Master Sword

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Lore & Background

The album Music to Be Murdered By takes its title from Alfred Hitchcock Presents Music to Be Murdered By (1958), an album featuring spoken word horror stories by Jeff Alexander. The cover art mirrors the 1958 original, showing a figure with a gun and axe, rather than any legendary weapon. In the track 'Darkness', Eminem explores the perspective of a shooter during a mass shooting, drawing thematic parallels to the 2017 Las Vegas tragedy without directly depicting Stephen Paddock's viewpoint. The only 'swords' mentioned are metaphorical references to his flow, such as when he notes his third verse on 'Godzilla' broke the record for the fastest verse on a charted track at 10.65 syllables per second, surpassing his previous records set in 'Rap God' (9.6) and other tracks.

In Their Own Story

The narrative of Music to Be Murdered By unfolds without magical intervention. It begins with the surprise release on January 17, 2020, alongside a music video for 'Darkness' directed by James Larese. The story within the album touches on the death of Juice Wrld in December 2019, whose posthumous feature on 'Godzilla' serves as a tragic turning point rather than a heroic quest. Dr. Dre returns to produce songs for the first time since Recovery (2010), enlisting a team including Lawrence Jr., Dawaun Parker, and Dem Jointz. The album's concept relies on the dark humor of Alfred Hitchcock, sampled in interludes where he warns listeners about murder. There are no ancient temples or trials; the 'villains' are addiction, critics, and internal demons, while the 'heroes' are the artists who survived them, such as Black Thought, Q-Tip, and Anderson .Paak.

Reader's Guide

Since the Master Sword is non-existent in this canon, there are no instructions for wielding it. Instead, the guide to navigating this universe involves understanding the production credits and guest features that define the album's sound. Fans should look to the 'Alfred' interludes for the source of the title's concept and listen to 'Godzilla' to witness the record-breaking speed of 10.65 syllables per second. The physical CD packaging offers a dedication to Juice Wrld and CeeAaqil Allah Barnes, serving as the emotional core of the collection. To understand the album's structure, one must note the surprise release strategy shared with Kamikaze (2018) and the subsequent Side B reissue on December 18, 2020, which added sixteen new tracks including collaborations with DJ Premier and Ty Dolla $ign.

Did You Know?

• The album title is inspired by a 1958 spoken word album featuring Alfred Hitchcock's voice, which is sampled in the interludes 'Alfred' and 'Alfred (Outro)'.
• On the track 'Godzilla', Eminem rapped at 10.65 syllables per second, breaking his own previous record of 9.6 set on 'Rap God'.
• The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 279,000 units sold in its first week, making Eminem the first artist to have ten consecutive number-one albums in the US.
• The music video for 'Darkness' uses a split narrative to depict the internal struggle of a shooter and the aftermath of a mass shooting, but does not specifically portray Stephen Paddock's perspective.
• Dr. Dre returned to produce songs on this album for the first time since 2010's Recovery, working with producers like Lawrence Jr. and Dawaun Parker.