Eminem – Won’t Back Down (ft. Pink) (produced by DJ Khalil).

Eminem became the best selling artist of the last decade by enrapturing mainstream audiences as an edgy anti-pop hero. He was the scowling, profane answer to sunny bubblegum pop. But pop stars and celebrities are a different breed today. They get on their fans’ level and air out their dirty laundry on Twitter. They have personal blogs. Eminem isn’t the same either. The guy who trashed Britney Spears and ‘N Sync is best friends with a Degrassi alum and he approves of Justin Bieber. Today, Lady GaGa is edgier than Eminem.

So how does he serve an audience that outgrew him while he fought a drug addiction? First, he returned with Relapse, a shock rap album that was as audacious as an episode of Family Guy. Then, he took some time off to record the sequel. Realizing his direction wasn’t cutting it, he changed lanes and dubbed his second attempt at a comeback Recovery and armed himself with a production team of trendy newcomers and established veterans.

On “Won’t Back Down,” Eminem raps with a rage that sounds as genuine as when first eviscerated his wife. He plays up his white trash psychopath miscreant character and indulges in rock star debauchery over a fittingly guitar-centric beat. Self Scientific producer DJ Khalil’s underground credibility cancels out the questionable inclusion of pop-rock singer Pink. But make no mistake, Eminem went pop. The rapper who once listed Redman and Kurupt among his favorites now boasts collaborations with Pink and Rihanna on his new album. While he will never recover his status as America’s tormented stepson, Eminem has proven that he can compensate for that with raw emotion and entertaining lyrical onslaughts.

Download: Eminem – Won’t Back Down (ft. Pink) (produced by DJ Khalil)

via Rap Radar