Key Takeaways
- EZ Mil reunites with Eminem on "MADARA," an eerie, rapid-fire track featuring Tokyo rapper Hideyoshi and Naruto voice actor Neil Kaplan.
- Over solemn piano, heavy bass, and skittering hi-hats, EZ Mil switches between English and Japanese while Eminem addresses censorship, white privilege, and past rap beefs.
- The Eminem-co-produced single marks the pair’s third collaboration after "Realest" and "Head Honcho," and follows EZ Mil’s 3RD WRLD Vol. 1 EP.
Eminem has reunited with EZ Mil, the Filipino rapper signed to his Shady Records imprint, for a new track that also features a well-known anime villain.
On Friday (October 9), EZ Mil shared "MADARA," an eerie, rapid-fire gut punch record that in addition to Em also features Tokyo rapper Hideyoshi, and voice actor Neil Kaplan, who is best known for voicing Madara Uchiha, the Naruto antagonist the track's title nods to.
"MADARA" establishes a villainous mood from the start as solemn keys give way to hard bass kicks and skittering hi-hats. EZ delivers his verses in English — hitting triplets and incorporating anime references — but slips into Japanese to back up Hideyoshi on the hook.
As for Eminem, his verse hears him touch on a number of topics, including being censored ("I am not anti-gay / But I'm not gonna dance my way 'round your little pussy-ass feelings / And I may (anime) rant like Ye / Fuck it man"), his white privilege ("Sometimes I ponder like how on Earth when my hair got blonder / Did it launch your boy into superstardom?"), and his past rap beefs ("Really they all got themselves killed)."
The track follows the release of EZ Mil's 3RD WRLD Vol. 1 EP, and it’s the third time he and Eminem have shared a track. Their partnership started with 2023's "Realest" and continued on "Head Honcho" from The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace). Eminem also takes a co-production credit on "MADARA."
Eminem's next feature is set to be on Kid Rock's "7 Sins," which is set to land on the rocker's upcoming Christian Rock album, Halfway 2 Jesus.