HomeOPINIONStay Woke During “The Storm:” An Analysis of Eminem’s Freestyle

Stay Woke During “The Storm:” An Analysis of Eminem’s Freestyle

By ANDREW ZAMACONA
Contributing Writer

It has been about ten months since Donald Trump took the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2017 and interestingly enough, his approval ratings have been more or less static. Whether Donald Trump is a genius or inept, there is something that he has been able to do that no recent commander-in-chief has accomplished by the same context of circumstance; discussion. It is through the words and actions of his historic campaign and administration, no matter how raw or subtle, that has induced an increased public consciousness. In other words, Donald Trump puts an ugly face to ugly policy; in a sense, the mask of governmental opaqueness is cracking. Many writers and commentators have taken notice of this emerging phenomenon in American politics; and one of the world’s most prolific artists, Marshall Mathers; Eminem, has had plenty to spit about it.
Eminem is known for his complex and intricate, even cynical, style of rapping that has elevated him to a status of global recognition and prestige. He is no stranger when it comes to critiquing celebrities and other socialites with intense and clever lyricism, and the President is no exception to this. Eminem released a scathing freestyle entitled “The Storm,” addressing a myriad of social, political, and economic developments and the Trump administration at work; and performed it at the 2017 BET Hip-Hop Awards which received much notoriety and praise from fans and fellow artists alike. Despite such positive feedback from people, including Snoop Dogg, J. Cole, LeBron James, Colin Kaepernick, and Keith Olbermann, there is definite consensus on what the problem is, but it is how to solve the problem that is contested. It also seems to be convenient to hop along the anti-Trump bandwagon, but one must not critique just to critique, there must be rational purpose. There must be constructive conversation.
The first succession of bars that entices interest with profound lyrics is “But we better give Obama props, ‘Cause what we got in office now’s a kamikaze, That’ll probably cause a nuclear holocaust.” In what could be a reference to the Iran Nuclear Deal that the Obama administration had made with the Iranian government in 2015 would be reason to give him “props.” Whereas President Trump has asserted he will not recertify the deal and claims Iran is not keeping its promises. An act that could be seen as “shooting himself in the foot,” and making the United States appear to be a rogue actor. The situation with Kim-Jong Un and North Korea is also a reference to a “kamikaze, That’ll probably cause a nuclear holocaust.” More so, the circumstances of such are intensely political. Despite what is going on, there seems to be a general consensus that there are better ways of handling it. In the anarchic condition of the international system, states compete for primacy. The possession of nuclear deterrents is a method of bargaining power (they’re essentially atomic poker chips), as no rational world leader would be so inclined to be responsible for the extinction of the human race (unless the bluff is called and the cards are shown).
“Racism’s the only thing he’s fantastic for, ‘Cause that’s how he gets his f—ing rocks off and he’s orange.” Not only is this a clever cultural reference to the Fantastic Four’s the “Thing,” it also brings up the issue of racism in the United States. Whether Donald Trump is actually racist or not, it is apparent the establishment and actors alike use racism as a device to ultimately divide and conquer the masses by race baiting and distracting the public from the very real political and economic circumstances that perpetuate division. Not to say that social and racial issues are not something to be addressed, but there is a broader systemic problem at large that is responsible for such. If the citizenry are divided among themselves, then they cannot unite to be the change they long to see. Such, when Eminem spits, “When he attacks the NFL so we focus on that, 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…” it is an observation of incompetence and distraction, both of which go hand in hand.
Eminem continues with, “Then says he wants to lower our taxes, Then who’s gonna pay for his extravagant trips, Back and forth with his fam to his golf resorts and his mansions? Same s— that he tormented Hillary for and he slandered, Then does it more.” Many of Trump’s trips to Mar-a-lago, courtesy of taxpayer money, and all of those rounds of golf surely could have been dedicated to “defeating ISIS within 30 days.” Trump wishes to lower taxes even further and not to mention Barack Obama made the Bush tax cuts permanent (how liberal of Obama to do so). An interesting thing to note, the double standard of leisure acts, this exceptionalism is not immune to criticism and frankly, corruption can be a one way mirror. Near the end of his cypher, Eminem delivers his fans an ultimatum, “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: F— you!” This is powerful, in which the ability of Donald Trump to be so divisive, however, if this line in the sand is comparable to Obama’s “red line,” it will leave people choked up.
In essence, the entirety of “The Storm,” is a sufficient summarization of the grievances of the American polity (if one can call it that anymore). The frustration of the lyrics, in meaning and in voice, speak to the stagnant political climate of the United States. In such times of division and disquietude, it is comparable to the era of the Civil War. Barack Obama being akin to James Buchanan who did little to ease tensions domestically; and Donald Trump likened to Abraham Lincoln, both of whom were actors of great schisms among the citizenry. When people desperately hope for change, they become tired and count themselves, as sheep, while they dose off. But instead of counting sheep, stay awake and take account of the wolves wearing their clothing

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