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But at least it shows Em can still operate on that same level of bait-and-switch situational irony. Is it funnier this time around? Not really.
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We get a slight glimpse of that here when he attempts to atone for his controversial crack about the 2017 Ariana Grande concert massacre on his last album (“I know nothing is funny ‘bout the Manchester bombing,” he acknowledges), and then immediately makes a joke about the Boston Marathon bombing. But the thing that once made Eminem so magnetic wasn’t his willingness to spark outrage and say horrible things – literally anyone can do that – it was his ability to acknowledge the inappropriateness of what he was saying, and sometimes offer a preemptive apology, while simultaneously doubling down on the offense. After all, lobbing lyrical loogies at good taste from the safe space of his studio has always been his most reliable form of self-care. Like any middle-aged troublemaker, Eminem makes frequent reference to the threat of being cancelled though unlike his counterparts in stand-up comedy and newspaper opinion sections, he never seems particularly worried about the prospect. (Em’s old mentor also makes a rare appearance on the mic for “Guns Blazing,” yet spends most of his bars listlessly complaining about his ex-wife.) Got That Dope, with Eminem producing or co-producing most of the rest, along with assists from Dr. Both of those tracks were produced by D.A. The mercurial album centerpiece “Gnat”– easily the most modern-sounding production here - is an exception, as is the lively throwback “Killer,” whose indebtedness to prime-era 50 Cent would be obvious even without the explicit “In da Club” shoutout. But the hyperactive torrents of insult comedy get wearying over “Side B’s” 52 minutes, and the beats are rarely distinctive enough to keep things interesting. Is there really anything wrong with Eminem turning in an LP’s worth of dick jokes and pop-culture non-sequiturs? There are far worse fates for an aging MC, and it’s nice to hear him no longer taking himself so seriously, or grappling so feverishly with his place in the pop music firmament. Things perk up with “Alfred’s Theme,” which nods to the album’s Hitchcockian premise by sampling “Funeral March of a Marionette” and making a painfully predictable play on the name “Hitchcock.” From there on out, the record seesaws between rapid-fire dirty puns and show-offy rhyme displays, with enough offhand COVID references to make sure this album, like everything he’s released, is easily traceable to the moment it came out. The album gets off to an inauspicious start with “Black Magic,” a dreary murder ballad with the requisite Skylar Grey hook and the same tired splatter-movie shock lines. After all, there’s a difference between just not giving a fuck, which has been Em’s guiding principle from the start, and not having the proper quality control, and “Side B” is all over the map. Which doesn’t necessarily mean “Side B” is a good album. But it’s still almost a relief to hear him stop trying to be everything to everyone and simply let his inner Adam Sandler loose.
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Is it hard to decide how to feel about this many grade-school bathroom jokes coming from a 48-year-old man who admits he can already see “5-0 creeping up on me like a patrol car”? Absolutely. “I’m ‘bout that capital like a proper noun.” “A penny has more sense.” “I’ll pee on your head like a Phillies hat.” “You heard of Kris Kristofferson? Well I’m Piss Pissedofferson.” Do these punchlines miss more often than they hit? Yes, yes they do. Wildly inappropriate, R-rated dad jokes, but dad jokes nonetheless. For his second release of 2020 - which dropped, like its predecessor, without warning (although this time around, rumors abounded including one that claimed Phoebe Bridgers was a featured guest) - Em appears to be doing exactly what he wants to do, which in this case is making lots of groaner dad jokes.
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