Deciphering Eminem’s Anti-Trump Freestyle
On October 10th during their annual Hip-Hop Awards, BET aired a five-minute-long video titled “The Storm.” In no time at all, the internet basically exploded.
The video accumulated over two million impressions on Twitter in less than 48 hours. The video, filmed in Detroit, featured Eminem rapping about his deep hatred for Donald Trump. Slim Shady absolutely tears apart the POTUS for his hypocrisy and lack of political acumen in the freestyle, referencing Trump’s questionable reactions to the NFL protests, Puerto Rico, and Las Vegas. This isn’t the first time Eminem took shots at Trump, either. In his verse on Big Sean’s track “No Favors,” Shady calls Trump a bitch and threatens to take down his entire brand. Eminem also released a song titled “Campaign Speech” during the 2016 Presidential election where he called out Trump, saying, “You say Trump don't kiss ass like a puppet 'cause he runs his campaign with his own cash for the fundin' and that's what you wanted, a fuckin' loose cannon who's blunt with his hand on the button who doesn't have to answer to no one—great idea!”
Countless rappers and celebrities have called Trump out on his bullshit before, so why is Eminem’s rap so special? Well, Eminem isn’t your average artist. Shady lives a mysterious life and stays out of the public eye these days for the most part. So, when he has something to say, we listen. Then there’s the fact that Eminem is a white dude. And not only that, but he’s a white dude in the POC-dominated world that is hip-hop. There are many Eminem fans who are also Trump supporters, which creates an obvious problem for Eminem. By calling out Trump, Eminem risks pissing off a big part of his fan base, but Em just doesn’t give a shit. In his freestyle, Eminem says, “And any fan of mine who’s a supporter of his, I’m drawing in the sand a line, you’re for or against. And if you can’t decide who you like more and you’re split on who you should stand beside, I’ll do it for you with this: Fuck you!”
Eminem isn’t the only one who has risked their career to speak out against Trump. ICYMI, NFL star Colin Kaepernick — who tweeted out his appreciation for Eminem after this video was dropped — is currently unemployed for doing that very thing. But the sad reality of America, and I say this as a black man, is that people in power ignore what black people have to say. Trump finds every possible way to discredit the conversation around black oppression, whether it’s skewing protests to be about something that they have nothing to do with, or telling black athletes that they are too privileged to feel oppressed. But when an influential white man says it (especially this aggressively), whether you like it or not, people listen. And if you need any proof, check Trump’s twitter. The man who has something to say about everything has been dead silent about Eminem.
P.S.
Fuck Trump.