Eminem is not the same man that he was when he first introduced himself to the mainstream world by saying his name on the Dr. Dre produced single “My Name Is.” Slim Shady has evolved. Marshall Mathers has gone through more than a few changes and now stands as a 37 year-old sober man. A constant in his life has been Rap and the emcee has continued rhyming through it all. Now prepping the release of Recovery, he has unleashed his first single off the new album, “Not Afraid
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The Boi-1da produced “Not Afraid” breaks out as an anthem for Em’s sobriety and new lessons learned through adversity.
“I just can’t keep living this way,” he rhymes on the track. “So starting today I’m breaking out of this cage / I’m standing up, I’ma face my demons / I’m manning up, I’ma hold my ground / I’ve had enough, now I’m so fed up / Time to put my life together right now.”
Dr. Dre, DJ Khalil and Mobb Deep’s Havoc are all named as producers on the album, which is showing a less comedic side of Marshall Mathers as the emcee will, for the first time, not include skits. The array of producers may help the diversity of the disc, as he told Shade 45’s Angela Yee that fans can expect “different things” on Recovery.
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“There’s a variety of different things, different moods and things like that on there,” he said. “There’s not just one overall sound. It’s a bunch of different shit.”
The song also touches on past mistakes including “that last Relapse album,” demons and a black cloud that he feels continues to follow him, but promises fans that he’s back and will not let them down again. Em’s Recovery will be released June 22.
To see what the Rap tastemakers (including HipHopDX) are saying about the single in Complex.com’s “What’s The Consensus” column, click here.
