As one of hip hop’s most influential artists, Eminem has long demonstrated a mastery of rapid-fire rhyme schemes and lyrical dexterity. On the 2013 track “Rap God,” he takes his skillset to new heights, showing off an incredible display of technical virtuosity over a frantic beat. Through relentless braggadocio and references to his career highlights, Eminem stakes his claim as the genre’s preeminent rapper. An examination of the lyricism, flow, and themes in “Rap God” provides insight into Eminem’s artistry and place in the rap pantheon. “cooking“
Lyrics
Look, I was gonna go easy on you, not to hurt your feeling’s
But I’m only goin’ to give (six minutes) this one chance (six minutes)
Something’s wrong (six minutes), I can feel it (six minutes)
It’s just (Slim Shady, you’re on) a feelin’ I’ve got (on)
Like somethin”s about to happen (on)
But I don’t know what (six minutes, for six-)
If that means what I think it means (six minutes, Slim Shady, you’re on)
We’re in trouble, big trouble (on)
And if he is as bananas as you say (on)
I’m not takin’ any chances
You are just what the doc ordered
I’m beginnin’ to feel like a rap god
All my people from the front to the back nod, back nod
Now, who thinks their arms are long enough to slap box, slap box?
They said I rap like a robot, so call me Rapbot
But for me to rap like a computer, it must be in my genes
I got a laptop in my back pocket
My pen’ll go off when I half-cock it
Got a fat knot from that rap profit
Made a livin’ and a killin’ off it
Ever since Bill Clinton was still in office
With Monica Lewinsky feelin’ on his nutsack
I’m an MC, still as honest
But as rude and as indecent as all hell
Syllables, skill-a-holic (kill ’em all with)
This flippity dippity-hippity hip-hop
You don’t really wanna get into a pissin’ match
With this rappity brat, packin’ a MAC in the back of the Ac’
Backpack, rap crap, yap-yap, yackety-yack
And at the exact same time I attempt these lyrical acrobat stunts
While I’m practicin’ that
I’ll still be able to break a motherfuckin’ table
Over the back of a couple of faggots and crack it in half
Realized it was ironic I was signed to Aftermath after the fact
How could I not blow? All I do is drop F-bombs
Feel my wrath of attack
Rappers are havin’ a rough time period, here’s a maxi pad
That could bleed disastrously bad, for the wack
While I’m masterfully constructin’ this masterpiece (yeah)
‘Cause I’m beginnin’ to feel like a rap god, rap god
All my people from the front to the back nod, back nod
Now, who thinks their arms are long enough to slap box, slap box?
Let me show you maintainin’ this shit ain’t that hard, that hard
Everybody want the key and the secret to rap immortality
Like ฮ have got
Well, to be truthful, the blueprint’s
Simply rage and youthful exuberance
Everybody loves to root for a nuisance
Hit the Earth like an asteroid
And did nothin’ but shoot for the moon since (pew!)
MCs get taken to school with this music
‘Cause I use it as a vehicle to “Bus the rhyme”
Now I lead a new school full of students, me?
Me? I’m a product of Rakim, Lakim Shabazz, 2Pac
N.W.A, Cube, hey Doc, Ren
Yella, Eazy, thank you, they got Slim
Inspired enough to one day grow up
Blow up and be in a position
To meet Run-DMC, induct him
Into the motherfuckin’ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Even though I’ll walk in the church
And burst in a ball of flames
Only Hall of Fame I’ll be inducted in is the
Alcohol of fame, on the wall of (shame)
You fags think it’s all a game, ’til I walk a flock of flames
Off a plank, and tell me what in the fuck are you thinkin’?
Little gay-lookin’ boy, so gay, I can barely say it with
A straight face, lookin’ boy (ha)
You’re witnessin’ a mass-occur, like you’re watchin’ a church gatherin’
Take place, lookin’ boy
“Oy vey, that boy’s gay, ” that’s all
They say, lookin’ boy
You get a thumbs up, pat on the back and a “Way to go” from your label
Every day, lookin’ boy
Hey, lookin’ boy! What you say, lookin’ boy?
