Eminem returns with a new Trump attack

NEW YORK | Hip-hop superstar Eminem has returned with a fresh attack on U.S. President Donald Trump, contributing an angry verse on the new album of Big Sean.

The lyrics mark the latest political intervention by Eminem, who re-emerged weeks before the November 8 election with a charged, eight-minute freestyle rap against the billionaire Republican.

On “No Favors,” a track on Big Sean’s album “I Decided.” which came out Friday, Eminem and the fellow Detroit rapper both boast of rising from humble means as they question the world’s direction.

Eminem declares himself an avowed opponent of Trump and his administration: “I’m anti / Can’t no government handle a commando … I’ll make his whole brand go under.”

The rapper denounces the racial dynamics behind the white tycoon’s campaign and reserves his most heated verses for Ann Coulter, a conservative commentator known for her provocative statements.

Eminem — in his trademark delivery of super-fast verses that crescendo in anger — imagines acts of violence against Coulter including running her over with a car.

“Gotta make an example of her / That’s for Sandra Bland… and Philando,” he raps, in reference to two African Americans whose deaths following police traffic stops triggered protests.

Eminem similarly imagined vengeance in his October song “Campaign Speech,” in which he spoke of attacking George Zimmerman, the volunteer neighborhood watchman in Florida who shot dead African American teenager Trayvon Martin as he walked home with iced tea and candy.

Eminem, the best-selling rapper of all time and by far the most prominent white artist in hip-hop, was rarely described as political as he built his career in the 1990s.

But in interviews he has long identified with the political left, even as his songs — often rapped in character — have generated controversy for derogatory lines about women and gays.

Eminem has said he is working on a new studio album, which would be his first since 2013.

“I Decided.,” the fourth album by Big Sean, is a concept album about a man who is reborn and sees the same life with new eyes.

source: interaksyon.com

Eminem wins record sixth Best Rap Album Grammy

LOS ANGELES | Eminem won the Grammy Sunday for Best Rap Album for “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” beating out newcomers to cement his role as the most awarded and top-selling rapper ever.

With the win, Eminem has won a record six Grammys for Best Rap Album.

“The Marshall Mathers LP 2″ was his eighth studio album, and was considered a sequel to his largely autobiographical “The Marshall Mathers LP” from 2000, which remains the fastest-selling album by a solo artist in the United States.

The now 42-year-old Eminem beat out a field that included Iggy Azalea, who would have been the first solo woman to win in the category. Eminem raised controversy with a recent song in which the rapper — or, he says, a character he is playing — threatens to rape Azalea.

Azalea hit back by charging that Eminem was old and could not think of anything new other than to threaten a young woman.

Eminem did not appear to accept the award, presented at a ceremony ahead of the main televised Grammy gala that features major pop performers.

On “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” Eminem teamed up with veteran producer Rick Rubin, who brought in hard rock elements, as well as his veteran mentor Dr. Dre. The album features the hit “The Monster,” in which Eminem again collaborated with singer Rihanna.

Eminem – who is sober after a long history of substance use – on the album reflected at length on his trajectory into superstardom from his troubled youth in Detroit, where he grew up as Marshall Bruce Mathers III in a largely African American community.

But Eminem also encountered further controversy on the album by using anti-gay slurs. Eminem had for years tried to battle accusations of homophobia, going so far as to perform at the 2001 Grammys in a duet with Elton John, who is gay.

Eminem argued that he supports gay rights but that he uses the slur as a narrative device.

On “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” Eminem also patches up with his mother after a notoriously difficult relationship, including past lyrics in which he hinted at violence against the “selfish bitch.”

source: interaksyon.com

Eminem takes top honor at YouTube music awards

NEW YORK CITY - YouTube's first-ever music awards thrilled and spilled Sunday, with Eminem named Artist of the Year though most awards went to lesser known acts during a show filled with eclectic stunts.

