Every year BET Awards provides to the public its signature cyphers, unique freestyle performances crafted specifically for this occasion. This year BET offered the cameo of a basketball player Iman Shumpert and the first ever comic cypher – anything to draw attention and stay in the memory of the audience. But do you know what stuck in memory and stayed as fresh and relevant as 2 years ago? Eminem’s cypher for BET 2017.
The official BET website wrote a long piece to celebrate this unforgettable moment and to analyse why Eminem’s freestyle “The Storm” has not aged.
1. Trump and his administration remain detached and unmoved when it comes to helping the victims of natural disasters, especially from disadvantaged areas. They still mask their policy behind twitter storms, reverting public attention from humanitarian tragedies to media scandals. It was, and still is, the case with Puerto-Rican hurricane’s devastating impact and the same is happening with the aftermath of the tragedy in the Bahamas.
When he attacks the NFL so we focus on that in–
–stead of talkin’ Puerto Rico or gun reform for Nevada
All these horrible tragedies and he’s bored and would rather
Cause a Twitter storm with the Packers
2. The outrage of Trump against NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee during the national anthem in 2016 refusing to stand in protest at police brutality, led to Kaepernick losing his contract with NFL. It also sparked the waves of support and a discussion about racism in sport. In response to this, this August Jay Z announced partnership with NFL in building the league’s social justice initiatives. The new civil rights wave started by Kaepernick did not lose its momentum but there are still no structural positive changes in place, while awareness is growing.
Now if you’re a black athlete you’re a spoiled little brat for
Tryna use your platform or your stature
To try to give those a voice who don’t have one
He says, “You’re spittin’ in the face of vets who fought for us, you bastards!”
Unless you’re a POW who’s tortured and battered
‘Cause to him you’re zeros
‘Cause he don’t like his war heroes captured
That’s not disrespectin’ the military
Fuck that, this is for Colin, ball up a fist!
3. Trump’s terrifyingly casual attitude towards nuclear warfare has not change a bit, if anything, it has only got worse. The USA withdrew from several agreements on nuclear armament control, and just in summer 2019 he made a remark about wiping Afghanistan from the face of the earth in 10 days.
But we better give Obama props
‘Cause what we got in office now’s a kamikaze
That’ll probably cause a nuclear holocaust
4. Trump’s border wall was a central point of his presidential campaign’s anti-immigrant rhetoric. Years after his election it has not been built, but his narrative emboldened white supremacists and normalised racial hatred in American politics.
“He’s gonna get rid of all immigrants!”
“He’s gonna build that thing up taller than this!”
Well, if he does build it, I hope it’s rock solid with bricks
‘Cause like him in politics, I’m usin’ all of his tricks
‘Cause I’m throwin’ that piece of shit against the wall ’til it sticks.
Watch the video below, see how much truth is still there:
