Eminem Admits He Went 'Too Far' By Calling Tyler, The Creator, A Homophobic Slur
Eminem is, once again, addressing allegations of homophobia after he included anti-LGBTQ language on his latest album.
“Kamikaze,” released Aug. 31, has him taking an obscenity-filled swipe at fellow rapper Tyler, the Creator, on the track “Fall.”
“Tyler create nothin’, I see why you called yourself a [faggot], bitch,” Eminem raps on the song, which also features Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. “It’s not just ’cause you lack attention, it’s because you worship D12’s balls ― you’re sack-religious.”
Though the word “faggot” is partially obscured by a sound effect, the sentiment didn’t sit well with some listeners, and many weren’t shy about expressing their disgust on social media. In a Thursday interview with rapper Sway, Eminem got candid about the backlash, saying he now believes he crossed a line by including the slur.
“I was angry when I said the shit about Tyler,” Eminem explains in the interview. “The word that I called him on that song was one of the things where I felt like, ‘This might be too far.’ Because in my quest to hurt him, I realized that I was hurting a lot of other people by saying it.”
(Watch the interview below. The key comments begin at about 12:30.)
Eminem continued, “It was one of the things that I kept going back to, going ‘I don’t feel right with this.’ Now I realize people can hear what I’m saying anyways. ... I wasn’t in the right mind frame. I was angry.”
The swipe may have been intended as a clapback of sorts after Tyler, the Creator, criticized Eminem’s 2017 song “Walk on Water” on social media last year.
dear god this song is horrible sheesh how the fuck
— Tyler, The Creator (@tylerthecreator) November 11, 2017
Whether Eminem’s explanation will be enough to appease those who felt “Fall” was simply out-of-line is another matter. Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds, who has become a staunch LGBTQ rights advocate in recent years, was among the new song’s most prominent critics.
it’s never ok to say a word that is filled with hate. I don’t care what year you were born in or what meaning it has to you.
if it contributes to hate and bigotry then it is hateful. period.
there is never an ok time to say the word fa**ot
I don’t care who you are.— Dan Reynolds (@DanReynolds) August 31, 2018
Meanwhile, Vernon distanced himself from the track, saying he wasn’t in the studio with Eminem when the final version was recorded.
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Was not in the studio for the Eminem track... came from a session with BJ Burton and Mike Will. Not a fan of the message, it’s tired. Asked them to change the track, wouldn’t do it. Thanks for listening to BRM https://t.co/E0wmt732ty
— blobtower (@blobtower) August 31, 2018
Eminem is one of the best rappers of all time , there is no doubt. I have and will respect that. Tho, this is not the time to criticize Youth, it’s the time to listen. To act. It is certainly not the time for slurs. Wish they would have listened when we asked them to change it
— blobtower (@blobtower) August 31, 2018
Eminem has faced multiple accusations of homophobia and misogyny over the course of his career, which now spans more than 20 years. The rapper, 45, has repeatedly dismissed those claims, most recently in a 2017 Vulture interview.
“I’m sure people have misunderstood what I was doing,” he told Vulture. “Again, I’m not a perfect human being and I’m sure that I’ve said things that went a little too hard, but I think my actual life shows — I mean, meeting Elton John and being as good friends with him as I am, that’s not me saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got a gay friend.’ It’s me saying Elton John has my back. He’ll stick up for me.”
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
