Lindsay Patton
To understand why Eminem’s apology to his collaborator Rihanna is so important, we have to go back nearly 12 years.
In 2009, the world stopped when it learned musician Rihanna survived horrific domestic abuse at the hand of former-boyfriend Chris Brown, also a musician.
Brown’s attack caused Rihanna to cancel her Grammys performance and miss the awards show entirely. Not only did she miss a chance to perform at one of the largest broadcast events, but she was also nominated for three awards.
Basically, Chris Brown is what trash wants to be when it grows up.
So when an Eminem lyric about the assault leaked last year, the rapper endured some deserving criticism.
The lyrics itself is “Of course I side with Chris Brown, I’d beat a bitch down too,” further proving men need to take several seats. Particularly a seat in front of a therapist.
Now that a year has passed, Eminem is making amends for his words. Today, he dropped a surprise album (a now-common practice for musicians after Beyoncé perfected the art).
Music to Be Murdered By – Side B is the second album Eminem has released this year, giving him something in common with Taylor Swift. It’s a hefty album, with 36 songs and a two-hour run time.
The album features the song “Zeus,” where Em apologizes to Rihanna for the lyric.
"But me, long as I re-promise to be honest
And wholeheartedly, apologies, Rihanna
For that song that leaked, I'm sorry Ri
It wasn’t meant to cause you grief
Regardless, it was wrong of me"
No word yet on Rihanna’s thoughts, however, the apology seems genuine. Just wish he didn’t get the urge to create the lyrics to begin with.
Listen to Music to Be Murdered By – Side B below. The album is also available on all streaming services.
Lead image: Wikimedia Commons
