Spring Break
The Daily OrangeEminem slams Bush in latest animated video
By Alex Roberts
Posted: 11/2/04, 1:58 AM EST Section: Face the Music
While certainly not the first musician to speak out against President Bush, Eminem is perhaps the most powerful. Released one week ago today, "Mosh" is different from any song that Eminem has ever released. In most songs, Em pokes fun at his subjects through superficial claims. In "Mosh," however, he appears to have done his homework.
The video to this Dr. Dre-produced rap turns a potent song into an inspirational statement. With intensity reminiscent of "The Way I Am," the song opens with Eminem declaring himself a "rap phenomenon" and acknowledging the power he possesses as a cultural icon. At the same time, the camera pans real-life newspaper clippings about issues surrounding Bush's improper treatment of Sept. 11 and the war in Iraq. Just as listeners begin to bob their heads to the beat, Eminem sways to the real message of the song: "To disarm this weapon of mass destruction that we call our president."
With powerful cartoon-animated images such as Lloyd Banks being racially profiled, a soldier returning to his family from Iraq just to be sent back and a young woman being evicted from her home while Bush is announcing his tax cut for the wealthy, Eminem is looking to hit home with the youth and minority voters. The lyrics get more and more intense as the video progresses. The most forceful rhyme may be "Strap him with an AK-47, let him go, fight his own war, let him impress daddy that way," during which an animated Bush is shown being strapped into army gear.
The video closes with Eminem and hundreds of others, dressed in black hooded sweatshirts, marching down Capitol Hill to "mosh." In anti-Eminem fashion, however, the rapper leads his army to vote. While an atypical video for the king of controversy, it is great to see Eminem finally using his power for something good, and it begs viewers to question: Has the real Slim Shady finally stood up?
The video to this Dr. Dre-produced rap turns a potent song into an inspirational statement. With intensity reminiscent of "The Way I Am," the song opens with Eminem declaring himself a "rap phenomenon" and acknowledging the power he possesses as a cultural icon. At the same time, the camera pans real-life newspaper clippings about issues surrounding Bush's improper treatment of Sept. 11 and the war in Iraq. Just as listeners begin to bob their heads to the beat, Eminem sways to the real message of the song: "To disarm this weapon of mass destruction that we call our president."
With powerful cartoon-animated images such as Lloyd Banks being racially profiled, a soldier returning to his family from Iraq just to be sent back and a young woman being evicted from her home while Bush is announcing his tax cut for the wealthy, Eminem is looking to hit home with the youth and minority voters. The lyrics get more and more intense as the video progresses. The most forceful rhyme may be "Strap him with an AK-47, let him go, fight his own war, let him impress daddy that way," during which an animated Bush is shown being strapped into army gear.
The video closes with Eminem and hundreds of others, dressed in black hooded sweatshirts, marching down Capitol Hill to "mosh." In anti-Eminem fashion, however, the rapper leads his army to vote. While an atypical video for the king of controversy, it is great to see Eminem finally using his power for something good, and it begs viewers to question: Has the real Slim Shady finally stood up?
