Eminem's Surprise New Album Opens With A Tom Brady Shoutout
BOSTON (CBS) -- Eminem surprisingly released a new album on Friday with no advanced warning, and the rapper made it a point to note right out of the gate that he feels a kinship with Tom Brady.
On the album, "Music To Be Murdered By," the 47-year-old Eminem discussed critics in his opening track, "Premonition." He noted that the criticism written and said about him is comparable in a way to the doubt and hate that the Patriots' quarterback receives on a regular basis.
The lyrics from the track:
Revival flopped, came back and I scared the crap out 'em
But Rolling Stone stars, I get two and a half outta
Five, and I'll laugh out loud
'Cause that's what they gave bad back in the day
Which actually made me not feel as bad now, 'cause
If it happened to James
It can happen to Shady
They do the same s--- to Brady
More people hate me than love me
This game will make you go crazy
Clearly, despite being older than your average rapper, Eminem feels he's as good as ever -- much like Brady and LeBron James.
Eminem might have still been thinking of Brady in his next line, when he said:
'Bout to go for B-R-O-K-E
I was the G, the O-A-T
Once I was played in rotation
At every radio station
Last year during Super Bowl week, Brady was asked by The Boston Globe's Nora Princiotti for his thoughts on being mentioned by name on a number of rap songs.
"That's always really cool. I'm a big fan of so many of those guys. I have a lot of friends [in music] that I've met over the years that are fans of what we do, too," Brady told the Globe. "I just appreciate people that love what they do, and musicians are certainly the same way. They live, dream, think about music all day long. It's in their head, and for so many ways, that's me too. I think about football and plays and schemes all day long.
"I think that mutual appreciation or admiration is really flattering."
Eminem was one of those rappers to name-drop Brady before, doing so on a 2017 track "No Favors," with Big Sean. In that song, Eminem said:
State of emergency, the planet's having panic attacks
Brady's returning, matter of fact I may be deserving
Of a pat on the back like a Patriots jersey
Eminem also name-dropped Brady way back in 2013, on the song "Baby" from The Marshall Mathers LP2:
Nobody's crazy as Shady in an 80 million mile radius
I'm what Tom Brady is to the Patriots
To rap
That Globe story listed 20 songs that mention Brady by name, and Eminem's newest track can be added to the list.
Brady reciprocated the appreciation, using Eminem's "Without Me" in his brief Instagram video posted after winning Super Bowl LII.
Brady just completed his age 42 season, and he has stated he wants to continue playing at least through next year. Though it's unclear whether or not that will be the Patriots, he may have to consider a new song to play when he enters the field for warmups.