The Storm

Album: Not released on an album (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Eminem tore into President Donald Trump in a four-and-a-half minute freestyle that aired as part of the BET Hip Hop Awards on October 10, 2017. The prerecorded clip went by the title "The Storm," but it was more like a tornado as the rapper unleashed fury on the POTUS. The visual had been filmed four days previously in a downtown Detroit car park.
  • During his rap, Eminem attacks President Trump in any way possible, taking down the leader of the free world for his obsession with athletes taking a knee ( "Now if you're a black athlete you're a spoiled little brat for tryna use your platform or your stature"), his twitchy button finger ("a kamikaze that'll probably cause a nuclear holocaust") and even calling him, a "racist 94-year-old grandpa."
  • Marshall Mathers tell Republican fans they have to choose between him or the POTUS – no comprises. "Any fan of mine who's a supporter of his, I'm drawing in the sand a line, you're either for or against," he rapped. This isn't the first time Eminem been so open about his views. He took a similar stance on his song "Campaign Speech," released on the same day as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's third presidential debate in 2016 and also went after the President during his verse on Big Sean's I Decided track "No Favors."
  • Eminem linked up with his friend Elton John for a conversation with Interview Magazine in December 2017. One of the things the pair discussed was Em's performance of this song at the 2017 BET Hip-Hop Awards.

    "One of the things we were trying to mimic was Public Enemy's 'You're Gonna Get Yours' cover," he said. "I don't know if anybody got that, but that's kind of the feel that we were going for. My main concern was trying to get the message out and also memorize all the words. I have a hard time memorizing stuff. I'm always in the process of writing a new song, so trying to learn a new one takes a minute."

    "It was about having the right to stand up to oppression," Eminem added. "I mean, that's exactly what the people in the military and the people who have given their lives for this country have fought for—for everybody to have a voice and to protest injustices and speak out against s--t that's wrong. We're not trying to disrespect the military, we're not trying to disrespect the flag, we're not trying to disrespect our country. But s--t is going on that we want to make you aware of. We have a president who does not care about everybody in our country; he is not the president for all of us, he is the president for some of us. He knows what he's doing."
  • Eminem's original intention was to perform the song live at the pre-recorded BET Awards show. However there was a last-minute change of plan due to fears about people in the audience recording his freestyle with their cell phones. The concern was that a clip of some of his rhymes would be shared online before the show was transmitted, then taken out of context.

Comments: 1

  • Rachel Krissinger from Fredricksburg, PaThis dude is fake as a 3 dollar bill. We all know Trumps not racist and that YOU supported him. Sic of you. At least stand for who in f--k u stand for!!!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"They're Playing My Song

Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.

Andy McClusky of OMD

Andy McClusky of OMDSongwriter Interviews

Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.