Last Friday, I predicted that Eminem’s rare public appearance for Dre would be the last time we saw him until he promoted a new project. Well, I was right. I just didn’t expect him to promote something so soon. I certainly didn’t expect him to start stunt queening like Nicki Minaj right out of the gate. That’s exactly what Eminem is doing.
Em’s Shady XV is on the horizon. He released a new video, which is actually a 6-minute freestyle rap, “CXVPHER,” with other artists like Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse. Eminem’s part of the rap comes in at the end, so he can prove his “Rap God” credentials and wipe the other dudes off the map. It goes without saying that many of the lyrics are NSFW, and you can see the whole video on Vevo. Here is the part that everyone is upset about:
“But I may fight for gay rights, especially if they d**e is more of a knockout than Janay Rice/Play nice? Bitch I’ll punch Lana Del Rey right in the face twice, like Ray Rice in broad daylight in the plain sight of the elevator surveillance/’Til her head is banging on the railing, then celebrate with the Ravens.
[From Eminem on Vevo]
*Sigh* He had to go there, didn’t he? Look … I know these sort of lyrics from Em are nothing new. In more than one song, he rapped about Pamela and Tommy Lee and their cycle of domestic violence. He criticized and satirized their relationship through the Slim Shady persona. He riffs on public figures like crazy. That’s what he does.
At the same time, I thought Eminem had grown past this routine. Yes, I know he’ll assign these lyrics to Slim Shady, but this act is getting old. Em’s last few albums have shown an incredible amount of maturity. Now? Dude is 42 years old, and he’s still plucking low-hanging fruit and milking it for controversy. One could make a case for Em simply riffing off Lana Del Rey’s own morbid Ultraviolence lyrics which include, “He hit me, and it felt like a kiss.” But he had to drag Ray and Janay Rice into it.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN
“he hit me and it felt like a kiss” is not Lana del ray’s lyric. it’s the title of an old phil Spector song for the crystals, iirc.
“I can hear sirens, sirens
He hit me and it felt like a kiss
I can hear violins, violins
Give me all of that ultraviolence” – Ultraviolence
right, but she didn’t write that line so it’s a dumb one to single out as an example of her lyrics.
No, it’s not dumb, since it is directly relational to the story at hand.
It’s also from a comic book where Harley Quinn says that getting hit from The Joker felt like a kiss. But that’s neither here nor there lol.
Having said that, I like a few of his songs but have issues with a grown ass man calling out Christina Aguilera when she was a teenager.
I also remember when my ex boyfriend played his first album for me. It was really early on a Saturday morning and I was like “really? It is wayyy for this disgusting crap!”
Bravo @taylr for pointing that out. I am not a LDR fan so I did not know she boosted that line. Just shows there is nothing original about her; she is as manufactured as Nicki Minaj.
i posted a comment in the last article about Eminem and lots of people told me that its cool, its just his persona. do you guys know understand that its problematic?
people get usually called out for less and yes i know Em faced criticism but most others would have lost their spot in the media and their contracts. he isnt a comedian trying an edgy joke and apologizing. he made millions with impressing lots of young men AND women with his lyrics.
the comments here are always very feminist. until its a cute white boy who hates women, then he’ll be defended. seriously a starlet not knowing what feminism means gets bashed way more viciously than this guy.
I agree with you, Sara. I do not for the life of me understand why women tolerate, support and buy music that is so blatantly misogynistic and hateful. If it was a person singing songs that were derogatory to another race or religion there would be an uproar. Why do we stand for this? It’s sick.
Omg, go in in on the hypocrisy! I didn’t see the other thread but I can see that happening sadly.
I do have an issue with women not knowing what feminism means but that is nothing in comparison to a man who raps about raping the mother of his children and goes after famous women like a petty child. The Mariah Carey issue shows how problematic he is, of course she doesn’t want to admit she slept with this d-ckcheese, so embarrassing. But Eminem, a man who raps about not giving a sh-t about [fill in derogatory term for women] is angry and wants to be acknowledge for a decade now. Dude is messed up.
Also funny how Minaj et al. devalue themselves because omg half nakedness but Eminem is considered an untouchable icon and he’s done actual damaging work.
The majority of feministing that happens here is policing women’s clothing and relating it to their worth. And being angry when women don’t know what the word means. If people try to challenge it by actually accepting women, then you get criticised because apparently people can’t take bad comments. It really switches thread per thread and it’s frustrating.
I am 42 myself, white female, and I have always said that eminem is terrible (I have had to argue with my friends many times over this, as his “art” enters into my circle often). His lyrics are awful. He tries to pass it off as satire or “devil’s advocate” through his alter ego. This may work once or twice, but his lyrics have been filled with how much he hates women for decades now. He really must at this point. And it always bothers me when someone is being called out for something, and someone says, “but X does Y and doesn’t get called out for it.” Normally they have been “called out” for it, many times, but this story right here is about eminem, not Minaj. I personally feel that any entertainer, rap, hiphop, rock, pop, WHATEVER, that continually plays that everything is body parts (T&A, of course, of course), meaning their self worth is tied up completely in their sexuality (or their money, but that is another topic for another day) is indeed devaluing and disrespecting themselves and the people they associate with and their fans, and in the end, society as a whole.
What happened to music that lifts us up? If you want sexual themes, lots are out there, without being dark, broody, violent and misogynist.
