EMINEM IN HOT WATER WITH LGBT COMMUNITY OVER "RAP GOD" LYRICS

EMINEM

In advance of the release of his next album, “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” Eminem has put out a single called “Rap God,” a six-minute tribute to himself and a host of rappers who have inspired him.
Likely waxing nostalgic about the success of the first “Marshall Mathers LP,” the rapper resorts to the same tired, violently homophobic lyrics that will remind many of the song “Criminal” from that album, ranging from Em’s ability to “break a motherf—–’s table over the back of a couple f-ggots and crack it in half” in the first verse to this ridiculous tirade in the second:

“Little gay-looking boy / So gay I can barely say it with a straight face-looking boy / You witnessing massacre like you watching a church gathering taking place-looking boy / ‘Oy vey, that boy’s gay,’ that’s all they say looking-boy / You take a thumbs up, pat on the back, the way you go from your label every day-looking boy.”

By now, we know the drill, and so does Eminem. He’s aiming for a comeback in a world of hip-hop which has now embraced artists like singer-songwriter Frank Ocean, who has sung about falling in love with another man. Macklemore‘s single “Same Love,” about as forceful a defense of gay marriage ever committed to verse, is one of the most popular songs on his wildly successful album. So what better way for Eminem to stir up controversy than to hark back to the repulsive homophobic lyrics that garnered so much attention at the start of his career?

A representative for Eminem didn’t return a request for a comment.

Perhaps worse than this cynical ploy are all the media outlets falling all over themselves to praise the rapper’s flow, all while ignoring the content. Time called the single “divine.” Rolling Stone chimed in about the song’s influences without commenting once on its content. MTV News refers to the track’s “expertly laid verses.” Is the song impressive? Absolutely (here’s what Speakeasy wrote about it). It would be even more so without the needlessly offensive parts.

As expected, the commentators have started chiming in. Several have already decried the lyrics, as have many LGBT rights groups. Richard Lane, media manager at Stonewall, said: “Eminem seems stuck in the last century with these outdated and deeply offensive lyrics.” A representative for Eminem didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Let’s fast forward, shall we? Once the brouhaha settles down a bit, Eminem will probably sit down for an interview with someone affable and relevant—let’s say Jimmy Kimmel—much as he did with Anderson Cooper in 2010, to explain that he has nothing against gays in general. In that Cooper interview, Eminem tried to disassociate the term “f-ggot” from the gay community by saying that where he grew up, “the word was thrown around constantly, to each other, like in battling,” Ok, Em, so what about “gay-boy”? Is that also not really a reference to gays?

Next will come the social progressives—including some LGBT folk, no doubt—who will stand up and claim they know Eminem, and he’s no homophobe. Right. He just uses homophobic lyrics to stir up controversy and sales. Go back and substitute the word “gay” in the above lyrics with the word “n–—er” or “Jew” and tell me how that would go over. There would be no praise heaped on the rapper. There would be nothing but outright condemnation.

Fortunately, the world has moved on, even if Eminem hasn’t. He may have a specific person in mind with his “gay-boy” lyric. So what? It’s still childish. I don’t really care if Eminem is or isn’t a homophobe. I just wish he’d stopped being so lazy and find some other punching bag besides the LGBT community.

Elton isn’t going to come and save the day this time, Em. I know it’s hard to stay relevant as a 41-year-old rapper (today is actually his birthday). But you are far too talented to rely on these tired games. A “Rap God” doesn’t need to pick on or bully anyone. His flow speaks for itself.