Eminem has obviously had a huge influence on the rap game since he first dug his way up from the Detroit underground, representing that idea literally in his latest Kamikaze video for “Lucky Me” with Joyner Lucas.
An army of red-eyed shadows pursue Em and Joyner through an underground complex before emerging in a bombed-out construction site, where the two rappers discover that the clone-like followers mimic their every move. They proceed to have some fun, putting the shadows through their paces with goofy motions like hopping on one foot while patting their heads. The message is clear: Hip-hop is watching — and following — every move Eminem makes.
Of course, it’s easy to make that argument after Kamikaze basically fell out of the sky without warning but still sold enough to deliver Eminem his ninth No. 1 album of his career, all while sparking endless debates about the return of Slim Shady and whether or not the new project redeemed the errors of his last one, Revival.
The real lucky one here is Joyner Lucas, though. While the up-and-coming Massachusetts rapper made a splash late last year with the intensely viral video for “I’m Not A Racist,” the look he’s received with his feature on Kamikaze has no doubt set him up for a huge debut if he can convince Atlantic Records to get his debut album out before the end of the year.
Kamikaze is out now via Shady/Aftermath. Get it here. Joyner Lucas is a Warner Music artist. .
