When Hip Hop turns Political
BET's highly anticipated Hip Hop Music Awards are always the talk of primetime television year after year. But what solidified 2017 going down in the books as one of the most iconic years of the award ceremony (besides the big wins by self-made artist Cardi B) was the symbolic speech of Eminem's "The Storm".
And a storm it did create.
With the freestyle bragging over 26.4 million views, it is certainly the talk of the town as it holds the #6 spot on YouTube's trending feed.
Many stars, including Colin Kaepernick , Ellen DeGeneres and LaBron James openly commended the rap god on their twitter pages. He was also the topic of plenty of late-night shows.
The public, however, is mixed. While some fans have joined the celebrity viewpoint in praising Eminem, others are not so convinced. Take a look at some tweets from my own feed:
What about Eminem's performance at the Hip Hop Music Awards has the public mixed? Has Eminem's platform lost credibility because of his past behaviors? Are people perceiving his performance as a publicity stunt? Or could they think this is all a part of Eminem's rebranding effort before his new album?
Whatever it is that is keeping these publics from supporting the BET stunt, one thing is certain that they cannot ignore: people are certainly paying attention. Friend or foe of the rap god, he was willing to take a public stance against President of the United States Donald Trump, who, in my opinion, is rapidly gaining popularity as the most hated person in the nation.
It's very important, as both a public relations practitioner and an avid consumer of media to be very aware of how your client is being perceived. While some things, like this controversial video, might help your client's visibility pre-new album drop, the past is never too far behind them.
Regardless, I was not only entertained by the freestyle, but was in awe of the choice he made in publicly performing this rap. While I know Eminem is no stranger to tackling controversial - and often daunting - topics, I am personally happy to see him actively making the choice to do so, regardless of the consequences. And for me, that is the takeaway message that resonates the loudest.