In today’s cultural environment, especially one in which Macklemore’s “Same Love” became a big hit, it is hard to fathom mainstream rappers returning to the well of homophobic lyrics.
But on his blockbuster new song “Rap God,” Eminem, a rapper who has previously worked to combat allegations of intolerance, did just that.
With multiple uses of the word fag, a comment about cracking tables over faggots’ backs and an assertion, nodding to “Lookin Boy,” that someone is so gay-looking Eminem cannot refer to him with a straight face, the song, cut from new release “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” makes no effort to escape the shackles of lyrical homophobia.
Eminem, however, does not believe that description is apt. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Eminem says he is so accustomed to using words like “faggot” that he does not know an alternative way to phrase his sentiment.
“I don’t know how to say this without saying it how I’ve said it a million times,” says Eminem. “But that word, those kind of words, when I came up battle-rappin’ or whatever…It was more like calling someone a bitch or a punk or asshole. So that word was just thrown around so freely back then. It goes back to that battle, back and forth in my head, of wanting to feel free to say what I want to say, and then [worrying about] what may or may not affect people.”
Unconvinced of the inherent homophobia in using a slang term for gay to insult one’s manliness, Eminem also adds that because so much of his material is tongue-in-cheek, it is hard to treat the content as a reflection of true, malicious beliefs.
“The real me sitting here right now talking to you has no issues with gay, straight, transgender, at all. I’m glad we live in a time where it’s really starting to feel like people can live their lives and express themselves,” says the rapper.
“The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” one of the year’s most anticipated albums, releases on November 5.
