Trying to Cancel Eminem? He’s still "Tone Deaf"
I didn’t know what I was going to write to you about today.
Leave it to the rest of the Rap Clash team and Eminem to give me an entire article and a half around two hours before I’m supposed to get these edited and posted.
Oh well, sorry Marie for not sending you this for editing. I’m going off the cuff today!
To give you all a little backstory to what’s going on, people are trying to cancel Eminem. For anyone born before 2005, this is nothing new. Frankly, to attempt to cancel Slim Shady is like the US presidential elections: they come every four years, lasts way too long and no one that gets really upset gets what they want because their opinion doesn’t matter anyways. Yeah, I went there.
But let’s see why these little uppity Gen Z children want to cancel Marshall Mathers for.
“If she ever tries to fucking leave again / I'm a tie her to the bed and set this house on fire.”
This is the rock you want to die on in this argument? This line from “Love the Way You Lie”, from Recovery? Get out of here.
If you were to tell me that you were going to cancel him for something that he said on iconic songs such “Cleaning Out My Closet”, “Kill You”, “Superman” or even “Kim”, I could give you credit. I’d shoot your argument down saying that we cannot judge history on today’s societal standards, but at least you would’ve presented some valuable argument. But “Love the Way You Lie” is the song where he talks about domestic abuse and its effects and possible conclusion, from the perspective of he himself having been in that situation with his ex-wife, Kim.
Yeah, same ‘Kim’ one as the song in the previous paragraph. It’s a screwed up situation. Listen to it if you are okay with misogyny and hearing an imaginary murder happen. Moving on.
This man has been pissing off people for over twenty years. They called him homophobic for using homophobic terms in his music. Ended up performing “Stan” with Elton John and having his endorsement. Been called a misogynistic pig and hated by bible thumping evangelicals. Put out amazing songs apologizing to the women in his life (his mother in “Headlights” and “Bad Husband” for Kim) and getting in tune with his faith in “Best Friend” with Yelawolf and “Lord Knows” with Fat Joe.
So, why am I here today to write about it?
Because Eminem has responded in the very funny music video for “Tone Deaf”, a track off of Music to be Murdered By, Side B, released at the end of 2020.
The entire song is almost a throw away song in the entire scheme of the Music to be Murdered By albums. But, for this to be released at this point and time means that Eminem has heard what happened. How can I see this? The lyrics within the song that highlight cancelling him or offensive things he has said are bigger and more pronounced. I’ll leave the video here in case you don’t want to redirect yourself to YouTube.
Is the song good? It’s alright. Not anything to write home about. But is the timing of the lyric video perfect? Yes.
Children, sit down with Uncle Ryan on this one: you will not cancel Eminem. He was at it before you were even brought into this world. Not to say that he can’t change, but this is his alter ego. Whether he be Eminem or Slim Shady, you can’t paint this on Marshall. It’s a distance that artists have with their own music; what we portray isn’t always reality. So please, stop while you are ahead. You’re only fueling another visceral comeback.
Or maybe keep talking, I’d like to hear him and the rest of the millennials and my older Gen Z compatriots destroy your argument.
Maybe I should get some popcorn with Marie.