The webcast was kicked off by indie rockers Arcade Fire performing their new song "Afterlife" in a "live video" performance featuring a chorus of young girl singers in Pier 36, a sprawling indoor events space in New York.

Up next was a crying Lady Gaga, minus her trademark peroxide blonde hair and make-up, dressed in a tomboyish baseball cap marked "Dope," for a first performance of an eponymous song that she delivered in a haunting, melancholic tone, while playing the piano.

Pictures later showed the enigmatic artist, well-known for unpredictable behavior, scantily clad and in an apparently distressed state on stage, with fans reaching up to touch her.

Hosted by actor Jason Schwartzman and musician-comedian Reggie Watts, the show's creative director Spike Jonze said before the event that he wanted to stay true to the video-sharing website's experimental origins.

The 90-minute affair may have split the Internet audience down the middle, judging by comments posted on Twitter, in which some people complained that the show was censored at several points, when the live stream stopped.

The Breakthrough Act award, however, seemed to stay loyal to Jonze's aim, as it was taken home by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, whose featured video was shot for $5,000 and placed on YouTube, leading to great success.

The inaugural YouTube Music Awards joins a variety of industry awards such as the Grammys, MTV Video Music Awards, and American Music Awards, and enters the fray at a time when people increasingly turn to the Internet for streaming and on-demand programming.

Unlike the established awards ceremonies, YouTube's event organizers said the nominees and winners were tallied in a distinctly Internet-age manner, based on "viewership, subscriber, and/or engagement metrics."

While big names Miley Cyrus, Psy, Lady Gaga, and Justin Bieber were nominated for the coveted best video award it was K-Pop phenoms Girls' Generation who took home the prize, for their song "I Got a Boy."

The clips nominated for video of the year pulled in more than 1.9 billion views ahead of Sunday's show, according to YouTube's trends blog.

Eminem took home the top artist award, performing "Rap God," in the New York venue, but while the white rapper is known for his ability to shock his performance was not the most controversial feature of the show.

That was probably claimed by a short film by Lena Dunham, in which a young lovelorn man, apparently suffering from depression, agrees to commit suicide with a girl he just met.

"I'm so happy the audience chose the double suicide and not the romance. Y'all always pull through for me," Dunham, writer and creator of the hit HBO show "Girls," tweeted shortly after the mock suicide in which blood from the victims was spattered over the audience.

The YouTube event also honored the violinist Lindsey Stirling, whose career was drastically boosted or even enabled by the video-sharing platform, with the Best response award for videos that were remixed or parodied.

The Phenomenon Award, meanwhile, went to Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble," video, and Innovation of the year went to Destorm Power, the 160th most subscribed YouTube user.

Official videos for all 10 artist of the year nominees attracted nearly 10 billion views from October 2012 to the beginning of the month.

In August last year, the Nielsen rating agency published a survey in which 64 percent of American adolescents said they listened to music on YouTube, compared with no more than 56 percent who said they listened to radio.

In another sign that tides are turning for standard forms of entertainment media, online streaming service Netflix hauled in a trove of Emmy nominations earlier this year for shows such as political saga "House of Cards," which vied for best drama.

source: interaksyon.com

Lady Gaga, Eminem to headline first YouTube Music Awards

LOS ANGELES | Pop singer Lady Gaga and rapper Eminem will be the headline performers at the first YouTube Music Awards, the Google Inc-owned online video steaming site said on Tuesday.

The November 3 award show in New York, which will be live-streamed, will honor the top songs and artists that were viewed on the website in the past year.

Nominees will be announced later this month and voting by the public will determine winners, YouTube said.

Canadian rock band Arcade Fire will also perform at the awards show. The show will be hosted by actor-musician Jason Schwartzman while film and music video director Spike Jonze will serve as creative director, YouTube said.

The video streaming website has become a crucial way for musical acts to share music in recent years and has also helped launch the careers of little-known artists such as Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen and South Korean pop star Psy.

source: interaksyon.com