@Artemis: “Also funny how Minaj et al. devalue themselves because omg half nakedness but Eminem is considered an untouchable icon and he’s done actual damaging work…
The majority of feministing that happens here is policing women’s clothing and relating it to their worth. And being angry when women don’t know what the word means.”
So much truth, as usual. 🙂 When a person says that a woman is devaluing herself just by being half-naked or by putting overt sexuality in her work, it already shows that on some level deep down that person thinks womens’ value lies in their sexual modesty to some extent anyway, and that without whatever arbitrary level of sexual modesty, woman’s value is compromised. That in and of itself is a problem. And I also disagree with the idea that emphasizing something automatically= thinking or saying that that’s all you or anyone else is worth. Respectability politics and feminism are not the same thing.
Middle-aged white lady over here, and I have no interest in defending Eminem. I think he’s pretty despicable, frankly. Much more so than any young starlet who makes a silly comment because she doesn’t understand what feminism is.
Katherine…..M.A.W.L. here too
I was under the impression that Eminem was considered well beyond the Pale by most fastidious people, let alone just women.
Rap ties my brain in knots…..I can’t bear to listen to it, irrespective of any lyrics it hurts my ears. So I just read snippets about it, all of which horrify me regarding content…..and then up pops an artiste or ten, defending it as a legitimate respectable artform which it is extremely unwise to criticise.
I hope there *is* some non-toxic rap around……if it’s all utterly loathesome yet critically untouchable, then that’s grim. I guess tis up to me to find out….but gah, my poor ears!
I’ve always said that I would be more impressed with all these women running around on TV and in magazines desperate to prove that they are the biggest feminist, if they’d go after the music industry for their blatant disrespect of women. Telling me that you believe that women are strong, equal and all of that, while twerking in the club to some dude singing about banging three Ho’s isn’t exactly impressive.
I mean, I don’t want to be all Tipper Gore and the PMRC on these people but the messages that these songs (Eminem and many many others) give to girls is horrifying and heartbreaking. For whatever reason, they get a pass. The biggest dust up I recall hearing about Eminem is when he insulted the gay community,
I do disagree that the color of his skin has anything to do with it. I think that all of them appear to get a pass.
Per your last paragraph, Eminem’s mentor Dre has written some of the most misogynistic and homophobic songs of all time. Um, “B*tches Ain’t Sh*t” anyone?
I agree and it doesn’t help when people like KanYe West refers to Kim as a bitch or his bitch and she says she likes it when he refers to her that way. There is just so much wrong in that and we don’t need Em picking on a little girl who doesn’t seem all that bright. Maybe I no longer get rap and I am just getting old!
Feminist here, I have better freaking things to do than trying to edify the music industry. I guess it’s part of free expression that people are free to put out stupid sh-t and call it art, and other stupid people are allowed to pay attention to those who do it. While I fully understand that one’s definition of “stupid” is highly subjective.
WORD.
he’s a LOSER. always was too.
AMEN! AND HE IS UGLY ON THE OUTSIDE AND INSIDE!!!
Dre put him out there and got his dough off of him and he gives stupid/trashy white
dudes something else black to steal!
Only insecure weak minded females like this trash. Desperate chicks who think
oh there is someone who is famous that would date me. Well, Jay-Z has a rich, famous,
and pretty chick and he abuses/cheats on her.
jay z is a terrible rapper and the ugliest man i have ever laid eyes on
Douche is a douche.
Yes, I also asked in the last Eminem post why he gets a pass for his misogynistic lyrics. In the last post, dozens of commenters all wrote in to say how much they liked Eminem. Can you imagine what would happen here if people were to make such comments on a Chris Brown post? I get that Eminem has never been arrested for domestic violence, but I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if has hit Kim or some other ex.
You can add Jack White. He’s a misunderstood artist here at CB.
It’s difficult to separate the artist from the art, and if one appreciates the art, then they don’t want to see the man behind the curtain, if isn’t the great Oz. It’s more difficult to comprehend an art form or persona that comes across as thoughtful and sensitive when the person is very different in real life. Cognitive dissonance is uncomfortable. Everyone has probably experienced it to some degree.
Ugh. It’s too bad because the man is talented but I can never get past all his incredibly violent and derogatory lyrics towards women. It is just so painful to hear that I don’t think I’ve listened to a complete track of his in years, I always turn the station.
Eminem sounds so dated. I think his past three albums just sounds like someones dad trying to entertain his kids friends. He was cool and edgy in the early 00s. But he’s a 42 year father of three now. I mean, hasn’t he gotten over his deep seated hatred of women yet? Hasn’t he outgrown his disgusting homophobia? I feel for his children especially daughters..
Some artists will argue that there are no boundaries, that they examine life and all the brutality and beauty that it brings with it. Maybe he that’s what he’s doing. Making a hideous event even more hideous by rapping about it. Many rap songs do this, and the music community seems to accept it. As for me, I can’t help but be horrifed. I am still sick over what I saw happen to Janay. He’s got the right to say anything he wants, I know. It’s just…I wish he didn’t have that horror to even use on his record.
Yes I know exactly what you’re saying and it’s precisely why I defend a lot of young rappers who rap about violence. They’re simply providing a mirror for what they know-they’re shining a spotlight on their life experiences and illuminating the ugly.
But Eminem has been around for more than a decade. He’s not some poor kid growing up in inner city Detroit anymore, he’s a rich old white dude.
Also, this isn’t Em using a generic simile or metaphor to make a point, he’s using a real-life scenario of domestic violence, where the victim has a very public face and name. It’s really disgusting and I’m disappointed because while I’m not a fan by any means, I’ve defended him plenty of times in the past.
I have always been fond of eminem because I think he is talented and I know he has demons from the way he grew up. I took a lot of his lyrics as hyperbole and metaphor. I also saw a lot of humor and figured he was using poetic license to express pain. But….the Ray Rice stuff….ugh. I am the same age as eminem…he’s too old to not have developed some kind of introspection at this point. And with raising three daughters? Makes it even worse. He has so much now….so much wealth/resources. He’s no kid anymore. I don’t know…get some therapy or something.
Exactly. ITA 100%. He definitely has talent, but no more excuses for this guy’s behavior.
I agree, Kitten. Cindy, I think you and I have similar views about his talent. I think saying he’d punch a woman in the face is bad enough, but to tie it in repeatedly to the Rice domestic violence situation is really awful.
I do like Eminem, I think he has so much talent in his writing and his performance style…but this is REALLY bad. I thought he’d evolved past this kind of lyric.
Tiffany 🙂 It’s like a previous Madonna attempt at shock ploy for attention. It makes you have second hand embarrassment.
42? He’s probably trying to be controversial precisely because he’s feeling old.
Successful multi-millionaire or not, there’s always something a little tragic about middle-aged men dressing like teens and desperately hanging on to youth culture.
This reminds me of Em”s “Without Me” lyrics.
“And Moby you can get stomped by Obie. You 36 year old bald headed _ag blow me. You don’t know me, you’re too old let go, it’s over, nobody listens to techno.
I wonder how he feels now that he’s 42, yet he called Moby old at 37 as well as a derogatory name
I think he feels he’s immune to the “stigma” of aging. He probably feels that due to his legend-like status, he’ll always be viewed as hip enough to get away with his [tired] shtick. You’d think he’d be smarter than that, but after reading this…who knows.
+1 @ Tapioca
He’s the same age as my husband (and from the same town too) It makes me shake my head a bit that he’s trying to keep up with the younger crowd. It reeks of desperation. And picking on Lana Del Rey? Really? I’m not a fan of hers but she just feels pretty innocuous to me.
Vile piece of sh-t is vile. What else is new?
I feel sorry for his daughters. I remember he once said that he wouldn’t like his daughter dating somebody who is a fan of him. Or how about he considers his daughters and stops being a piece of sh-t example? You would think he’s intelligent enough to realise to problem starts with him. I’m pretty sure he raised his brother too so a fine example of how a man should behave? I think not.
Seriously, at this point I immediately dislike anybody who’s still an Eminem fan. He’s disgusting.
People should know by now not to take anything he says in his music literally or personally. I know Lana is a huge fan of his so Im sure she knows not to take it ‘seriously’, she’s probably stoked just to be mentioned.
Anyone that knows anything about him knows thats just the way he is and this was just a cypher.
@Macey
I take violent lyrics very personally. I’m sure other women who are victims of abuse and assault take it personally as well.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I can understand that. simple solution is to not listen to him or read articles about him if its going to offend you. I can tell you he isnt changing his ways for anyone. This was a freestyle cypher, not a radio single and its not like he’s being forced on anyone.
Like I stated in an earlier comment, I don’t think I’ve listened to an entire song of his in years because I usually change the station. Violence against women is violence against everyone, I don’t understand why this artist gets a free pass because he uses a persona to spew his hateful lyrics.
@Macey
Do you have this excuse for all rappers? Or is it just Eminem who gets a pass?
No, he’s not being forced on anyone but he is a popular entertainment figure and there are young fans who look up to him. His misogynistic lyrics help perpetuate a culture of violence against women by implicitly saying it’s okay.
THIS!!!
Yeah no. Not ok. Not even remotely ok.
That’s all I had to say as well, No Bro, JUST .NO
as a grown and talented dude and a father of GIRLS dude is just crappy, uncreative and telling of the type of mess he finds acceptable/amusing for himself and his
The real surprise to me tho was that the one that clapped the f*ck back to Em was… Azealia Banks… and i sorta love her for it
Her Tweet was PRICELESS. Microwaved hotpockets FTW.
I think Azealia is so talented, but she’s never going to be anywhere as huge as the far weaker rapper Iggy Azalea.
Eminem already jumped the shark. Too bad he never bothered to grow as a human being. It’s a waste of his talent.
”Slip the panties right to the side
Ain’t got the time to take draws off, on site
Catch a charge I might, beat the box up like Mike
In ’97 I bite, I’m Ike, Turner, turn up
Baby no I don’t play, now eat the cake, Anna Mae
Said, “Eat the cake, Anna Mae!”
-Beyonce.
I like Eminem, but I think even as an artist there are boundaries, especially when it comes to violence against women, children, or animals. I thought it was gross that people were doing Ray Rice inspired Halloween costumes, which entailed carrying around a lifeless blow up doll, so when did it become acceptable to make jokes about women getting beat up? Eminem isn’t the only one, Beyonce made light of Ike and Tina’s volatile relationship in one of her ”sexy” songs. I feel like the entertainment industry loves to glamorize death and abuse, don’t think so? Just check out some of the high fashion magazines and their editorial spreads, they can be quite disturbing, but ya know, it’s just fashion and art at the end of the day.. *rolls eyes*
That was Jay Z. He wrote those bars. Now Beyonce is problematic in letting them on the song, as a fan of Tina, and even yelling the words to defend at the Grammy’s. But you’re blaming all that on her, when it was Jay Z’s vers, his words. He’s disgusting.
Well, she’s married to him and allowed those lyrics to be featured in her song, so at the end of the day, they’re both at fault.
two other LOSERS.
Let’s be fair, though that is a Beyonce song, it’s actually Jay Z rapping those lyrics.
I never gave too much thought about violence in song/rap lyrics because I just viewed it as entertainment, not real just like violence in film. But what I think that makes lyrics such as Jay and Em hard to take is that they personalize it by rapping about actual violence that a person has suffered. EM’s Superman lyrics didn’t bother me because he was talking about a fictional groupie but when you use a violent situation that did occur, that’s not cool.
Yeah ITA 100% V4Real. Said something similar above.
Yes!
It may be on a Beyonce track but those are Jay Zs lyrics. Beyonce got taken down for it of course. Jay Z did not……. and THAT is also problematic. Your by line should read “Jay Z on a featured track”
Yeah, I definitely agree that the fact that people get upset with Beyonce for that lyric but not Jay-Z is messed up. I do think it was tacky and in bad taste for either of them to use that reference, but I also understand that it was a sexual metaphor. It would have been better if he had just made a rough sex and cake-eating reference without the Anna Mae part. That was insensitive.
The annoying thing about eminem is that he has such a long history with being violent and problematic in his lyrics (as opposed to it being just a one time thing) that you get the sense that he’ll never stop.
How interesting that you bring Beyonce into this. The difference between Drunk in Love which Jay-Z rapped (not Beyonce) was that it’s a metaphor for rough sex. “Eat the cake” is slang for performing cunnilingus. You can say it was in poor taste but its comes no where close to what Em is rapping.
Regardless of it being a metaphor, it is still in bad taste, like Eminem’s lyrics. It’s fine to reference rough sex, but why compare it to the horrible situation of Ike and Tina? It’s just like the thread about Nicki Minaj the other day and her Nazi imagery. Despite whoever is the artistic force behind these lyrics and imagery, these artists should be held accountable by default. I didn’t realize Jay Z was the force behind those lyrics, but Beyonce still featured them on her song, which says that she doesn’t seem to be bothered by how insensitive the lyrics really are. I don’t dislike Beyonce and for the most part, I feel very neutral about her, but that song rubbed me the wrong way and I was reminded of it when I saw the Eminem lyrics.
I think so many artists try to be controversial, but in return, end up being offensive just so they can garner attention in the wrong ways.
Yep, a big difference in terms of offence. Sexual imagery is literally ancient, but in ‘recent olden days’ remember, for example, Zeppelin’s Backdoor Man, which scandalised the daintier fans once it was explained! And the Stones’ lapping tongue logo was pretty damned explicit.
But this Eminem stuff here is shiteous.
So an article about a vile white rapper turns into criticising the wife of the rapper who is actually singing the lines you posted? Tell me, where did you learn dem deflecting skills?
I would like to post the lyrics of Eminem’s ‘Kim’ song but no way is that going through CB’s posting rules.
First up, you don’t really criticise Eminem, you spend more time on Beyoncé. Then you talk in general and you actually started off by saying you ‘like’ Eminem so you are being transparent about your bias.
Btw, Jay’s lyrics are a dime in a dozen. That’s rap for ya. I think B was very problematic for allowing that shit but at least her catalogue is full of female empowerment. Anyhow, that’s still not the same as Eminem threatening rape and murder in his lyrics though. He’s literally one of the worst out there so for you had to use JAY Z as an example when Eminem’s catalogue is basically a guideline for how to be petty misogynist pig is baffling. You got plenty of material of him.
@nancy:
People are tired of Beyoncé but they drag her into any conversation, even when it’s about a 40+ white male rapper. I mean…..-_-
Those are Jay’s lyrics but Bey co-produced her record and allowed those lyrics on her album. She also lipped the lyrics in her video and encouraged her fans to sing those parts. Which made me sick. But to be honest Em’s lyrics towards Kim & his Mom are much worse. I don’t care to look them up but they are vile. Em has always went after women his family and celebs and usually gets a pass.
YOU ARE ONLY SPEAKING THE WHOLE TRUTH!
Disappointing. Why? Why go backwards?
It sells. His fans are angry white boys and he got rich because of them soooo, gotta please the fans.
I don’t know if you’ve been following the story of Jian Ghomeshi getting fired from CBC here in Toronto, Canada. He is/was a huge media personality, had a very successful radio program, was a guest on numerous current events TV programs, had his own successful band at one point. A very intelligent guy. Until a number of women came forward with some very disturbing details about how he became very aggressive with them at work, or either prior to or during sex, with no warning. Often he’d yank their hair, push them into walls, punch them, tell them he wanted to “hate-f*ck” them, on the first date. There were a number of work related complaints about him so the University of Waterloo was counseling their female media students not to intern with him. He claimed on his Facebook page that all his proclivities were totally consensual and filed a frivolous $55 million lawsuit against CBC.
However, the point I’m trying to make is that these women were afraid to come forward because he’s a powerful and trusted media personality, and they would have been dragged publicly through the mud. So here we have a society that repeatedly turns a blind eye to violence against women, either by an individual like Ghomeshi who thinks he’s above the law, or by rage-filled little d like Eminem rapping violence against women, which in turns feeds the culture of misogyny and the acceptance that it’s OK to punch a woman.
This societal acceptance, covering up and even condoning of the Ray Rices of the world, of the Jian Ghomeshis of the world, of the insidiously hateful lyrics of Eminem and other rappers, only feeds the monster of violence against women and it won’t stop until society turns its collective back on those in the music and media industry who promote or turn a blind eye to this kind of vile culture.
*claps*
Too bad comments like these are drowned in a sea full of praise for men like Eminem. When you can still sell 700k and have even women defending your ass, you know misogyny is here to stay for a long ass time.
*joins in on the clapping*
And the church said, Amen.
AMEN to everything you ladies said. If chicks were not so stupid defending this guy, things would change.
I LOVE rap (especially MIA and Azealia Banks). That said I loathe Eneiem. I completely disagree with the suggestion that the women supporting him are a major element of why his misogynistic music sells. The reason they sell is because we live in a sexist society that has been sexist so long that violence against women has been normalised.
Most of the women I know have experienced sexual harassment, assault or emotional abuse. One of these women was encouraged as a teenager by her parents to not take her rapist to court because it’s best not to create that kind of ‘drama’. I also know men who witness their mothers being abused and have to cope with the trauma of that.I know men who have been raped- they didn’t realised they were raped because men are ‘powerful’ and women are ‘weak’ so being able to acknowledged they were raped was more than they could handle mentally. Or they were aware of it however society doesn’t provide resources to help them heal.
This is why his music sells, his lyrics are an extreme example of a life damaging issue that runs deep in our culture so they are relatable to plenty of people. I think that raising awareness about violence against women as well as continuing to create legislation that protects victims well do more to fix this than fixating on a symptom.
Let’s critically engage with these issues. Support women like Kesha who has taken Dr. Luke to court for sexual harassment. Let’s not continue the cycle of oppressing women by oversimplifying the issue & blaming them for a man’s misogyny. We need to continue to give women more options then accepting sexism in order to get on with their day. We need to treat men like they are capable of respecting women. If they do not this than we need to discuss their sexism with them.
This will take time because misogyny and violence against the oppressed (women, people of colour, poor, queers and trans people) has been the social norm for centuries.
Bravo! Absolute truth.
I have always been a fan, had a soft spot for him. Unfortunately he needs to grow a lot more. Doing the same old stuff over and over when he has talent to do something new, and probably do it well is tiring. And yes, the example he is to so many makes me sick. After three daughters I would expect so much more from him. He is disappointing.
This is how I feel and why I hardly ever listen to mainstream rap. It’s all b*ches and n— this and talking about how hardcore they are or how rich and I don’t care how good you are at spitting verses that sh*t is old and tired and I’m sick of it. Disappointed in Em for not evolving past the same ol misogynistic clap trap that coloured much of his earlier records.
What a gross individual.
Loathsome.
Slim shady does not give a **** what you think
I’m looking forward to this album and I’m glad shady’s back. I don’t really know how to explain it to people who don’t get it though.
MAKING MONEY OFF OF DV! What if your Dad did what he did to his ex-girlfriend to your Mother and made a record about it.
Word. Shady got the response he wanted didn’t he?
Also, isn’t his daughter Hailie the one who tweeted that Taylor Swift should stop “whoring” around?
I guess she’s learning from the best.
I wonder how she navigates through this society as a woman? Because Eminem’s standards are incredibly narrow and very conditional listening to his lyrics so how did that translate into bringing a girl up in this already sexist world? He always seemed very protective of her but so are a lot of men towards their daughters for the wrong reasons. Especially when they themselves are the type of men (douchebags) they’re trying to protect their daughters from. How does that work?
I feel sorry for her, the DV in Kim and Eminem’s relationship is well-documented and her upbringing must’ve been tough. I don’t believe one bit that Eminem can be a responsible father, so much hate in that man. His life work is hate against women, there is no excuse. Ugh I’m rambling.
AMEN! He is talentless trash
I’m not trying to tell men how to parent their daughters but from a personal standpoint, I’ve never seen the value in a father being overprotective of his daughter or treating her like a precious princess. My dad always encouraged me to be independent and to forge my own path in life, always treated me as my brother’s equal, not like a fragile flower that needed to be sheltered from the world.
Then again, my dad also never referred to women as “whores, sluts” or “bitches” either. So yeah, I feel for Haile in that sense.
Actually that wasnt Hailey but a girl who poses as Hailey on twitter and many other sites (for whatever reason) but either way, it was not the real one that said that. Most blogs didnt bother to update the story
I saw that “update” and it came straight from Em’s rep. Either way, it was deleted shortly after the controversy erupted.
That account was proven fake long ago, in fact the girl behind even wrote some blog thing about why she did it and kind of apologized for it. Im too lazy to google but its out there. The chick is lonely, in need of attention or whatever so she pretends she’s hailey for whatever reason. point is the proof is out there about the girl, I forget her real name off the top of my head. besides that, the real hailey’s account has never been public, I dont think she even had one back then.
ETA.. my response was to the part you deleted.
