“Untouchable”

For those still scratching their heads over Eminem’s epic Trump diss at the 2017 BET Awards, no, his wokeness wasn’t a one-off. He followed that virtual-watercooler moment with “Walk on Water,” a wan power ballad that fails superstar guest Beyoncé. Now, for his second track from next week’s album Revival, he reloads on leftish punditry with a song that could Make Keith Olbermann Love Rap Again.

The message—Em says it best here when he raps, a cappella, “Throughout history, African-Americans have been treated like shit”—is undeniable and profoundly important. But the medium for that message is hugely flawed. There’s a level of Mackling to a white celebrity rapper following the above line with, “And I admit there have been times where it’s been embarrassing to be a white boy,” as if Marshall Mathers’ mortification is of any import here. But Olbermann will no doubt be applauding again. There’s a visceral thrill to the declaration, “Fuck your Republican views/Pull ourselves up the bootstraps/Where the fuck are the boots?” But trying to engage with Slim Shady has long meant ignoring what he was saying to try to focus on how cleverly he said it—this, with its trudging guitars and didactic tone, is the opposite. It’s great that whoever wants to listen to this will be exposed to some ideas that somehow escape much of white America. If Eminem wants to embrace some other righteous causes—support any other historically marginalized groups—that’d be worth celebrating, too. But here the ultimate formalist is on point and off form.