Not Afraid”, a self-empowerment anthem that leads off Eminem’s new Recovery album, is a visual tale that delivers as perhaps no other Eminem video ever has, using simple-but-effective symbolism to express the dark, frustrating journey that Marshall Mathers himself has traveled in recent years. Trust me it’s worth a watch.
SEE VIDEO HERE "NOT AFRAID"
It’d be too crude to nitpick about all the close-up shots of Eminem’s Nike sneakers or other possible product placements seen throughout the video. This feels bigger than that – this is about Marshall Mathers or Eminem, in my opinion one of the best artists of the last decade trying to rebrand his image and reputation.
The opening shots are of Marshall standing on ledge of a rooftop overlooking Newark (why this wasn’t shot in Detroit, not sure but I’d love to know), the video continues cutting back and forth to a basement where he spits lyrics in frustration. While he appears to turn away from the obvious suicidal overtones of the rooftop bit, he isn’t out of the darkness yet: he sees the street turn into a hall of mirrors where he must confront his image, and finally, to the edge of a cliff, where he decides to take a leap (or, really, a fall) of faith. But rather than meet his doom, Marshall takes flight – insert your Superman metaphors here.
"Not Afraid" reflects a new image, its part "fuck tha world" rage rap and part rehab-session group hug, complete with lyrics about kicking drugs and booze, and a chorus where Em sings, "Everybody come take my hand/We'll walk this road together." Over a dark, operatic beat, Eminem delivers rhymes that are typically acrobatic – and typically heavy-handed. But the anger has a gathering quality. Em reaffirms his commitment to his daughters, says he got sober in part to inspire his fans and promises to purge his craziness: "Time to exercise these demons/These motherfuckers are doing jumping jacks now."
It amounts to a powerful statement, in my view. If some of the images feel a little heavy-handed, that’s ok. I’m happy to see Eminem aspire to make epic music again. Personally, the Lindsay Lohan humor was growing old. Guess who’s back?
Eminem had a pretty bad addiction when he finally decided enough is enough. It took almost dying and then relapsing right away to get him to realize he needed to kick his habits for good - or else. Now he's clean and has stepped up to the plate to be a better father and healthier person. But does this new image and his admitting “weakness” have a place in hip-hop culture or will Eminem feel the wrath of rappers unleashing on this new Em?
Any thoughts?
Eminem “Not Afraid”
Checkout this blog and others at MindF#!k Blog on the mindyourmind website
Comments