Thus far, we've been given one official single from the new album. "Walk on Water," featuring Beyoncé, was given the Saturday Night Live spotlight earlier this month with guest vocals from co-writer Skylar Grey. Em and Grey also performed the near-vintage cuts "Love the Way You Lie" and "Stan."
Revival will arrive just over four years after the release of Marshall Mothers LP 2, a sequel to Em's 2000 album of the same name and the winner of Best Rap Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. In an interview with journalist Malcolm Gladwell earlier this month, producer Rick Rubin detailed the inspiration behind Em's introspective "Walk on Water" lyrics and revealed how the track ended up featuring Beyoncé.
"For him, it's a little bit of culture shock because there's a new wave of hip-hop that's not really what he's about, so he was just talking to me about how that felt," Rubin said of the Shangri-La sessions that resulted in the track. According to Em, exploring the very real pressure that comes along with starting a new chapter in his career was also important.
"When you start out in your career, you have a blank canvas, so you can paint anywhere that you want because the shit ain't been painted on yet," Em, whose major label debut Slim Shady LP turns 20 in 2019, said.
The full Revival tracklist and additional info have not been revealed. Following Tuesday's announcement, however, we can probably expect a windfall of Em news in the coming weeks.
