I really don’t understand how he’s still so beloved today, especially by people who would normally “cancel” someone for threatening domestic violence. Did he make an accepted apology at some point that I missed? Got help for an undiagnosed mental illness that prompted those reactions?
I mean that's what it suggests on its face, but literally the same track the slim shady character is shot and killed then reveals it was all a dream in the outro, which really undercuts the entire narrative of the album leading up to that point (13 tracks into the album BTW). To me it feels a lot like a "haha jk idiot" since Eminem admits on another track that the slim shady character was an outlet for (paraphrasing here) "the stuff that'd get you ridiculed but we all know is true" amongst other messed up stuff.
Funny, dark, and... Hard to not somewhat agree with. I'm generally against the death penalty and killing, but it's really hard when you see the amount of damage a person causes on such a scale. Especially when the legal system apparently can't touch them.
Edit: The thing is, I know it wouldn't end with Trump anyway, I'm not sure how much it'd even be beneficial if he had been taken out. Probably would just become a martyr.
It was kind of his whole schtick, so at the time I think people appreciated his brutal honesty & rawness of character. Say what you want about Eminem, but he wasn't fake.
It had taken root long before cancel culture, so it was just part of the landscape. Despite his anger & violence in lyrics, AFAIK he didn't actually do anything. Unlike some people that rap like that...
There was also the sheer novelty of a white rapper, a come up from nothing trailer park kid. A real underdog.
To end on a refreshing/wholesome note, you should watch this. I disagree with him on a lot of stuff...but I can be happy that he did right by his daughter.