Manchester mayor criticises Eminem for bomb lyric
Andy Burnham calls the rap about the 2017 attack "unnecessarily hurtful and deeply disrespectful".
www.bbc.co.uk
Eminem has been called "disgusting" and "pathetic" after rapping about the Manchester Arena bomb attack, which killed 22 people in 2017.
The lyric comes in a new song, Unaccommodating, in which the star boasts about his impact on hip-hop.
At one point, he says: "I'm contemplating yelling 'bombs away' on the game / Like I'm outside of an Ariana Grande concert waiting."
Figen Murray, whose son died in the attack, called the song "pointless".
"Feels like he is piggybacking on the fame of Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber and says distasteful things about other celebrities," she wrote on Twitter.
"Not clever. Totally pointless. And before all Eminem fans pounce on me, I am not interested and will not engage."
Murray's 29-year-old son, Martyn Hett, was one of the 22 people who died when Salman Abedi blew himself up at the end of Ariana Grande's concert in May 2017.
She has since campaigned for the introduction of Martyn's Law, which would require venues to introduce more stringent security checks.
Hett's former partner Russell Hayward also voiced his disapproval of Eminem's lyrics, writing: "It's disappointing but not surprising that #Eminem would use controversial lyrics about the Manchester bomb, dragging the victims' families & Ariana back into a very dark time.
"Not sure how popular he is these days but I hope any success he gets from the back of this is worth it."
His comments were echoed by Grande's fans, who described Unaccommodating as "a pathetic attempt to get attention".
One fan tweeted the rapper saying: "You're so disgusting I hope u know that. What u said was very uncalled for and so hurtful to so many people."
Skip Twitter post by @megmcgreavy
meg@megmcgreavy
https://twitter.com/megmcgreavy/status/1218124612741058560
I’m a huge Eminem fan but the lyric about the Manchester bombing is so disrespectful. Possibly my all-time favourite artist has left me disappointed with such a bizarre and hurtful lyric aimed at my city. #staystrongourkid
6
10:55 AM - Jan 17, 2020
Twitter Ads info and privacy
See meg
's other TweetsReport
End of Twitter post by @megmcgreavy
Skip Twitter post by @Rxstive
cal@Rxstive
https://twitter.com/Rxstive/status/1218086315864051714
I love Eminem but this guy really has a bar in his new song mocking the Ariana Grande concert bombing and then has a explosion noise straight after..
11
8:23 AM - Jan 17, 2020
Twitter Ads info and privacy
See cal
's other TweetsReport
End of Twitter post by @Rxstive
Skip Twitter post by @LewisThorp
𝕃𝔼𝕎𝕀𝕊@LewisThorp
https://twitter.com/LewisThorp/status/1218083465670922242
Havent heard the new eminem yet and whilst I've been a massive fan of his for the longest, I rlly cant stand for the ariana bombing line particularly having met ppl over the last year since I've moved here that were actually directly affected by incident...
3
8:11 AM - Jan 17, 2020
Twitter Ads info and privacy
See 𝕃𝔼𝕎𝕀𝕊's other Tweets
Report
End of Twitter post by @LewisThorp
Skip Twitter post by @BadLikeNicki
DaShawn Peterson@BadLikeNicki
https://twitter.com/BadLikeNicki/status/1218092340759482368
Tf wrong with #Eminem?
I’ma have to disagree with him on this line because that was a traumatizing event for people who attended in 2017. Some people perished. Ariana was traumatized from the event. I know he says crazy things but, this outta line!#MusicToBeMurderedBy:
3
8:46 AM - Jan 17, 2020
Twitter Ads info and privacy
See DaShawn Peterson's other Tweets
Report
End of Twitter post by @BadLikeNicki
The lyric feels particularly egregious, given that Eminem pledged his support to victims of the bombing in 2017; and urged fans to donate money to families who had been affected.
Skip Twitter post by @Eminem
Marshall Mathers
✔@Eminem
https://twitter.com/Eminem/status/867832469181128704
Join me in helping Manchester victims & their families, Make a donation to the @BritishRedCross and @MENnewsdesk https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/westandtogethermanchester …
Donate to support families of those killed and injured in the Manchester Arena attack
Weʼre raising money to support families of those killed and injured in the Manchester Arena attack. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.
justgiving.com
23K
7:59 PM - May 25, 2017
Twitter Ads info and privacy
8,957 people are talking about this
Report
End of Twitter post by @Eminem
Unaccommodating is the opening track on the star's 11th album, Music To Be Murdered By, which he released, unannounced, on Friday morning.
A follow-up to 2018's Kamikaze, the 20-track album features cameos from Q-Tip, Ed Sheeran and the late Juice Wrld.
In a stark contrast to the Manchester Arena lyric, the album's lead single, Darkness, advocates tighter gun control laws in the US.
The song and video reference the 2017 Route 91 Harvest music festival shooting in Las Vegas, in which 58 people died, with Eminem playing the role of an isolated, mentally-disturbed character who plots a murderous rampage to gain notoriety.
The video ends with a montage of news reports from recent mass shootings, captioned: "When will it end? When enough people care."
Eminem then urges fans to register to vote in the upcoming US elections, writing: "Make your voice heard and help change gun laws in America".
The video also links to a website with information and links to various anti-gun violence organisations including Everytown For Gun Safety, March For Our Lives and Sandy Hook Promise.
It is not the first time the star has addressed the issue. Performing at last year's iHeartRadio music awards, he delivered a verse attacking the National Rifle Association's hold over politicians, rapping: "They love their guns more than our children."
At the time of writing, he had not responded to the criticism over Unaccommodating, and the BBC has contacted his publicists.
----
Remember kids, guns don't kill people, rappers do.
