In weird pairings you thought you didn’t need: Eminem and Gwen Stefani on Thursday hopped into a time machine set for the early aughts to whip up a new single, “Kings Never Die.†The Southpaw song is as poppy as it is rappy — why, yes, that is Em sing-rapping! It almost has a Gym Class Heroes, or even Fall Out Boy, feel to it, thanks to the guitar-heavy spitting. (Who knows, maybe Em is thinking about forming a band?) The track also does a very, very good job of kvetching about the internet and sounding grumpy, all while making it clear Gwen and Em are still musical kings. It’s a good time, but it’s a weird, nostalgic good time. Aside from the interesting sound, it’s fairly classic Em: lyrical intensity; complex, staccato rhymes; and a syncopated but unrelenting flow. (King alert, king alert.) The rapper has been heavily involved with Southpaw’s soundtrack, which comes out July 24. The movie’s out the same day.
Give it a whirl — press play: