Arts & Entertainment

Eminem receives backlash for homophobic lyrics on surprise album

The rapper calls Tyler, The Creator an anti-gay slur

Published

8 years ago

September 4, 2018

Mariah Cooper

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.”

Up Next

‘Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown opens up about past suicide attempt

Don't Miss

Idris Elba defends casting straight actor Jack Whitehall as gay character

FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

Books

New book reveals what we can learn from animal sex

‘Poking the Squid’ on homosexuality, gender swapping, and more

Published

22 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy W.W. Norton)

‘Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex’
By Perrin Roosevelt Ireland
c.2026, W.W. Norton
$29.99 241 pages

Birds do it.

According to Cole Porter, bees do, too, but it’s not exactly what he imagined. Wild and tame, avians, insects, and mammals all have sex – although not always as you’ve been told or for reasons you might think. Even educated fleas do it and, as in the new book, “Poking the Squid” by Perrin Roosevelt Ireland, humans can learn from them all.

If you read through scientific papers on animal reproduction, you might notice something unusual: for scientists, the word “sex” means a lot of different things.

Says Ireland, “It’s used to describe behaviors, biology, life histories, and more.”

That might be because animals are not simply binary.

Take, for instance, hyenas. It’s easy for the casual observer to mistake a male hyena for a female and vice versa because of stereotypes of anatomy. Mating, for hyenas, requires subordination for the male and a nifty trick on the part of the female’s body to get things done.

Our feathered friends are no birdbrains, either: black-browed albatrosses were once thought to be monogamous but global warming seems to have changed their nesting habits sometimes. Male flamingos have sex with one another, as a territorial thing; other birds and animals form same-sex pairs for other reasons.

The Chinese mantis eats her mate after fertilization. Female snakes, alpacas, guinea pigs, and monkeys are anatomically able to enjoy sex. Genitalia between species varies quite a bit; in fact, the vaginas of ducks “are highly complex.” Lionesses will mate up to 100 times when in heat. Female damselflies will change into a “third sex” to avoid overly aggressive mating males. Bearded dragons can change their sex, if needed, as can yellow clown goby fish. And seahorse pregnancy and birth sparked a book banning in Tennessee.

So, asks Ireland, if animals, including us, vary so much in biology and life, “… why are we using the word sex like it means something, anything, consistent?!”

Pick up “Poking the Squid,” page through it a few seconds, and you’ll see that the information here is largely told through cartoon-like drawings mixed with captions. It seems to be something on the lighter side, but don’t let that artwork fool you.

Author Perrin Roosevelt Ireland offers readers solid information that cozies up to the scholarly, with hard science, philosophy, feminism, and quotations from researchers to support it, thus furthering the narrative and hitting the points squarely. If you see the art and expect something lighthearted, comic, and small-talk-worthy, you could be disappointed.

On the other hand, if you want solid, wryly serious facts, you’re in for a treat.

There’s lots of learning to be gleaned here, and some slight nudge-wink whimsy to emphasize the absurdity of wrong-headed thinking. This can make readers feel like they’re in-the-know on the jokes, and the playfulness balances the seriousness of the information well.

So, serious, scholarly, or slightly silly, none of these are negative but you’re going to know what you want from a book like this. For the right reader, someone in the mood, “Poking the Squid” is wild.

The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.