There are so many pairings that we have heard and want to hear in music. Kanye and Jay Z, Kendrick and Cole, Andre 3000 and Madlib, and so many more! However, there are sometimes surprising music combinations that we hear, and didn’t know that we wanted to hear until we heard them. This brings me to Kid Cudi and Eminem. For those who don’t know, Kid Cudi is a phenomenal artist who almost trademarked “emotional rap”. Listen to Man on the Moon, the album and you’ll see why. He is one of the people that made it cool to show your feelings in rap. He’s also credited for helping with 808s and Heartbreak from Kanye. With that said, him and Eminem is definitely an… odd pairing, but it is a great pairing.
Cudi starts it off talking about how he’s changed since we last heard him, and how he’s got a brand new attitude. Cudi was sounding a little harder. He’s talking about how he’s grown and coming in with some great wordplay. He also talked about how people don’t listen to the words in songs, making a point about how beats are usually what get people’s attention. Cudi sounds healthy, and sounds like he knew he had to come with a hard verse, seeing who he made this song with.
Eminem is just… Like, he’s almost 50! How are you still barrin’ people like this at 50?? He starts off his verse by talking about how he will be the first person to give Father Time a K.O., shouts out Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg, the beat slightly shifts, he addresses how the haters are mad at how good he is, but can’t seem to keep his name out of their mouths, he has a basketball and mouthwash metaphor that I refuse to spoil, because of how happy it made me when I heard it and I don’t want to take that away from any of you. He talks about how people call him the King of Rap, and that it isn’t his words and how he’s the King of Cussing; then, he starts talking about the things that have been going on in the world. He goes off on Drew Brees for his fumbles this year (and I’m not talkin’ football) and discusses the people that are in office right now, and how the pandemic has been handled. He discusses people not wanting to wear masks, and how not wearing them can literally kill him and others. He then gives prayers to George Floyd and Ahmad Arbery and talks about how so many cops are dirty and how the murderer of George Floyd was kneeling on the carotid artery of George. Eminem truly gets into his political style here, and this is something that is needed right now.
Overall, this song is a 4/5. Its weakest point is some of Cudi’s rhymes being off, as well as a pretty average beat. With that said, it is still worth giving a listen! MT Out!
Photo: The Adventures of Moon Man and Slim Shady Cover Art
