Eminem Says He's Happy to Lose Fans Over Trump Opposition

Eminem has said that he is at ease with the possibility of losing half his fanbase over his opposition to President Donald Trump.

Unsurprisingly, given how the rapper's vast popularity, some of his support base overlaps with that of Donald Trump in the US - but it looks as though Em, real name Marshall Mathers, might have stirred up tensions among his followers.

The 'Stan' hitmaker has been highly critical of the Commander-in-Chief since he was elected to office - most notably during a lengthy freestyle titled 'The Storm', which was broadcast at the BET Hip-Hop Awards.

Following the awards, Eminem did a Billboard interview with music manager Paul Rosenberg, stating his stance since the event.

"At the end of the day, if I did lose half my fan base, then so be it," he said. "Because I feel like I stood up for what was right and I'm on the right side of this. I don't see how somebody could be middle class, busting their ass every single day, paycheck to paycheck, who thinks that that fucking billionaire is gonna help you."

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He'd earlier made clear his position towards fans on 'The Storm', saying: "Any fan of mine who's a supporter of his / I'm drawing in the sand a line / You're either for or against / And if you can't decide who you like more / And you're split on who you should stand beside / I'll do it for you with this: Fuck you."

He's since elaborated on a new track called 'Chloraspetic (Remix), which features the lyrics: "Then I took a stand, went at Tan-Face / And practically cut my motherfuckin' fan base in half."

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During the Billboard interview, Eminem took issue with the suggestion from some of his (now former) fans that he and Donald Trump were the same, owing to their fortunes and level of celebrity. Though both extremely wealthy now, Eminem's childhood was characterised by extreme poverty in Detroit, Michigan,

His latest LP, Revival reached number one in the UK album charts (aside from The Slim Shady LP, all his albums have) and remained at the top spot for a week.

Topics: rapper, hip hop, Music, Donald Trump, US Entertainment, Eminem, Politics

Ronan O'Shea

Ronan J O'Shea is a freelance journalist from London who has written for titles including LADbible, Headspace, The Independent, National Geographic Traveller and New York Post. Contact him at [email protected].