Eminem confronts his very own Mr. Hyde on “The Monster,” the latest share from The Marshall Mathers LP 2 and his most recent collaboration with Rihanna. This meeting of the minds sits a little better in the stomach than their disturbing domestic abuse pantomime “Love the Way You Lie,” though is far less freewheeling-weird than their dubbed-out dream “Numb.”
Landing somewhere in the middle, we get Mr. Mathers in thoughtful mode — “I’m think I’m getting so huge I need a shrink … going cuckoo and cooky as Kool Keith” — while the beat plays like an EDM-amplified cut-up Kate Bush production maximized for melodic heartstring-tugging. Rihanna delivers an undeniable hook that aims to conquer “crazy,” which leads Eminem to the inevitable conclusion: “Maybe I need a straight-jacket / Face tacks, I am nuts, for real / But I’m okay with that.”
MMLP2 is out November 5 and will also include collaborations with fun.’s Nate Ruess, Sia, Kendrick Lamar, and others. So far we’ve heard “Rap God,” “Survival,” and “Berzerk.” Stream “The Monster” here:
