with the full production, the legendary producer confirmed that he would listen to the full draft and provide some additional mixing shortly after his television interview. If the fans are truly lucky, Dr. Dre’s production and mixing credits will be all over this new album.
3. No More Pop-Inspired Radio Singles
Songs such as “Love The Way You Lie,” “Not Afraid,” and “Monster” have their place in Eminem’s discography, and that place is in the past. At this point, it seems obvious that there is simply no need for Eminem to continue flexing his pop-friendly radio appeal, especially when artists such as J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and even Drake have proven that you don’t need to sacrifice style for substance to make hit records. Eminem’s next project would benefit from following the blueprint of recent Nas albums produced in collaboration with Hit-Boy. These projects, which include the King’s Disease and Magic trilogies, prove that middle-aged legacy artists can still reach career highs while remaining true to their roots and offering straight bars to their base of hardcore hip hop heads.
While Music To Be Murdered By and Side B offered fewer radio-type songs than some of Em’s previous work, they still had moments that dipped into pop territory, with features from the likes of Skylar Grey and Ed Sheeran. While we mean no disrespect to radio-friendly pop musicians, these tunes have always rubbed Eminem’s core listener base the wrong way. If there’s any hope for the celebrated artist to drop a late-career classic, he needs to do away with the notion that a female-sung chorus is a cheat code for album sales.
2. Features From Other Hip Hop Legends
To further build off the previous point, Eminem should enlist the rhyming efforts of other rap industry veterans, who can motivate the Detroit-born artist to lay some of his most competitive bars yet. Eminem has been in the studio with artists like Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Nas, Kid Cudi, and more in recent years, prompting some of his finest feature verses in a long time. With any luck, the new album could see Shady Records collaborators like 50 Cent, Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, and Westside Boogie joining the tracklist.
Eminem’s most critically panned albums, such as 2018’s Revival, have leaned too heavily on pop singer guest vocalists in place of hardcore lyricists. There is no question that Eminem’s pen game is as elite as some of the leading names in the industry today, and there’s absolutely no reason why celebrated rhymers like J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, or Freddie Gibbs would snub the opportunity to get on wax alongside the “Real Slim Shady” rapper.
1. Cool, Laid Back Flows
One of the biggest issues plaguing Eminem’s body of work in the last several years has been his aggressive, shouting, staccato flow. While the angsty vibes may have been a welcome crutch to deliver some mind-boggling bars on a track or two, Eminem has become the subject of memes and ridicule for his frequent overindulgence of this flow. Some of his newer feature verses on tracks such as “The Adventures Of Moon Man & Slim Shady” with Kid Cudi, “Lord Above” with Fat Joe, or even Lyrical Lemonade’s “Doomsday Pt. 2” have seen Eminem relaxing and delivering his bars with a slick, chilled-out vibe, allowing the rhymes to speak for themselves. If the fans are fortunate, the new Eminem album will feature new and inventive delivery without the tired staccato that the rapper has come to rely on.
Of course, Eminem’s core base will eat the new album up no matter what, though the project could be instrumental in shaping the opinion of a new generation of hip hop listeners. As Eminem transitions into a new phase in his career, the eyes of the hip hop community will no doubt be tracking his every move.
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