Maps of Music

Revival (2017)

Where the lyrics of Revival take you, and where it was really made.

Revival was leaked two days before its release, and many critics later called it Eminem's worst album, even though it debuted at number one in several countries.

Key places

Recording location credited to Jungle City Studios (2017)

Recording site Jungle City Studios — Jungle City Studios is linked to this album as a recording location in the credits database. The point uses the studio's city-level position. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Revival: ninth studio album by the American rapper Eminem
• Released December 15, 2017, through Shady Records, Goliath Artists, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records
• Executive-produced by Dr. Dre and Rick Rubin
• Producers include Mr. Porter, Emile, Just Blaze, Alex da Kid, Fredwreck, and DJ Khalil
• Features Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Alicia Keys, X Ambassadors, Skylar Grey, Kehlani, Pink, and Phresher
• Much of the album covers political discussion and Eminem's personal life
• Followed by Kamikaze (2018), his tenth studio album, which reacts to criticism of Revival

Background

• Eminem first revealed the album in October 2016 when he announced the song "Campaign Speech" on Twitter
• Rumors in late 2016 said the album would be called Success, with a release sometime in January 2017
• October 10, 2017: freestyle "The Storm" performed at the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards, criticizing President Donald Trump
• October 2017: a fake drug campaign for "Revival" led fans to believe the title
• The title followed the names of his two previous solo albums, Relapse (2009) and Recovery (2010)
• Lead single "Walk on Water" featuring Beyoncé released November 10, 2017

Recording

• Co-producer and writer Skylar Grey sang with Eminem on the first live performance of "Walk on Water"
• Eminem said the title is a double entendre about his own revival and the revival of America
• Songs such as "Castle" are structured as letters to his daughter, Hailie Mathers

Cover

• Album cover revealed December 7, 2017, and projected onto a Detroit building

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Marshall Bruce Mathers III, born October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri; American rapper, songwriter, record producer and record executive.
• Known for rap flow and conscious rap including political criticism and social commentary; widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time.
• Credited with popularizing hip-hop in Middle America and the acceptance of white rappers in popular music.
• Debut album Infinite (1996) was a commercial failure; Slim Shady EP (1997) led to signing with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope.
• The Slim Shady LP (1999) brought mainstream popularity; The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem Show (2002) each sold over one million copies in a single week.
• The Eminem Show became the best-selling album worldwide in 2002; Recovery (2010) was the best-selling album worldwide in 2010.
• Co-founded Shady Records in late 1999; the label signed D12, Obie Trice, 50 Cent, Stat Quo, Bobby Creekwater and Cashis.
• Starred in 8 Mile (2002); "Lose Yourself" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the first hip-hop act to win it.
• Over 220 million records sold; eleven number-one albums on the Billboard 200, with The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (2024) the latest.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 in his first year of eligibility.

Reception

At release

• Reception was generally mixed, with criticism of its lack of cohesion, its rock-influenced and sampled production, and the heavy presence of pop guest artists
• Don Needham of The Guardian criticized the production and focus of the album
• Andy Gill of The Independent complimented the lyrical themes, especially the track "Offended"
• Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph stated that Revival "represents Eminem on top form, which is to say unstoppable, unbeatable yet often indefensible."
• The Irish Times concluded that the album is mildly more admirable than previous outings but no more enjoyable
• Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called it probably the best of his recent albums while criticizing his lack of awareness of hip-hop's evolving sound
• Consequence of Sound gave Revival an "F" rating
• Pitchfork's Matthew Ismael Ruiz called it another late-career album that does little for his legacy
• Robert Christgau of Vice named "Untouchable", "Chloraseptic", and "Like Home" as highlights

Reappraisal

• Billboard's Damien Scott placed Revival last in a 2024 ranking of Eminem's 12 studio albums
• Scott wrote that the album finds Eminem creatively unmoored and culturally adrift, though his rapping remains technically impressive
• Many fans and critics have since deemed it Eminem's worst and most polarizing album

Records

• Debuted at number one in the US, with 267,000 album-equivalent units, 197,000 of them traditional album sales
• Eighth consecutive album by Eminem to top the US Billboard 200
• Debut at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 132,000 album-equivalent units, the year's second largest opening behind Ed Sheeran's ÷
• Sold 321,000 album-equivalent units in the UK as of October 2018
• Number one in Australia, his ninth entry to top the ARIA Albums Chart
• Ranked 32nd-most popular album of 2018 on the Billboard 200
• Certified platinum in the US and in the UK
• UK Christmas number one album of 2017

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album cover was projected onto a Detroit building on December 7, 2017, the same night "Untouchable" was released.
• Revival was leaked online on December 13, 2017, two days before its release date.
• Billboard's Tatiana Cirisano listed the cover as one of the worst of 2017, calling it "provocative but undeniably cringeworthy".
• The CD case for Revival appears in the music videos for two songs from Kamikaze: "Fall" and "Venom".
• The track "Untouchable" samples "Earache My Eye" by the comedy duo Cheech & Chong.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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