Ever since the wordsmith genius Eminem started making music, it is undoubtedly clear that he is neither hesitant nor afraid to make strong political statements. The iconic Detroit rapper is neither nervous to fight for what he believes is right nor frightened to voice his opinion. That opinionative passion is one of the qualities that make his music so distinctive. For example, on the BET Hip-Hop Awards in 2017, Eminem explicitly made a freestyle called "The Storm." That freestyle was unreservedly against Donald Trump and his actions. Now, in 2020, he drops a new album called Music to be Murdered by. This week, Eminem shares an accompanying video for the album's first single "Darkness". Once again, this new visual contains an extremely powerful political message that is highly relevant to the tragedies in today's society. Warning: before watching the video shown below, please be aware that some of the scenes may be sensitive and may trigger some viewers due to the depiction of shootings that took place.
The choice of the word "Darkness" for the title is poetically intelligent because it serves as a deeper metaphor and works in tandem with the entire theme of the video. Comparing the darkness to his life, Eminem starts off the track by rapping about mental health, substance abuse, his anxiety, and his depression. At face value, Eminem is rapping in a dark room. Shortly after, the video surprisingly takes an unexpected turn. The deeper intention occurs when Eminem raps from the perspective and takes the role of a mass shooter in the video in order to bring awareness to the problems that are present in this world, especially the mass shootings and the problems with mental health.
The metaphor of "Darkness" is apparent throughout the video, where the viewers are able to feel the consuming amount of pain that this society is dealing with. There is so much darkness in the world right now. The video demonstrates this, showing no light in sight as long as mental health is not being prioritized. Through the imagery in the video, Eminem shows the consequences that occur when there are no steps to fix the gun problem and the mental health problems that are present in this country.
Eminem says that nothing will change until enough people care. Ending the video by telling people to vote for stricter gun laws, and hopes that his message can shed some light on the darkness.
