Eminem declares himself a 'rap god'

Where Kanye West just calls himself a god, Eminem is more specific.

The Detroit rapper has released a new single, "Rap God," from his upcoming album, "The Marshall Mathers LP 2."


The track is the ninth song on the album, directly following Em's earlier release, the '80s-inflected "Berzerk."

And, like "Berzerk," "Rap God" also "pays tribute to the old school ... though in a less obvious way," critiques Rolling Stone. "Rather than give his chorus to an R&B crooner like Rihanna or the New Royales' Liz Rodrigues, the latter of whom sang on his recent 'MM2' single 'Survival,' he instead delivers a straight rap refrain about feeling like a rap deity. His verses recall hip-hop history ... as much as his own history."

But, MTV suggests, "Rap God" is also unique enough to raise questions about how he's shaping his upcoming release.

"It seems that Marshall's focus on ('Rap God') is simply to have the most expertly laid verses," MTV says, "adding yet another wrinkle to his November 5 album."

If you're OK with explicit language, you can listen to "Rap God" here. What do you think? The single is now available on iTunes.