I get a, “Hell, yeah” (hell, yeah) from Dre, lookin’ boy
I’ma work for him, everythin’ I have, never asked nobody for shit
Get outta my face, lookin’ boy
Basically, boy, you’re never gonna be capable
Of keepin’ up with the same pace, lookin’ boy, ’cause
I’m beginnin’ to feel like a rap god, rap god
All my people from the front to the back nod, back nod
The way I’m racin’ around the track, call me NASCAR, NASCAR
Dale Earnhardt of the trailer park, the White Trash God
Kneel before General Zod, this planet’s Krypton-
No, Asgard, Asgard
So, you’ll be Thor and I’ll be Odin
You rodent, I’m omnipotent
Let off then I’m reloadin’
Immediately with these bombs I’m totin’
And I should not be woken
I’m the walkin’ dead, but I’m just a talkin’ head
A zombie floatin’
But I got your mom deep-throatin’
I’m out my Ramen Noodle, we have nothin’ in common, poodle
I’m a Doberman, pinch yourself in the arm and pay homage, pupil
It’s me, my honesty’s brutal
But it’s honestly futile if I don’t utilize what I do though
For good, at least once in a while, so I wanna make sure
Somewhere in this chicken scratch, I scribble and doodle
Enough rhymes to
Maybe try to help get some people through tough times
But I gotta keep a few punchlines just in case
‘Cause even you unsigned rappers
Are hungry lookin’ at me like it’s lunchtime
I know there was a time where once I was king of the underground
But I still rap like I’m on my Pharoahe Monch grind
So I crunch rhymes, but sometimes when you combine
Appeal with the skin color of mine and
You get too big and here they come tryin’ to
Censor you like that one line I said
On “I’m Back” from The Mathers LP
One when I tried to say I’ll
Take seven kids from Columbine
Put ’em all in a line, add an AK-47
A revolver and 99
See if I get away with it now
That I ain’t as big (now) as I was, but I’m
Morphin’ into an immortal, comin’ through the portal
You’re stuck in a time warp from 2004 though
And I don’t know what the fuck
That you rhyme for, you’re pointless as Rapunzel
With fuckin’ cornrows
You write normal? Fuck bein’ normal
And I just bought a new raygun from the future
Just to come and shoot ya, like when Fabulous made Ray J mad
‘Cause Math said he looked like a fag at Mayweather’s pad
Singin’ to a man while he played piano
Man, oh man, that was a 24-7 special
On the cable channel
So Ray J went straight to the radio station
The very next day
“Hey Fab, I’ma kill you”
Lyrics comin’ at you at supersonic speed (J.J. Fad)
Uh, summa-lumma, dooma-lumma, you assumin’ I’m a human
What I gotta do to get it through to you? I’m superhuman
I’m innovative and I’m made of rubber so that anythin’
You say is ricochetin’ off of me, and it’ll glue to you and
I’m devastatin’, more than ever demonstratin’
How to give a motherfuckin’ audience a feelin’ like it’s levitatin’
Never fadin’, and I know the haters are forever waitin’
For the day that they can say I fell off, they’ll be celebratin’
‘Cause I know the way to get ’em motivated
I make elevatin’ music, you make elevator music
“Oh, he’s too mainstream”
Well, that’s what they do when they get jealous, they confuse it
“It’s not hip-hop, it’s pop”
‘Cause I found a hella way to fuse it
With rock, shock rap with Doc
Throw on “Lose Yourself” and make ’em lose it
“I don’t know how to make songs like that
I don’t know what words to use”
Let me know when it occurs to you
While I’m rippin’ any one of these verses that versus you
It’s curtains, I’m inadvertently hurtin’ you
How many verses I gotta murder to
Prove that if you were half as nice your songs
You could sacrifice virgins too?
