The White Rapper Show (Coup De Chance)

Hating on Eminem remains one of hip-hop's most predictable pastimes. With the release of The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) this past Friday, the online go-nowhere debate over the Detroit-bred rap superstar rages on unabated some 25 years after logging his first potty-mouthed hit. (Admittedly, it got pretty tiresome watching his fans spend their weekend feverishly defending it with all the veracity of a Rick and Morty copypasta.)

But no matter where you stand on Marshall Mathers' newest attempt at using a flimsy "concept album" framework to mask his inherent, insatiable desire to punch down, his full-throated adoption of rich-guy-vs-cancel-culture schtick echoes an ongoing and oh-so convenient grift trend thriving on social media. As stand-up powerhouses Dave Chappelle and Jerry Seinfeld headline sold-out shows at massive venues where they, amid molasses-thick irony, vocally protest being censored, it makes sense that rappers would do so as well.

Eminem isn't the first to adopt this narrative this in hip-hop. On Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar spent an inordinate amount of time prematurely defending himself from a perceived public silencing campaign. In retrospect, it was overkill; the Pulitzer Prize winner was never under any significant, credible threat from some amorphous woke mob. Furthermore, as we've seen in the aftermath of his recent back-and-forth with Drake, the domestic violence insinuations levied against him in verse by the newly anointed 69 God failed to stick. Eminem's relationship with spousal abuse, conversely, adheres like superglue.

Far less aggrieved with the imaginary scourges of political correctness and cancellation, Action Bronson seems to be living his best life as a result. Controversy marked his career more than once, but unlike Eminem's stilted and sophomoric fixation on stirring the proverbial pot, this Queens rapper ten years Mathers' junior cares more about how the sauce itself actually tastes. Seasoned gingerly with references to his extramusical passions, Johann Sebastian Bachlava the Doctor makes for a flavorful albeit familiar listening experience. (Coming some 13 years after his album debut Dr. Lecter, it also marks his formal return to music industry independence after a few years with Loma Vista Recordings, a subsidiary of the UMG-affiliated Concord Music Group.)

Favoring longtime pals like The Alchemist, Daringer, and Meyhem Lauren over trendy newcomers, the 11 track effort both sonically and thematically parallels its similarly compact predecessor Cocodrillo Turbo. The fly foodie bars Bronson was once famous for remain as well, sourcing scungilli direct from the fishermen and detecting minty notes in some Moroccan lemon sorbet on "SHADOW REALM." Yet they're not as predominant as they once were, his pursuits in that realm largely compartmentalized elsewhere as he leans even further into combat sports lore, perhaps a byproduct of his rigorous exercise regimen.

Where he excels as an emcee extends beyond the mere culinary by way of his oft fantastical flexes and outlandish claims. He brags about drinking from Jesus Christ's resurrection day goblet on "SALVAJE" and holds a grudge against Mel Gibson for apparently giving him COVID during a UFC match on "HOGAN." Elsewhere, his boasts can be relatively more modest and middle-class. Over the organ vamp of "SEGA," he's gripping suede steering wheels, admiring gold jewelry, and fearlessly diving off of boats. The way he blends the attainable with the downright absurd while making both sound equally impressive is all-but unparalleled in rap.

Even after adopting a healthier lifestyle and settling into family man mode, Bronson is still obviously no saint. He takes lascivious joy in watching adult film stars in action on "SPLASH (PROVOCATIV)" and fondly reminisces about low-priced sex worker encounters on "KOMPRESSOR." But these naughty lyrical moments don't exist to shock and awe like Eminem's aim to. Instead, they're just a small part of Baklava's brand, admissions of imperfect humanity from an entrepreneurial mind rather than strategically mean jokes at the calculated expense of others.

YUNGMORPHEUS & Alexander Spit, WAKING UP AND CHOOSING VIOLENCE (buy it / stream it)

Prior to his recent run at Lex Records, YUNGMORPHEUS could always be counted on for making memorable projects opposite single producers. His catalog includes joint efforts with the likes of ewonee, Eyedress, and Fumitake Tamura, among others heavy in the hip-hop underground. Having previously handled beats for Navy Blue and Earl Sweatshirt, Alexander Spit fits the cerebral stoner's aesthetic like a leather glove on the ethereally groovy WAKING UP AND CHOOSING VIOLENCE. From the meditative puffs and Ghostface inspirations of "CCTV (Targets)" to the claustrophobic cool of "A Working Man," the rapper gathers his thoughts into deliberately condensed passages. "Fermentation" contains bars that drift between the mundane and the cinematic over a murky brined beat, while "Rias Baixas" continues his oenophile braggadocio amid jazz-inflected rhythmic clatter.

LIFEOFTHOM & Stoic, COCOTASO (buy it / stream it)

Known of late for collaborating with Pro Era alum CJ Fly, NYC-based producer Stoic stays within the city limits for this project opposite rapper LIFEOFTHOM. They make a fine pair from the jump on the piano-led opener "HOO," its late-arriving beat switch only affirming the rhetorical questioning and cocksureness that directly precede it. Something akin to a seminal Odd Future vibe permeates "HAKEEM" and "OMG," with off-kilter warmth enhanced by the casually natural feel of the hooks. The unpredictability of the instrumentals gives the vocalist opportunity upon opportunity to leave a lasting impression, as he does on the disorienting "DAMN" and the synth-saturated "SEA SICK." The album's sole feature, rising local Yoshi T backs them up with a slightly speedier flow on "OUT MY HEAD."

Three new tracks for you to snack on...

Zion Garcia, "Film Star Prelude"

GNRLYHD, "10k"

P.T. & Profound79, "BAD LUCK"