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Ok, well louder... I listened to the song (“Walk on Water” feat. Beyoncé) and I’m actually not sure I’m going to have the opinion you expected.
I assume you read a godawful review of this thing on Pitchfork or something?
Anyway, I actually felt compelled to listen to the whole song, which is super rare for me with Eminem. It’s kind of like with this song, he’s addressing some of the main things about him, about his personality, about his music that I have always had issues with. Like the reverence with which his rapping is unduly held among his fans.
Totally different thing for Eminem. He’s writing about how his salad days are over, how he’s become irrelevant, how suckers like Big Sean are (apparently?) now taking shots at him or challenging him. He’s talking about his mistakes, his perfectionism, a desire to meet expectations and a failure to ever do so.
I’d rather hear this than more bullshit about beating up women.
HOWEVER...
It sounds like Em’s verses were recorded on an outdated iPad. Beyoncé sounds crystalline and buttery smooth as always, but it’s clear the two did not record together. Probably never even occupied the same room.
When Em raps about insecurities and stuff, he sounds pretty much exactly like Macklemore, in terms of timbre. So that’s obviously not great.
Bottom line, this is nowhere near the most repulsive song I’ve ever heard from Eminem. Indeed, it’s one of the better ones I’ve heard in years. BUT... the melody is canned, like it came from every goddamn piano ballad every, and Beyoncé’s presence is totally unnecessary; a flourish added for PR reasons (I’m assuming).
There is absolutely nothing new sonically in this track. It’s rehashed melodies and metaphors and sounds like every rap “ballad” ever aside from the disparity in recording quality between Bey’s refrain and Em’s exceptionally tin-can-sounding verses. It could really use a proper mastering by someone who gives a fuck.
But Em’s touching on some interesting stuff. I’d rather listen to this than “The Way I Am” or fucking “Not Afraid.” Yuck.
His rhyme scheme is so dead at this point though. Must he always use the same syllabic formula for every verse on every song? Eminem is the same way with his phrasing and delivery as Drake is with stupid puns and word games. Done to death, and poorly.
This song has no reason to exist, but it’s interesting because it’s basically Eminem saying, “I’m an insecure has-been and I’m mad and sad about it and my time is over.” And that’s true. So I think he’s going for a bit of a character re-set right now. The humility is refreshing.
*shrug*
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