Elsewhere on that song, he says bluntly, “I hate every f‑‑‑ing thing.” And it should be noted that f- and s-words turn up on virtually every track here, as well as multiple demeaning uses of “gay” and “f-ggot,” and frequent uses of “b‑‑ch” and “ho” to describe women. “With great power comes absolutely no responsibility for content,” he spits. He continues: “So Father forgive me if I forget to draw the line/It’s apparent I shouldn’t have been a parent, I’ll never grow up/So to h‑‑‑ with your parents, and m‑‑‑‑‑f‑‑‑ing Father Time.” In similar territory, “Rhyme or Reason” rejects the notion that Eminem should be held responsible for his material’s influence on fans. Unfortunately, being a dad isn’t enough motivation for him to restrain his raw raps. On “A‑‑‑hole,” he admits that being a father of two daughters should influence what he writes: “Only women that I love are my daughters/And sometimes I rhyme and it sounds like I forget I’m a father, and I push it farther.” But … “Monster” (with Rihanna) and “Rap God” ponder the possibility of listeners (who are as broken and alienated as Eminem is) somehow finding hope in his angry lyrics. “Stronger That I Was” offers more vulnerability as he laments his broken relationship with Kim Scott, to whom he’s been married to and divorced from twice: “I’d rather die than you not be by my side.” “Legacy” and “Brainless” detail Eminem’s violent abuse at the hands of bullies while growing up, describing how he found escape and solace in writing raps as a teen. “My mom probably got it the worst/The brunt of it/ … Did I take it too far?/ … But regardless I don’t hate you, ’cause Ma/You’re still beautiful to me, ’cause you’re my mom.” Eminem mentions his recognition of her deteriorating mental state, his lament that their ongoing relational estrangement means she’s not involved in her granddaughters’ lives, and that his brother, Nate, was taken from her by Social Services. “Headlights” (where he’s joined by fun.’s Nate Ruess) finds him apologizing to her and telling her how much he loves her. “So, yeah, Dad, let’s walk,” he raps on “Rhyme or Reason,” “Let’s have us a father and son talk/But I bet we probably wouldn’t get one block/Without me knocking your block off/This is all your fault/Maybe that’s why I’m so bananas.”Įqually illuminating and though-provoking is Eminem’s ragged relationship with his alcoholic, mentally ill mother. Eminem mentions the fact that his father abandoned their family, the after-effects of which still seem profoundly and tragically present.
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