In 2013, nearly half a century of musical history collapsed into a single, audacious experiment. Eminem, hip-hop’s most relentless technician, reached back to 1968 and hijacked one of the most recognizable grooves in rock history. The result was “Rhyme or Reason,” a track that fused razor-edged rap with the dreamy psychedelia of The Zombies, stunning listeners across generations.

At the heart of the collision was “Time of the Season,” the band’s hypnotic classic written by Rod Argent. Originally released on the album Odessey and Oracle, the song became a defining anthem of the late ’60s counterculture, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. Its whispered vocals, rolling bassline, and spiritual haze were inseparable from the “Summer of Love” era.

Forty-five years later, Eminem turned that haze into fuel.

From Psychedelic Calm to Shady Chaos

“Rhyme or Reason” appeared on The Marshall Mathers LP 2, an album explicitly designed as a sequel to his 2000 breakthrough. While many artists use samples as background texture, Eminem treated “Time of the Season” as an active sparring partner. The original’s iconic breaths, percussion, and melodic phrasing remain intact—but they’re recontextualized as a battleground for his rapid-fire confessionals and verbal acrobatics.

Produced alongside Rick Rubin, the track became a masterclass in contrast. Rubin, famous for bridging rock and hip-hop, stripped the production down to its essentials, allowing the 1968 groove to breathe while Eminem’s voice sliced through it with modern urgency. The laid-back swing of the Zombies’ rhythm made Eminem’s aggressive wordplay feel even more volatile.

A Sample That Talks Back

What truly shocked rock fans wasn’t just the sample—it was how deeply Eminem engaged with it. He echoed and twisted fragments of the original melody, even referencing the famous “Who’s your daddy?” line to explore his own troubled history with fatherhood. The psychedelic innocence of the original song became ironic counterpoint, amplifying the darkness and self-awareness of Eminem’s lyrics.

The effect was cultural whiplash. Boomers heard a sacred artifact of the ’60s reshaped into something ferocious and uncomfortable. Younger listeners, many encountering The Zombies for the first time, were drawn backward through time to discover a band whose sophistication still sounded modern.

Numbers Don’t Lie

The Marshall Mathers LP 2 debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling over 792,000 copies in its first week. “Rhyme or Reason” quickly became a fan-favorite deep cut, praised for its daring construction and musical intelligence. Even Rod Argent publicly acknowledged the reimagining, noting the renewed attention—and respect—brought to the original recording.

Why It Still Matters

Eminem’s transformation of “Time of the Season” wasn’t nostalgia—it was proof of hip-hop’s role as music’s great archivist. By pulling a 1968 psychedelic meditation into a 21st-century rap narrative, he demonstrated that genre is irrelevant when the emotional core is strong enough.

“Rhyme or Reason” stands today as a rare example of sampling done at the highest artistic level: not imitation, not exploitation, but conversation across decades. It confirmed what great listeners already knew—timeless music doesn’t age. It just waits for the right mind to wake it up again.