What Makes Eminem’s Trump Diss Special (and What Doesn’t)
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The rapper’s unique in speaking to the president’s supporters—but his freestyle is otherwise typical of 2017’s hip-hop politics.
Maybe you loved Eminem’s immediately viral BET Hip-Hop Awards diss of Donald Trump on Tuesday, from the way he nails the president’s distraction techniques to the way he rhymes “historical deplorable factors.” Or maybe Eminem’s heavy panting and dumb-then-clever-then-dumb-again lines like “Racism’s the only thing he’s fantastic for / ‘Cause that’s how he gets his fucking rocks off and he’s orange” put your brain in a fight with your finger to hit “close.” Maybe you didn’t tune in because of Eminem’s long history of misogyny and homophobia. Maybe you’re Keith Olbermann and it’s, frighteningly, the best rap you’ve heard in 27 years and the best political writing you’ve read all year.
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