Check It Out:
Eminem’s “The Storm”
October 16, 2017 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
From a reader:
At the BET Hip Hop Awards on October 6, rapper Eminem raised his voice in a denunciation of Donald Trump in a freestyle rap titled “The Storm.” The video shows Eminem in a cypher, where rappers normally stand in a circle competing by trading verses back and forth. In this case Eminem’s real opponent is not physically present—he’s in the White House. Eminem delivers a powerful freestyle attacking Trump at every angle with verse after verse. Eminem makes his intentions clear, ending the song with a fist in the air screaming, “We fucking hate Trump!”
Just before that last line, Eminem says, “We love our military, and we love our country.” No, Eminem, there is nothing to love about this capitalist-imperialist country, and nothing to love about the America’s imperialist military. But while I take issue with Eminem on this important point, overall “The Storm” is a work that is very positive and that everyone should check out. The rapper goes after Trump for his murderous neglect of Puerto Rico and his attacks on NFL players kneeling in protest of police murder and brutality: “Instead of talking Puerto Rico or gun reform for Nevada / All these horrible tragedies and he’s bored and would rather / Cause a Twitter storm with the Packers.” And he says: “From his endorsement of Bannon / Support for the Klansmen / Tiki torches in hand for the soldier that’s black / And comes home from Iraq / And is still told to go back to Africa.”
Eminem successfully started a shit storm when he sharply called out those among his fans who are pro-Trump: “And any fan of mine who’s a supporter of his / I’m drawing in the sand a line: you’re either 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!” In the wake of “The Storm,” fascists on Twitter went wild denouncing and threatening Eminem while trolling people celebrating Eminem’s slam against Trump. On the other side, many prominent voices have praised Eminem for “The Storm,” including Colin Kaepernick (whom Eminem defends in his rap), J. Cole, LeBron James, Ellen DeGeneres, T-Pain, and Keith Olbermann.
To anyone who hasn’t checked out “The Storm,” check it out and share it. Eminem and others with prominent voices should be encouraged and supported when they speak out against the Trump/Pence regime. And others should follow suit.
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