Two mainstream titans come together for Eminem’s newest single “Walk on Water,” featuring Beyonce. The song, most likely the first cut from the rapper’s upcoming studio album “Revival,” talks about Em’s insecurities as both artists try to escape from the heavy icon status placed on their shoulders.
Produced by Rick Rubin and laced as an honest piano-driven ballad, the song starts with Em’ questioning his rap skills while fearing that his next rhyme or his next song will fail to surpass his previous work of art. Even if he acknowledges that he was the one to set the bar so high, sometimes this complex drives him into a creative hole that he cannot escape from.
Ultimately, the rapper is trying to suggest in his second verse that he became his own worst critic while continually trying to find the perfect rhyme that he still hasn’t found yet. He goes through numerous creational rituals to achieve his best potential, however, sometimes he’s unable to do what he does best, and that writing music that touches his fan’s hearts.
God’s Given Me All This
Em’ finds it ridiculous that kids look up to him like he’s God because he feels as insecure about himself as anyone else does. At the end of the second verse, the rapper admits to himself that he’s not God-sent like Nas, Rakim, 2Pac, Notorious BIG, LL Cool J (James Todd Smith) or Price as Beyonce comes in with the pre-chorus to let us know that they’re both human beings, just like us.
In verse three, Eminem starts to make peace with himself while recognizing his talent despite his mistakes and breakdowns. Some of them, he admits, one of the most recognizable ones being the fact that he used to diss his mom regularly. The rapper also remembers when he used to dominate the Hip Hop game, with every song he made being a chart-breaking hit.
As for now, it’s time to reinvent himself once again while his fan base suffers a transformation and the sales of his albums are going down. However, Eminem is not letting go so easily, and before calling it quits, he decides to take yet another shot at dominating the Hip Hop scene while letting everyone know that he’s not afraid to fail. Both in life and music. However, he will be the one deciding when it’s time to close the curtains.
