Kamikaze (Eminem album)

Did You Know?

• The album cover appropriates the design of the Beastie Boys' 1986 album Licensed to Ill; Beastie Boys member Mike D said, "We feel flattered."
• The track "Good Guy" contains a sample from an AmaLee cover of "Glassy Sky" from the anime Tokyo Ghoul.
• The album's artwork features fighter pilot LT. Mathers III intentionally crashing an F-86 Sabre fighter jet into an unknown object.

Recording and release

Eminem released a remix of his Revival song "Chloraseptic" featuring 2 Chainz and Phresher on January 8, 2018, in which he mocked critics of the album. Photos from January 22, 2018, showed Mike Will Made-It in the studio with Eminem and Dr. Dre. Producer S1, who had tried to work with Eminem during the Revival sessions, kept sending him beats that were later used on Kamikaze. The afternoon before the album's release, Eminem posted a 15-second teaser of a new song featuring the logo for the film Venom. On August 31, 2018, the album was released to digital music stores and streaming services without promotion or pre-announcement, a strategy he would repeat with 2020's Music to Be Murdered By. Billboard credited the success of the surprise release to Beyoncé's self-titled fifth studio album, which had been released without promotion in December 2013 and changed the global release day from Tuesday to Friday. The album was sold on Eminem's website in several formats, including bundles with merchandise. He used Instagram and Twitter to announce the release and relied on feedback from diss tracks and Internet hype to spread word of the album. Weeks after the album's release, Eminem took out a full-page ad in The Hollywood Reporter mocking negative reviews, including that publication's own review. He had previously debuted the freestyle "The Storm" at the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards using similar lyrics to the title track, and he debuted a clothing line featuring "The Kamikaze" t-shirt the month prior.

Critical reception

AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a 5.6 out of 10 based on critical consensus, and other assessments of the consensus were mixed. Aja Romano of Vox called the album Eminem's best in years, citing a return to his old school sound after Revival. Ed Power of The Daily Telegraph compared it to Revival, calling Kamikaze a "high-kicking, low-punching riposte" and a better release. A. D. Amorosi of Variety said Eminem's voice had not sounded "so cranky, silly, impassioned or enraged since his early days." Scott Glaysher of XXL called the album a revisit of the Slim Shady persona. Dedrick Hendrix of Consequence of Sound gave it a B−, summing up that it was the best he had released since 2010. M. Oliver of PopMatters gave it seven out of 10, writing that Kamikaze is "Slim Shady at his midlife best." Kitty Empire of The Observer gave it three out of five stars, noting Eminem is in "full rabid underdog mode" while other hip-hop MCs are more relaxed. Trent Clark of HipHopDX gave it a 3.9 out of five, contrasting it with Revival and denying it is a return to form. Robert Christgau of Vice regarded the album as being about hip-hop rather than the larger themes of Revival. Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic stated that Kamikaze is a better listen than Revival because its concision confirms Eminem's value as an entertainer. Aaron Williams of Uproxx praised Eminem's technical abilities and the function of engaging with his critics.

Commercial performance

Kamikaze debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, moving 434,000 album-equivalent units. That figure included 252,000 traditional sales and 225 million streams, which marked Eminem’s best streaming week ever. It was his ninth straight number-one album, matching Garth Brooks and The Rolling Stones for the fifth-most chart-toppers. The album also posted the fifth-highest first-week sales in the US for 2018. In its second week, it slipped to number two behind Paul McCartney’s Egypt Station, adding 136,000 more units. Every one of its eleven tracks made the Billboard Hot 100, with “Lucky You” and “The Ringer” peaking at six and eight. Eminem became the fifth artist to land two songs in the top ten at the same time. By mid-October, Kamikaze was the year’s top-selling hip-hop album, and it soon earned a platinum certification from the RIAA for one million album-equivalent units, 415,000 of which were pure sales. Across the Atlantic, the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number one with 55,000 units, including 30,000 from streams—the fifth-best streaming debut in UK history. That gave Eminem nine consecutive UK number-one albums, surpassing Led Zeppelin and ABBA. Kamikaze held the top spot for four weeks and finished as the tenth best-selling album in the UK for 2018.

Controversy

Throughout the album, lyrics criticize other musicians, and several have responded publicly. Eminem and rapper Machine Gun Kelly had an ongoing feud, and Kelly released a diss track in response to "Not Alike" titled "Rap Devil" on September 3; both songs were produced by Ronny J. Kelly continued the feud at a concert, calling it "a battle between the past and the fucking future." Eminem responded with "Killshot" on September 14, which garnered 38.1 million streams on YouTube in its first 24 hours and over 80 million views in its first week, making it the most successful debut for a hip-hop song at the time and the third-biggest debut in the platform's history. The track debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Eminem's 20th top 10 hit. Ja Rule responded on social media, re-igniting a feud from 15 years prior. 6ix9ine, Iggy Azalea, Joe Budden, Die Antwoord, Lupe Fiasco, and Lord Jamar also made public statements, with 6ix9ine releasing the skit "Legend" that raps over Eminem's "Lose Yourself." Artists including 50 Cent and Remy Ma came out in support of Eminem.