Following in the trend of the “Surprise Album” (his second over the last two years) , Eminem opens up 2020 with with his eleventh studio album titled “Music To Be Murdered By“.With such a macabre title, the listener would think that Marshall has resorted back to his “murder murder kill kill” theme, yet Marshall still seems to be on his trajectory of tackling social issues, addressing the nay-sayers and proving that he is a legend. Taking cues from Alfred Hitchcock, hence the title and cover art, Em toys with the murder theme, yet it is actually from a social awareness perspective. A perfect example of this is the album’s first single, “Darkness” which is from the perspective of the Las Vegas Shooter, while calling for a change to curve gun violence.
Yet the old Em rears his head throughout the album and that is easy to do with some old friends lending their talent. With Dr.Dre executive producing the album, (also lending his talent to a few instrumentals), D.A. Got That Dope and The Alchemist are just a few of the producers who are along for the ride. Guest features are plentiful, with Marshall’s usual cohorts of Royce Da 5’9″, Joell Ortiz and Skylar Grey are on board, and even the recently deceased Juice Wrld has a placement. ….