Slim Shady has taken a big stand against the NFL.
Eminem has a long career of being controversial.
From his very first hit songs in the late 90s, he's been unafraid of confrontation when
it comes to audiences and critics, as evidenced by his countless lyrics covering taboo and
inflammatory topics.
The outspoken rapper raised eyebrows when he became even more outspoken about his political
affiliations in recent years.
As one example, he released a scathing freestyle cypher at the 2018 BET Hip Hop Awards absolutely
laying into former U.S. president Donald Trump.
Eminem has also made his alignment with the Black Lives Matter movement public, supporting
NFL player Colin Kaepernick through the athlete's protest of police brutality by kneeling for
the National Anthem.
"We have cops that are murdering people.
We have cops in the SFPD that are blatantly racist.
And those issues need to be addressed."
Em spoke out against Kaepernick's critics in an interview with Sway Calloway, speaking
about the pain that fueled his desire to protest.
While he acknowledged that people should stand for the anthem if they want to, people also
have the right to protest.
"You also need to realize that this is America and people have died for these rights to be
able to protest and to be able to take a knee."
Kneeling has been a hotly debated issue for the NFL, which reportedly forbade Super Bowl
LVI halftime performers from doing the gesture ahead of the show.
But as any fan of hip-hop knows, Eminem isn't afraid to break the rules — and his actions
made a big impression on social media.
Despite reports that he was explicitly asked by the NFL not to do it, Eminem defiantly
took a stance of protest and solidarity during his Super Bowl LVI halftime performance.
After rapping his hit song "Lose Yourself," Eminem knelt down and stayed kneeling with
his head bowed for almost a full minute.
The move was widely applauded by fans, some of whom were shocked Eminem seemingly took
a stand against the league.
One fan tweeted,
"​​Straight up: Eminem taking a knee to stand in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick
is what made this #SuperBowl actually SUPER!"
Another wrote,
"However you feel about him, sticking it to a league that has had treacherous hiring practices
with Black coaches and likely colluded to keep a man out of the league via every owner's
approval, it's lovely."
One Twitter user summed up Em's irreverent actions by writing,
"Eminem took the knee despite NFL [telling] him not to.
Legend behaviour."
Fellow halftime performer Dr. Dre also reportedly went against the wishes of the NFL by keeping
an anti-police lyric in his performance of his 1999 hit "Still D.R.E."
when he rapped the line, quote, "still not loving the police."
With the two hip-hop legends both taking stands, it seems the 2022 halftime show will be remembered
for more than just the iconic performances.
However, while Eminem shocked audiences by kneeling, the NFL was reportedly aware that
the rapper was thinking about going off script.
In a statement released following the halftime show, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said,
"We watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware
that Eminem was going to do that."
Whether his taking a knee came as a surprise or not, Eminem was admittedly nervous to perform
alongside hip-hop icons Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and special guest
50 Cent on the massive, national stage.
Speaking to Sway on SiriusXM prior to the big game, he said the experience was nerve-wracking.
"To me, there is nothing more final than live TV.
You know what I'm saying?
If you f–k it up, your f–kup is there forever."
Long before Eminem took the national stage at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show, the rapper's
music communicated his beliefs about free speech.
His 2002 track "White America" dives into his critiques of American society.
He raps sarcastically,
"How many people are proud to be citizens / Of this beautiful country of ours, the stripes
and the stars / For the rights that men have died for to protect?
/ The women and men who have broke their necks / For the freedom of speech the United States
government has sworn to uphold ... or so we're told."
With Em's staunch beliefs about free speech, the rapper is also a fierce supporter of anti-racism.
He makes his stances on both issues clear in his 2017 track "Untouchable," arguably
his most political song to date.
On the track, he calls out the hypocrisy behind the Colin Kaepernick NFL controversy, rapping,
"But they're gonna say you're tryin' to take an irrational stance / If you try to slander
the flag but / Somebody has to be the sacrificial lamb / So they call it a Kaepernick tantrum
/ If you don't stand for the national anthem."
Judging by his history of bold lyrics, it should be no surprise he made such a big statement
at the Super Bowl.
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