Tuesday at midnight, Eminem released his new song “The Monster” for sale, the third track off next Tuesday’s “The Marshall Mathers LP 2.” “The Monster” follows the already charting tracks, “Berzerk,” a throwback to classic Slim Shady, and “Rap God,” a critically acclaimed fighting song that saw Em returning to his homophobic roots. Now he’s reunited with Rihanna, his partner on the 2010 hit, “Love the Way You Lie.”
“The Monster” is far more up-tempo than their smash collaboration while being almost as emotionally severe, so this one could have legs. With a hook that has Rihanna singing about a monster under her bed and verses that have Eminem name-checking both Russell Wilson and Newsweek, how could it not?