Eminem isn’t really a Rap God. The title is just a metaphor. Rappers have been calling themselves “King” since Run-DMC’s second album. They’ve been calling themselves “God” for a long time too, as Wu-Tang fans can attest, but the boastful declaration has received a recent surge in popularity. Kanye West’s Yeezus album, released a few months ago, includes a song entitled I Am A God. Jay-Z is also one on his album. It’s a new trend among popular rappers. What separates Eminem from the rest is that he generally raps better than they do. So when he follows along and calls himself a God, which the most religious of his detractors will probably consider blasphemous, it’s a little closer to the truth.
The problem is that the song doesn’t really match the claim. Not to say that it’s a lackadaisical affair. It seems Eminem put a lot of effort into composing these verses, the third of which lasts for nearly sixty bars. It’s just that rhyming a complex array of words at Supersonic speed doesn’t compensate for a lack of clever or otherwise interesting things to say. The “Columbine” line is a nostalgic highlight; listen for the gun sound effect; and the Ray J bit is sort of funny, but most of this is just a long-winded Eminem rapping to a generic beat produced by someone he should’ve passed for DJ Premier. The hook is weak too. The song, based on the concept alone, would’ve been better without any breaks.
my rating : 3 of 5
2013
this post is a bit old but. would you suggest a better song than this .
Hey Marcel,
Nice, honest review…I do understand what you’re saying, but (there’s always a but…haha) Eminem absolutely murders this song. With that being said, it is 6 minutes of clever word play intertwined with metaphor’s that punches you in the face. I normally appreciate the Em songs when he’s telling a story and trying to portray what he’s going through…while Rap God is more of a battle…just straight spittin song (if that makes sense), nevertheless this song is straight fire, I can’t stop listening to it!!! It may not be for everybody. Anyway…nice, honest review!!!
I do see what you are saying, and I think this a very fair, yet critical review even though I disagree. There are several moments in the song where he literally blows my mind with the way he moves and flows, and lyrically it’s very, very good – but it does at times, although for me rarely, come off as trying just a little to hard. I still have to give the song a solid 4/5 minimum for attempt, execution and subject matter… because to be honest I have never seen or heard any rapper attempt or do something that is so unbelievably complex on so many levels, and I’m not a Stan or uneducated, so even though there are only 2 or 3 “eh” moments for me in the song, the rest of the song TOTALLY makes up for it, but like I said – I completely agree with you in many ways.
Hey Tony, who are your Top 10 MC’s ??