Some Gen-Zers appear to be trying to cancel Eminem and Millennials aren’t happy about it.
Now, the beef between Gen Z and Millennials runs pretty deep.
Gen Zs seem to have a massive problem with Millennials’ habits – from their frivolous use of cringey emojis, all the way down to their obsession with skinny jeans and peplum tops.
And it’s not like Millennials are short of complaints either. They immediately get riled at Gen Z’s casual workplace attitude and their addiction to debating every single trivial matter that crops up. So, with such different outlooks on life, it’s not unusual for there to be some tension between the two groups.
American rapper Eminem performs in the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show. Credit: UPI / Alamy
However, things have seemingly gotten out of hand after some Gen Zs tried to cancel Eminem.
“Why?” I hear you ask.
Well, it seems as though the younger generation is taking issue with the 50-year-old choice of lyrics, which comes as no surprise since he’s always rapping about violence and pain, when he’s not rapping about murdering his ex-wife, that is.
Take his 1999 hit ‘Kim’, for example.
In the song, he fantasizes about attacking his now ex-wife, Kim Mathers, enlisting the help of his daughter to dispose of the body.
And the lyrics are particularly callous too …and that might be an understatement.
“You can’t run from me Kim! It’s just us, nobody else! / You’re only making this harder on yourself! / Ha-ha, got ya! Go ahead, yell! / Here, I’ll scream with you! ‘Ah, somebody help!'” He raps. “Don’t you get it b****? No one can hear you! / Now shut the f*** up and get what’s coming to you! / You were supposed to love me! / Now bleed b****, bleed! Bleed b****, bleed! Bleed!”
This idea of violence against women is also present in his other popular hits too.
Despite being a number one tune at the time it came out, ‘Love The Way You Lie’ was dragged as a misogynist tune.
“If she ever tries to f****** leave again / I’mma tie her to the bed and set this house on fire,” is a pretty extreme lyric, but many have backed the Grammy-award-winning hitmaker up stating that it’s merely an expression of “art.”
But are we really surprised that Gen Z has a problem with it? Of course not, especially when the prevalence of “justice” seems to be a core value for them.
Millennials weren’t going to take the heat though. They turned up in great numbers to defend their idol, channelling the star in their response.
Taking to TikTok, user Lauren Oakley posted a video of her calling out Gen Zs in a very intense (and also very cingey) diss track in which she slammed them as “sensitive.”
“Now listen up, Gen Z,” she starts. “‘Cause I’ve had enough of it. This whole ‘cancel culture’, damn y’all are so sensitive.”
She continued: “At first I ignored it, now you’ve crossed the line by going after a dear friend of mine. You wanna cancel Eminem because he’s too aggressive and mean? Your feelings are hurt? You wish his lyrics were more clean?”
Oakley rapped a few more rhymes, but concluded: “…It’s crumbling to think a generation that’s so open-minded can’t appreciate this and put the past behind them.”
Hm. Even if your toes are curled from second-hand embarrassment, you gotta give it to her – she gave it her best shot.
And this other TikToker followed suit, rapping her heart out for her idol.
Others also jumped to the star’s defense, but in a less theatrical form:
Eminem would be proud.
