I think Eminem might just be serious about this new, more mature image.

“Not Afraid”, the first single from his upcoming “Recovery” album, does a good job deleting some of the bad taste left in a lot of fans’ collective mouth after years of increasing mediocrity. Couple it with his guest verses on songs by Drake and B.O.B, and an unforgettable freestyle on the BET Hip Hop Award show and..we might be talking comeback for a guy who can rap his ass off but has had little substance behind his technically superb rhyming for some time now.

The clip for “Not Afraid” premiered on Saturday (a little bizarre in and of itself) and features an intense Em rhyming in a basement-type setting, interspersed with shots of him alternately walking and flying through the streets of…Newark, New Jersey? Yeah, I don’t get it, either.

The video suits the song, though, and I have to admit that I’m a bit excited for “Recovery” now. Although someone should point out to Em that his new look is eerily reminiscent of former dis target Justin Timberlake circa “Cry Me a River”.