The year 2020 has been a rollercoaster ride for the musicians and the music industry. In one aspect, all the live shows and tours planned had to be scrapped due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and some artists did postpone their scheduled album releases as well. However, some other artists, eventually, did release their music to the world. And artists like Eminem and Taylor Swift over-delivered, releasing two full-length studio albums within the year. Taylor Swift released ‘folklore‘ and ‘evermore‘ albums, while Eminem released ‘Music to Be Murdered By‘ and its sequel ‘Music to Be Murdered By: Side B.’ This was a first for both artists.
‘Music to Be Murdered By: Side B’ or the deluxe edition of the former album ‘Music to Be Murdered By’ is Eminem’s 12th studio album and consists of 16 brand new tracks including skits and interludes as per usual. Eminem also continues the theme of Alfred Hitchcock’s horror movies in this album. “Uncle Alfred heard you screaming for more… enjoy Side B.,” commented Eminem, releasing the surprise album on December 18, 2020.
A week prior to the release of the album, rumors about the album started surfacing. These rumors were seemingly confirmed when producer Dem Jointz shared an Instagram post of the albums he has contributed to in 2020, which included ‘MTBMB’ and another version of it.
‘Music to Be Murdered By: Side B’ Album Artwork
The album artwork is inspired by the works of the English filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. Known as ‘Master of Suspense,’ Hitchcock was one of the most influential filmmakers in history. The album cover specifically alludes to Hitchcock’s 1963 movie ‘The Birds.’
The legend himself acknowledged Eminem and the new album on Twitter;
Buy ‘Music to Be Murdered By: Side B’ Album on Apple Music & Amazon
Tracklist of ‘Music to Be Murdered By: Side B’
- Alfred (Intro) (Ft. Alfred Hitchcock)
- Black Magic (Ft. Skylar Grey)
- Alfred’s Theme
- Tone Deaf
- Book of Rhymes (Ft. DJ Premier)
- Favorite B*tch (Ft. Ty Dolla $ign)
- Guns Blazing (Ft. Dr. Dre & Sly Pyper)
- Gnat
- Higher
- These Demons (Ft. MAJ)
- Key (Skit)
- She Loves Me
- Killer
- Zeus (Ft. White Gold)
- Thus Far (Interlude)
- Discombobulated
Along with the album release, Eminem also premiered the music video for “Gnat,’ directed by Cole Bennett.