Eminem is trying to make a comeback. After being missing in action for a while, a fiery lyrical disapproval of President Donald Trump made him more relevant.
In hIs acapella verse delivered at the BET Hip-Hop Awards, he basically assessed the current President of the United States and his politics so far. Freedom of Speech was put in the forefront during the BET Hip-Hop Awards this year. The video, which first aired on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2017, included Eminem, rapper Royce da 5’9”, and other buddies in a random Detroit parking garage.
Eminem’s ‘The Storm’ Video
Eminem vitriolically blamed the president about his racism, hypocrisy, and disrespect of military veterans in a 4:25-minute freestyle video entitled, “The Storm.” He lyrically exposed everything from Trump’s response to the deadly Charlottesville protest to immigration views. Furthermore, he cited the president’s of racial injustice, his slow response to hurricane recovery in Puerto Rico, and his failure to address gun control after the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
“This is for Colin, ball up a fist,” indicating his support for Kaepernick. Also, using a redneck accent that mimicked Trump supporters, Eminem said, “He’s gonna get rid of all immigrants! He’s gonna build that thing up even taller than this!” The rapper called the president was a “racist 94-year-old grandpa.”
BET Awards
Cardi B received an award for holding the No. 1 spot on the “Billboard 100” for longer than any female rapper in history. Luther Campbell, a former member of 2 Live Crew, and southern rap pioneer received the honorary award for hip-hop. He said, “I started hip-hop in the south.”
As he gave his acceptance speech, he was very sentimental as he recalled his legal battle over a significant freedom of speech case that went all the way to the Supreme Court. The case was ruled in his favor in 1994. He thanked the crowd for keeping BET Hip Hop alive.
Campbell also gave a shout out to Cardi B for beating the odds. He said, “Don’t let nobody tell you can’t be. Be who you wanna be.”
The show ended with him giving a closing performance in a Miami Hurricanes Starter jacket. The crowd got a peek of both his middle-aged gut and the onstage vulgarity that has kept Campbell subject to persistent police attention for most of his career.
After announcements that Eminem would be releasing an album by the end of 2017, the freestyle video release amassed a great deal of attention Even Kaepernick who tweeted “I appreciate you, Eminem,” ending the black-power-fist emoji.
Written By Antwon Rogers
Edited by Cathy Milne
Sources:
NPR: Eminem’s Presidential Diss Wasn’t The Only Political Statement At BET Hip Hop Awards
The New York Times: Eminem Lashes Out at Trump With Freestyle Rap Video
Fox News: Eminem blasts Trump at BET Awards
Entertainment Weekly: Here are the full lyrics Eminem wrote about Trump
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of EMR’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License