Jan 17, 2018

Didn't read op but revivals conceptual purpose is s---

 

Jan 17, 2018

At first glance this album is not cohesive whatsoever and theres no concept to any of it. However after sitting with this album for the past month I realize that although it isnt his best work, the concept or themes are there and it is an interesting one.

The first obvious theme of Revival is the revival of Eminem. After 4 years he drops a long awaited solo album. Also though, being that this is the third of the Re- trilogy, Em utilizes and references the themes of drug use, relationships, serial killing and fictionalized celebrity encounters to bring the trilogy full circle and revive the last two in the series into this third project. So thus is a Revival of Eminem the sober rapper who after taking a hiatus, draws inspiration from the very thing that couldve made his hiatus permanent.

The second theme is the Revival of America as Em stated in interviews before. He's more political than he's ever been in this album and the allusions to Trump sprinkled throughout the album further drives the point of reviving pre-Trump America. Also speaking on themes of racism, police brutality, and the tensions between North Korea and America.

The third theme is the play on the word Revival being a religious sentiment. There are multiple allusions to God and Christianity throughout the album and it's the first time he's rapped this much about religion throughout a full length album.

The last theme is a literal revival of the dead. The first being Eminem through the song Arose where he goes back in time to erase the potentially fatal incident of his overdose, spiritually reviving him. The second being the Revival interlude where the lone vocalist of the song is showcased. Although the singer passed away, she is revived in a sense through the interlude. The album was likely inspired by her as this was sent to Paul by Frequency and the producers of the interlude in 2013. Edit: The backstory
https://www.google.com/amp/djbooth.net/mobile/feature-amp/2018-01-15-eminem-revival-interlude-story


Yes the execution of this album isn't very good but conceptually it serves a purpose. It may have not been fully realized but it is there nonetheless