Hailie is the chick who at 16 has IG pics of herself drinking Smirnoff Ice and sh*t right? Ok, it’s just not a stretch for me to believe that the daughter of Eminem would feel comfortable using the word “wh-re” that’s all.
I dont know about that without seeing the pic you’re referring to but it’s probably ‘the fake hailie’ in the pic. theres tons of them out there and some blogs have used them thinking they are the real Haillie but they’re not (there is a slight resemblance). I highly doubt its the real one but I can confirm if you link it b/c I do know what the fake one (and the real one) looks like and Id imagine its her. I dont even think the real one uses IG. Keep in mind the Fake Haillie is still out there posting stuff as Hallie so I wouldnt assume its the real one just b/c it has her name on it.
What the ? His daughter is doing very well for herself and is currently at a very good university in Michigan. She also graduated with really good grades and stays out of trouble. Don’t judge her by what her father “raps” about. That’s not fair.
She’s at Michigan State, not U of M. Madonna’s daughter is at U of M, though.
Sigh. I thought he was above such lyrics these days. He’s a talented guy and does not need to court controversy. There’s absolutely no excuse for those lyrics. NONE!
Especially since he has a daughter of his own. Would he want some guy saying this about HIS daughter ?
Uh, classy.
Old man is trying to stir up controversy, awwww poor guy. Go away grandpa!
LOL ….Grandpa!
He’s in his early 40’s. He’s not old. Jay-Z is older than him as are a number of other rappers and singers.
And his drug ‘past’ makes him look at least 10 years older. Jay is only 2 years older than him.
@word
But this is about OldmanShady & not about “other rappers”
Another misogynistic thug. Sigh.
So sad and disappointing. I can’t say I’m surprised though. Em has always been hateful and he has deep seated issues with women. I also not surprised at the “But Jay-Z rapped something violent too” argument I see above. Because this is an article about Jay-Z, right? And if Jay-Z does it, it’s fine for Eminem to follow.
Completely ridiculous.
Uhu. It also shows their lack of rap knowledge because there’s more than 1 rapper in the game. Jay Z an old motherf- who bring HIM up all the time? He dated. There are better contemporary rappers in the present who are just as vile as Jay Z. It’s called rap. Exceptions such as Frank Ocean are rare. And these commenters are the same people that follow Jayonce’s life on this site. I can’t. Also Jay might be bad but he did change massively when he met Beyoncé yet people keep bringing his shit up. Eminem is still the same and he’s being excused. He’s trash, plain and simple. There is no growth or introspection.
Eminem is one of the worst. And people trying to pretend that his white ass has got nothing do with it? It does if they bring in black rappers they don’t like and compare their vile lyrics to excuse Eminem’s behaviour. Aren’t they defending Eminem then while throwing the other rappers under the bus? Makes no sense: hating on women = vile. No matter who does it.
One person brought up Jay Z lyric and that person didn’t even use that excuse for Em behavior. That person said that there are boundaries artist should cross when it comes to violence against women, kids and how the Entertament industry including fashion ads glamorizes death and abuse.
Amanda Bynes was brought up in the Briney Spears post did the post have anything to do with Amanda no they just used her as an example.
Lainey wrote something about him a short while back about how some people wear their demons on the outside, and I have to agree. That face speaks of a lot of unreconciled anger. I don’t know who he’s speaking to these days, but it can’t be anybody from my generation anymore. We grew up. He didn’t.
He got the face he deserves. His ugly personality is so fiery it’s making his face melt. And no amount of cheap foundation can hide it. Boy is raiding Christina Aguilera’s make-up box.
People often feel like they’re having ethics imposed on them. That the ethics being imposed might be right or correct doesn’t change the fact that they’re being imposed and that’s why Eminem’s anti-social schtick is attractive to some.
He’s one of the best rappers to ever grip a microphone. Hate his misogyny, hate his content but he is a skilled mc. Saying Eminem & Jay Z aren’t even talented is laughable. Good art can make you feel outraged. I think this thread is a nice example of that.
There’s no fool like an old fool. I thought he was past this junk when he went away (not that I noticed ) but the second he reverted to his previous hellacious peroxide wasteland hair again, well–he’s like a bleach and coke-addled Sampson: change the hair, destroy the man (child).
Why do people like him?
And I’m sure Nicki is about to announce her engagement to Prince Harry soon enough. Lame and disrespectful, the pair of them. Alright, we’ve covered venal use of Nazi imagery to underscore a point that doesn’t exist, another round of, ‘punching is normal, I’m edgy, um, commentary…uh satire–hey, art is never taking responsibility for your art.’ Anything else?
Here comes Piers Morgan, friend of Chelsea Handler, if that’s any indication. A guy who might almost be as repulsive as Ezra Levant. If you don’t who he is, don’t learn. He’s on Canada’s version of Fox News, but Canada doesn’t put that crap in the basic package. I remember, some months back there was a preview of the network on which this swill is slung (Sun TV)…I could have delivered a litter of kittens.
Who’s babysitting these disgraces?
This is dumb, I’m going to go watch Keeping Up Appearances.
People say stupid stuff all the time. You’ve said stupid stuff before. We all have. Im not saying it was a lapse of judgement, nor am I giving him a pass… but people say stuff. Welcome to life.