Ugh, school flunky, pill junkie
But look at the accolades these skills brung me
Full of myself, but still hungry
I bully myself ’cause I make me do what I put my mind to
When I’m a million leagues above you
Ill when I speak in tongues
But it’s still tongue-in-cheek, fuck you, I’m drunk
So, Satan, take the fuckin’ wheel, I’ma sleep in the front seat
Bumpin’ Heavy D and the Boyz, still “Chunky but Funky”
But in my head, there’s somethin’ I can feel
Tuggin’ and strugglin’, angels fight with devils and
Here’s what they want from me
They’re askin’ me to eliminate some of the women hate
But if you take into consideration the bitter hatred
I have, then you may be a little patient and more sympathetic
To the situation, understand the discrimination
But fuck it, life’s handin’ you lemons?
Make lemonade then
But if I can’t batter the women
How the fuck am I supposed to bake them a cake, then?
Don’t mistake him for (Satan)
It’s a fatal mistake if you think
I need to be overseas and take a vacation
To trip a broad, and make her fall on her face and
Don’t be a retard
Be a king, think not
Why be a king
When you can be a god?
Summary
“Rap God” finds Eminem in a completely self-assured state as he revels in his mastery of rapping and prominence in hip hop. The track opens with a short but intense verse where he declares that he’s “beginning to feel like a rap god” due to the way other rappers and fans acknowledge his greatness. He takes pride in how crowds nod along to his lyrics and brags that no one can challenge him to a “pissing match” due to his supreme skills.
Over a frenetic, lyrically dense beat, Eminem proceeds to demonstrate precisely why he believes he deserves the title of “rap god.” He effortlessly strings together multisyllabic rhymes at breakneck speed with complex internal rhyme schemes, showing off his dexterous flow and agile way with words. References are made to his background growing up in a “trailer park” but emerging to reach great heights.
Eminem pays homage to the rappers like Rakim, Tupac, and N.W.A that inspired him as an artist coming up. He expresses gratitude for Aftermath Records and his mentor Dr. Dre for signing him and helping him “blow up” into a renowned MC. Pride is taken in being selected to induct Run DMC into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
While brimming with bravado, Eminem also acknowledges some of the criticism and controversy he has faced over the years. He notes accusations that his music is too mainstream but argues he successfully blended rap with rock. References are made to offensive lyrical lines from years past that sparked outrage. However, Eminem also wants to use his platform to help fans through struggles.
Throughout the song, Eminem raps with dazzling technical skill, employing complex multi-syllabic rhyme schemes, showing off his storytelling gifts and a relentless flow. He paints himself as almost superhuman in his rapping abilities. โRap Godโ finds Eminem revelling in his mastery of the craft and secure in his place as one of hip-hop’s greats, displaying a ferocious boastfulness but also his appreciation for the genre’s legacy.
FAQs
What is Eminem comparing his rapping abilities to?
He compares himself to a “rap god” due to his virtuosic skills.
Which rappers does he say inspired him?
Rakim, Tupac, N.W.A., Dr. Dre among others.
How does he say he blew up in his career?
By being signed to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label.
What accusation does he respond to?
Claims that his music is too mainstream or not “real” hip hop.
What controversy from his past does he reference?
Lyrical lines from songs like “I’m Back” that caused outrage.
Conclusion
Through “Rap God,” Eminem asserts himself as a true master of Bars, breaking boundaries of melody and delivery. While boasting of his successes, he also pays homage to predecessors that inspired his own path. The song encapsulates Eminem’s dual nature – outrageous showmanship coupled with sincere passion for his craft. Nearly a decade later, “Rap God” preserves its shock value through Em’s technical prowess and portrait of himself as hip hop’s “Illest villain.” His GOAT status remains undisputed, cementing a legacy that continues to influence new artists. As one of the few capable of rap olympic feats, Eminem’s self-coronation as the “Rap God” endures through its compelling case for his singular excellence.
