'Walk On Water:' A Ray of Sunshine in the Era of Mumble Rap Darkness

By Ellie Drabnis on November 15, 2017

Sounds of a piano and pages turning, flowing. Almost reminiscent of water but not quite.

Water does not necessarily have a musical sound but the way that ‘Walk On Water,’ the new single by Eminem featuring Beyoncé, is set up is in a way that is very reminiscent of an acapella rap (meaning, a rap without a backing track) and the rap battle scene in which Eminem first began spitting his rhymes.

Plenty of people have been criticizing the track and nothing more. But, they seem to miss the message and the heart behind the lyrics. Even some fans of Eminem have missed the point entirely.

Walk On Water” is a ray of sunshine in the era of mumble rap darkness.

Attack on Mumble Rap

Any real fan of hip-hop is aware that mumble rap is a disgrace to hip-hop, in general.

Renowned hip-hop producer Rick Rubin, who has worked with Eminem before, explained on the first episode of his new podcast with Malcolm Gladwell, Broken Record, that, “For [Eminem] [mumble rap] is a little bit of a culture shock because there’s a new wave of hip-hop that’s not really what he’s about.”

Rubin further explained that “[Eminem] wants the rhythm of the words to bounce off of the beat in a very particular way” and that would not be possible if the words he was saying were unintelligible.

Some Lyrical Decoding

The main message that I got from the song was:

Eminem is his own worst critic.

In fact, plenty of people are, myself included.

Through the lyrics in this particular song, Eminem explains that the persona he puts on of believing that he is a “Rap God” is a facade. He has never been entirely sure or confident in himself even if that is the image he puts forward to us, his fans.

The rawness and emotion throughout “Walk On Water” is a breath of fresh air.
(photo by me, screenshot on iPhone camera, cropped in iPhone camera app)

Something very worth appreciating and noting is that, no matter how much time has passed since putting out an album or single, Eminem still makes sure to enunciate and makes full sentences and complete thoughts as he ends his bars. Very few rappers still do this and well, some of those who do not complete their sentences should take notes from Mr. Mathers over here.

Input as a Fan

I have been a fan of Eminem for years and well, maybe more of that comes from the fact that my father is not in my life, that I understand his anger in his lyrics about his dad walking out and how he’s told that it seems he never shuts up about it. Which might be because the pain of such a thing does not necessarily go away in an instant.

I keep getting annoyed at the people who keep saying that the single is suddenly Beyoncé’s song.

That is very wrong.

“Walk On Water” is Eminem’s song; Beyoncé is just the featured artist. And, that’s more because Bey’s husband convinced her to sing the chorus.

Listening to any music isn’t necessarily about decoding it as a whole or making sense of every little piece. The main objective should be enjoying the music.

But, I find that it’s a lot more fun to grab hold of the little pieces, if any, that hit us fans right in the heart and mean something to us based on our life experiences.

(pixabay.com)

For me, in “Walk On Water” the line “the only who’s looking down at me that matters is DeShaun,” had me in tears. This lyric is about Eminem’s best friend, DeShaun Holton. Holton was better known as Proof and was part of Eminem’s band, D12.

Holton passed away in 2006.

For me, those lyrics stood out the most because I lost the best friend I ever had and well, from the raw emotion in Eminem’s voice, it becomes clear that his best friend who was such a special person to him cannot ever be replaced.

I know that feeling; I cannot replace the best friend I ever had, though I have a tattoo in memory of her. Eminem also has a tattoo in memory of Proof.

While everyone’s situation differs, friends who have made an impact on one’s life will forever have. Therefore, those ties will always be there even if our friends are no longer by our sides physically.

Excitement for the Upcoming Album

The ending of  “Walk on Water” where Eminem comments that he wrote “Stan“ might seem a bit odd.

But, I’m sure it will make more sense when Eminem’s album is out; his songs are placed in a certain order on his albums for a reason. They tell a story and, this was made especially clear on my favorite album of his, The Eminem Show.

While no official release date for Eminem’s new album has been announced, I very much know that it will be worth the wait.

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