Eminem’s Yankee Stadium performance with Jay-Z had everyone talking, even when the takes were shaky.
It’s personal
Charlamagne Tha God is a cultural commentator whose voice is loud, and his attitude towards Eminem’s music has always been complicated. He knows his songs by heart; he still remembers the first time he heard Eminem; he acknowledges his rapping skills. However, Charlamagne struggles to find a personal connection to Marshall’s music, or so he says.
“I always recognise Em as a top-tier lyricist, great MC, but his music for me personally never touched me in that way”, Charlamagne admitted some time ago. Yet it does not stop him from judging Eminem’s work through assumptions rather than the music itself.
What does an Eminem fan look like?
Discussing Jay-Z’s short New York residency on the Brilliant Idiots podcast, Charlamagne noted the huge crowd reaction to Eminem’s performance. He then asked why Eminem does not tour more often or stage something similar to what Jay-Z just did at Yankee Stadium.
At this point, every Eminem fan felt the same pain. Marshall’s reluctance to commit to touring is well known and understandable, given his history, but no less upsetting for stans.
Acknowledging that Marshall has a massive following, Charlamagne still focused on what he sees as Em’s core audience: “There is a generation of white men who grew up on Eminem who would love to take their kid to the Eminem show”. After a brief pause, his co-hosts suggested possible reasons Eminem avoids touring. One of them pointed out that he “loves his peace”. Charlamagne moved past it.
Instead, he moved toward another possibility, framed as an innocent question: “Do you think that Eminem’s music has aged well?” And while his co-host, stand-up comedian Andrew Schulz, tried to redirect the discussion, arguing that music can preserve emotions without ageing in the same way. Charlamagne was already on another topic.
Universal value
Discussing Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” performance at Jay-Z’s concert, Charlamagne tried to frame it as the anthem of every angry white teenager. Andrew Schulz tried to explain that the song’s appeal is not confined to race, and that everyone who ever felt themselves as an underdog facing an impossible task can connect to “Lose Yourself”. And it seemed like his words have landed. Charlamagne remembered legendary Birdman visibly enjoying this song, and before long all three men in the studio were rapping “Lose Yourself” word for word.
This conversation was such a good example of a clash between the universal power of music and the cultural barriers that often box people into certain segments of their identity. Again and again, Charlamagne tries to cast doubt on the value and power of Eminem’s music, only to reveal that it has reached him too, and he has seen it influence people he respects.