Arts & Entertainment
Eminem receives backlash for homophobic lyrics on surprise album
The rapper calls Tyler, The Creator an anti-gay slur

Eminem in ‘Fall’ (Screenshot via YouTube)
Eminem dropped his surprise album “Kamikaze” on Thursday which features plenty of diss tracks of other celebrities but his diss against fellow rapper Tyler, The Creator is receiving controversy for its anti-gay lyrics.
On the track “Fall,” Eminem raps “Tyler create nothin’, I see why you called yourself a f—-t, bitch.”
Tyler, The Creator had criticized Eminem back in 2014 for his work on the album, “ShadyXV.”
“I love you Marshall, you are my favorite rapper but dude ShadyXV is fucking ASS hahaha why wont someone who loves him tell him NO,” Tyler, The Creator said at the time.
Eminem’s lyrical track record has included plenty of homophobic lyrics in the past but the rapper was called out by some of his celebrity peers for still using anti-gay language in 2018.
Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon is featured on the song but says he wasn’t in the studio for Eminem’s verses. In a tweet, he says he’s “not a fan of the message” and asked for the song to be changed but was denied.
Was not in the studio for the Eminem track… came from a session with BJ Burton and Mike Will. Not a fan of the message, it’s tired. Asked them to change the track, wouldn’t do it. Thanks for listening to BRM https://t.co/E0wmt732ty
— blobtower (@blobtower) August 31, 2018
Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds, who has recently become a strong advocate for the LGBT community, denounced the use of the term on Twitter.
“it’s never ok to say a word that is filled with hate. I don’t care what year you were born in or what meaning it has to you,” Reynolds tweeted. “if it contributes to hate and bigotry then it is hateful. period. there is never an ok time to say the word fa**ot. I don’t care who you are.”
He continued: “it’s disgusting to be told this is being “overly sensitive” or “millennial”. LGBTQ kids are TAKING THEIR LIVES after being bullied with homophobic slurs. it’s not “sensitive” to take a stand against a word that has been used to spread hate for years.”
it’s never ok to say a word that is filled with hate. I don’t care what year you were born in or what meaning it has to you.
if it contributes to hate and bigotry then it is hateful. period.
there is never an ok time to say the word fa**ot
I don’t care who you are.
— Dan Reynolds (@DanReynolds) August 31, 2018
it’s disgusting to be told this is being “overly sensitive” or “millennial”.
LGBTQ kids are TAKING THEIR LIVES after being bullied with homophobic slurs.
it’s not “sensitive” to take a stand against a word that has been used to spread hate for years.
— Dan Reynolds (@DanReynolds) September 2, 2018
I’ve lived enough of my life remaining silent on these issues because of fear or lack of education.
I don’t live in fear anymore.
I still have lots to learn. but no. I will not be a silent voice with this platform I have been given.
— Dan Reynolds (@DanReynolds) September 2, 2018
“The Breakfast Club” co-host Charlamagne Tha God, who Eminem also disses on his album, told Esquire that he doesn’t think Eminem cares about offending the LGBT community.
“Well, here’s the thing about freedom of speech, you have the freedom to say what you want, but people are free to be offended—and I’m sure they will be about this line — but he’s actually quoting something Tyler said about himself. It personally didn’t offend me, but I’m a Oldhead who grew up in the era where that word was freely thrown around in records and interviews,” he says. “I’m not a member of the LGBT community. I would love to hear how a hip-hop fan who’s a member of the LGBT community reacts to this line, because I can’t tell them not to be offended. Eminem has to understand when he calls Tyler that he’s not just throwing a shot at Tyler, he’s throwing a shot at millions of gay people around the globe. But I don’t think he cares.”
Baltimore
This John Waters interview has been edited for readability — but perhaps not human decency
Pope of Trash dishes on Trump, plane etiquette, last meal, and more
By WESLEY CASE | At 80 years old, John Waters is still the ideal dinner guest — incisively sharp, quick-witted and funny as hell.
The chic Baltimore native proved it again and again in a recent Zoom interview, calling from his summer home in Provincetown, Mass.
The occasion was the Blu-ray releases of two of his movies — the 1977 dark comedy “Desperate Living” and his enduring 1988 musical “Hairspray” — on June 23 by the Criterion Collection, which publishes restorations of films it deems culturally important. The Criterion stamp of approval has become the gold standard among cinephiles.
“It’s like getting an award,” said Waters, who wrote and directed both films.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
The Washington Blade held the seventh annual Pride on the Pier at The Wharf DC on Saturday, June 13.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)



















The 2026 Lost River Pride Festival was held on the scenic grounds of the Lost River Farmers Market in Lost City, W.Va. on Saturday, June 13. Headliner Tom Goss performed at the festival and gave a second performance at the nearby Guesthouse Lost River.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)




















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