'Eminem' and 'controversy' are two words you expect to find in the same sentence. At the end of last year leaked audio, allegedly from the rapper, included the lyrics, ‘I'd side with Chris Brown, I'd beat down a bitch too.’ Now his eleventh album - which dropped overnight - has also hit headlines for the entirely wrong (and most distasteful) reason.
On the new album, Music To Be Murdered By, he makes a horrible reference to the Manchester 2017 terror attack, which killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande gig. ‘I'm contemplating yelling "Bombs away' on the game," he raps on Unaccommodating. ‘Like I'm outside of an Ariana Grande concert waiting.’
Even for Eminem, he’s definitely pushed it too far - with many calling him out for the unnecessary and insensitive lyrics. ‘The fact that Eminem made a joke about the Manchester attack in his song makes me sick,’ one user tweeted. ‘He can’t get out of this one. He fully said her name and can’t deny it at all. Disgusting. How insensitive do you have to be to say something like this?’ Meanwhile another asked, ‘Eminem really is nearly 50 and writing lyrics about Manchester without any remorse - how can you possibly think that’s okay?’
‘Feels like he is piggybacking on the fame of Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber and says distasteful things about other celebrities,’ Figen Murray - whose son Martyn Hett died in the attack - wrote on Twitter. ‘Not clever. Totally pointless. And before all Eminem fans pounce on me, I am not interested and will not engage.’
There have, however, been a few who have defended him, as he did raise money for the victims after the tragedy.
The album, which he announced via a tweet, also includes collaborations with Ed Sheeran, Anderson .Paak, Skylar Grey, Royce Da 5’9, Young M.A and the late Juice WRLD, who died last month.
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