TBH, I interpret this as more of a criticism on Ray Rice than an expression/endorsement of misogyny or his actions; the contrasting reference to celebrating with the Ravens is what implies this. There’s also a bit of shade towards the whole elevator Beyonce/Jay/Solange thing, too. Not everything is literal. Not everything is without nuance.
Thank you for being one of the very few people here to understand satire.
🙂 Well, someone’s got to, right? Haha…
Funny thing is though, that’s precisely what it is! Precisely what he has always used the Slim ego for. If anything, it’s an attack on Ray Rice, not on Lana.
To take Em literally in songs like this is to completely miss the point; he’s making a scathing social commentary, not endorsing violence against women. The lyrics need to be taken in context; it’s not just a matter of picking out words like ‘punching’ and immediately shrieking ‘misogynist!’
His talent for metaphor, critique, and elegance with language – whether it be crude or not – is something the majority of other hip-hop is lacking. I don’t know whether it’s because he’s from that genre of music that some people simply find it easier to immediately forego the path of exploring his songs for the depth they contain, or whether it’s part of a larger phenomenon in the current social milieu to find something offensive in everything. Perhaps it’s both.
Or perhaps I’m just gratuitously biased, given I’ve been a fan of him since I was 12.
We’re not too stupid to understand satire, don’t take the ‘if you don’t like who I like, it’s because you’re not intelligent enough to get it route.’ That’s not what’s happening here. It’s that he’s been doing the same thing for 15 years and it’s stale. When other rappers do stuff like this, they’re raked over the coals, but Slim Shady gets an Oscar and all of world rallies around him to wax rhapsodic about his genius. If it takes genius to not evolve and consistently go after low-hanging fruit, he’s a genius.
I thought about this off and on today.
This is my take on it too.
It seems to be different in form and intent than other stuff mentioned.
I think my favourite part of your comment is that you thought about the issue during the day before actually posting, cheryl! 🙂
Thinking before posting… it’s a dying art.
The entire time I was reading through the comments, I was thinking exactly what you typed but I just couldn’t formulate the words to express it on paper—or computer screen, if you will. Eminem is all about satire and, while he is controversial, his command of the English language does make him unique among a lot of rappers. (I’m not going to comment on the issue of the color of his skin because that’s neither here nor there to me.)
I have been a fan of Eminem since he first appeared on the scene, and I say that fully aware I may receive backlash from other posters on this site. I am also a huge proponent of free speech and so when people start to discuss censorship—or even mention the days of Tipper Gore—I see a slippery slope of eventually being told what I can and can’t say. And that doesn’t sit right with me.
Someone mentioned that good art can be uncomfortable. It can make you squirm or angry or at loss for words but often that’s because good art is a mirror of society and who we are. And, yes, I have experienced things that Eminem has rapped about in the past and, yes, it did make me uncomfortable because I realized he hit the nail on the head for me. Love the Way You Lie could be the soundtrack of my last relationship and so the song has deeper meaning for me though others could say it’s simply full of misogynistic lyrics about domestic violence and leave it at that.
I will confess, I am often attracted to the darker side of things; to the demons that torture each and every one of us in different ways. I think that’s because I’ve experienced a lot of that dark side and those demons so when I see it and hear it expressed in art, I sometimes have an understanding of where that emotion is coming from in a person. It’s not pretty and it’s not something you can neatly put in a box, but we need good art to show us that mirror. I could even akin good art to @alice being able to describe in words the thoughts I was thinking about this article but couldn’t quite express on my own.
Just my two cents.
I see your two cents and raise you to four!
That was so beautifully expressed, and I could not agree more completely.
An artist and their art cannot be held responsible for the actions of others.
Actually, this whole debate reminds me a little of a time when, during the aftermath of the Columbine massacre, an influx of vitriol was directed towards Marilyn Manson. Almost unrelentingly so. The broadly prevailing message being that, since the shooters were fans, therefore Manson and his music were solely to blame for the attack. Manson and his makeup. Manson and his devil worshipping. Manson Manson Manson. Say it enough times and eventually people think it’s true. Say it enough times and it’s like he was the one out there in the school halls, firing the gun.
And yet.
To this day, I still recall Manson’s response to Michael Moore in Bowling for Columbine when asked “if you were to talk directly to the kids at Columbine or the people in that community, what would you say to them if they were here now?”
To which Manson replies: “I wouldn’t say a single word to them I would listen to what they have to say, and that’s what no one did.”
Lol! Gatta love Em. He’s the voice of my generation. Love him now, loved him then.
Two words: Has been.
His shows still sell out and mmlp2, his last album, went to number one. How is that a has been?
This is disappointing. I wish he wouldn’t have done this. Makes him seem like he’s acting up.
Hi, usually never commenting….. but just to add to the whole controversy and discussion, and I dont know if somebody said that already. But there is actually a very good reason why Eminem is so broadly accepted, with his reflections on violence especially his own story of hating on women.
I myself grew up whit a lot of misogyny in my family, a lot of shouting and verbal abuse and domestic violence in general…. and I love Eminen for one main reason… his music and the aggression whitin it works just as good as therapy. He provides you with the possibility to guide you through all the emotions, which such traumatic experiences leave behind… he confronts you not only with hatred but also with the side of the victim, all the feelings of powerlessnes… both sides are represented in his work….. and because its just music, which you can turn on or off …. its kind of a space of security, where you can decide how much of that you are able to handle…. thats what Eminen is all about.
