Eminem kneels on stage at the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show, following his performance of “Lose Yourself.” He left the audience at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium in an uproar where the Los Angeles Rams took on the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday (Feb. 13th).
NFL Reports Conflict On Eminem Kneeling
The gesture caused an uproar amongst commentators. Eriq Gardner of Puck News led the charge. According to Gardner, Eminem planned to kneel in support of Colin Kaepernick. Supposedly, the league told him no because they wanted to avoid a “divisive culture war moment.”
Gardner added the NFL went back and forth with Dr. Dre and his camp concerning Dr. Dre and Kendrick’s anti-police lyrics. Snoop’s signature left pocket bandana apparently also raised some eyebrows. While the league denied any grievance with Eminem, fans lauded the act as one of many ways the performing rappers snubbed the NFL’s imposed censorship.
“We watched all elements of the show during multiple performances this week,” Brian McCarthy, an NFL spokesperson, explained. “[We] were aware that Eminem was going to do that.”
Em Remained Silent
Eminem has not yet made a public statement about why he knelt. However, kneeling first began making a political statement when Kaepernick took the knee during the national anthem in 2016. Kaepernick aimed to raise awareness and support for the #BlackLivesMatter movement, police brutality, and racial injustice. Ultimately, the peaceful protest led the NFL to terminate Kaepernick’s contract. But the bold stance became a trend. Activists adapted the pose in solidarity with victims and survivors of racial violence.
Slim’s Shade History
Kneeling isn’t the first time Eminem has been publicly politically polarizing. Remember when the real Slim Shady’s sly remarks on Sway in the Morning seemed to shade Hilary Clinton’s alleged email hack? He also praised Obama in 2012. But, he expressed open disdain for Donald Trump on BET Freestyle in 2017. Then, the 8-Mile rapper pulled a career-first when he licensed Lose Yourself to the Biden/Harris 2020 Campaign.
The real Slim Shady is not shy about letting his views be known. FMHipHop will look for Eminem’s official response via social media or an interview.
Written by J.J. Braden
