Eminem borrows from Max Headroom, “The Matrix” and his Slim Shady past in his new video for “Rap God.” Watch it here or below.
As he hinted at in the trailer, Em turns into Eighties’ computer-generated character Headroom and later, Neo from “The Matrix” trilogy. But the video’s highlight comes when Slim Shady travels back to his “8 Mile” days, wearing a grey hoodie and backpack and hyping the crowd in a rap battle. It’s a full circle moment for Eminem.
The six-minute video also mirrors some of the lyrics from “Rap God” — the second single off his platinum album “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” — but thankfully none of the homophobic slurs that recently got Em in trouble. The technology themes fit verses such as “But for me to rap like a computer / Annotate must be in my genes / I got a laptop in my back pocket.” A stack of vintage televisions flash images of the rappers Em praises in the song, including Busta Rhymes, Tupac and Run-DMC.
We won’t give away the ending, but let’s just say Eminem lets Kanye know that he’s not the only Yeezus in the game.
Do you think “Rap God” will go down as one of Em’s best?