Usually people who are critizising dont get that, or simply does not have those kind of problems or needs…. or their experience with mysigony/violence are too severe to handle any confrontation …. So. that said….
its important to respect also the fact that a thought is not a deed and the spoken word has always been a grey area, because it is able to connect the though with a deed…. where the responsibility stays is a very long and historic controversy between humans… and most societies agreed upon that, that speech goes free, but those who act not….. I hope its sheds some light on that why all the controversy will never end and Eminem is not willing to end it also. After all free speech literally! saved his life, and I think there is little chance that he will surrender to people who would like to put some kind restricts on that. love MIR
Yes, yes, yes. Just like @alice above, you put into words what I couldn’t. It is therapy to shout those lyrics from the side of the aggressor as well as the victim. In a weird way, it almost feels like I’m taking that power back that I lost as a victim as I hate scream lyrics.
Free speech forever.
@Mirmimi & @LouP-Musings
It’s so fantastic to hear someone else’s experience and relation to Em’s work has not been dissimilar to my own. Absolutely his music and lyrics can be a form of therapy. Of comfort, too. Inspiration. Release. Creative stimulation. For me, he’s been the voice in your head that helps you feel less crazy. Sometimes that voice says intense, abrasive, mad shit. But it’s intense, abrasive, mad and beautiful shit at the same time, too. Because it lets you know that you’re not alone in thinking those things. Feeling those things.
My perspective in this discussion is not about perceiving others as ‘being too stupid to understand satire’ or adopting some sort of heinously draconian attitude of ‘if you don’t like who I like, it’s because you’re not intelligent enough to get it’ as was suggested to me in an earlier post. My perspective is purely to frame the discussion with what I interpret to be an increasingly more prevalent occurrence in the current social climate and across the media landscape more broadly; whether it’s conscious or unconscious, at times there is a tendency to opt for reaction over reflection. A reflection we are all, quite probably, certainly capable of pursuing, but which the microenvironment of opinion in the 21st century seems to be rendering into less of a priority. Regardless of the issue.
… thank you for your kind responses to my post…
and yeah I would second that, that the current climate is reaction over reflection, but also nobody really takes the time to stop and think, and studies a subject…. one just moves on to the next post …. and is not confronted with the mess he/she leaves behind in the comment section…. 🙂
but people in general have the tendency to build their life around one truth/ideology…. and the idea other positions could be right or at least understandable feels messy and unsave for them….
and like with this subject, if you take Eminems content out of his context, you can impose your own very save rule : “hatred towards women” is a bad bad thing … and start a discussion about how Eminem is a bad bad person…. yadda yadda….but the fact is that you are ignoring everything else in that story, to be able to make such statements…. and…funny thing…. it is also an approach to avoid a truely sincere debate over violence/misogyny its effects/causes and destructive cycles…. and Eminem is definitly not doing that ;)…
I’m glad I’m not the only one that doesn’t like him at all.
Regarding Lana’s song, Ultraviolence, she wasn’t glorifying violence. She has said it was about something in her past and used that for the character in her song. “The title track is about a violent abusive relationship with Lana even repeating the controversial The Crystals’ lyric “he hit me and it felt like a kiss” for good measure. But this abuse isn’t packaged up as a catchy pop song, this is a very dramatic production. The subject matter makes you wince but this is an extremely well produced song. The way Del Rey offsets “I can hear violins” with “I can hear sirens” is smart as well as tragic.”
Lana Del Rey said in a Kulturnews interview that the song was about a cult leader she met as a member of underground group in New York.
From her Grazia interview:
“I used to be a member of an underground sect which was reigned by a guru. He surrounded himself with young girls. He thought that he had to break people first to build them up again. At the end I quit the sect.
It is speculated that she is talking about Atlantic Group, a part of Alcoholics Anonymous, which she joined in the past. They were notorious for their cult behaviour and poor treatment of older men and young women. The Pacific Group (which AG is a branch of) is partly run by a man named Jim, which is name of the character referenced in the song.”
I don’t get why Eminem used Lana in the lyrics in such a violent way, but has he explained the lyrics to anyone? It just comes across like he himself wants to bash her in the face and is using that through a song with a recent event with Ray. I don’t get why he inserted her in there. And the image from his lyrics is sickening, the rage of him wanting to hit a woman in the face twice, and using a specific woman for that visual and naming her I cannot fathom.
Anyone ever really listen to the lyrics of “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix? Popular song, you hear it on your classic rock station, in bars…..but listen to the lyrics. Yikes. This is nothing new peeps, messed up lyrics, songs, etc has been around a long time..Try looking up The Beatles “Run for your life”… They are just songs people. They tell stories, whether good or bad. Also, stop trying to frame yourself into a group or word like “feminist”. I have been reading this alot. Just be you. End of story.
Makes no sense to call him out on this when that’s what most of the rappers rap about. I am not a lover of rap music but I have always admired his talent and he has put out some really good music. The song Headlights is awesome. He had a very troubled childhood with a very unstable Mother so he did not start out with a great opinion of women. His daughter graduated with honors and thanked her Mom and Dad for being so wonderful. So, in spite of what you think of him don’t feel sorry for his kids. They are just fine. As far as the lyrics go for most of these rap songs, I have a hard time understanding them. I feel like they are more about throwing something, anything in there that will rhyme verses some of it having a lot of hidden meaning.