The American rapper, Eminem performed a lyrical smack down of the President of the United States, Donald Trump on the BET Hip-Hop Awards Freestyle Cypher on Tuesday, and many Americans are calling it the best ‘diss’ of Donald Trump so far.
In his freestyle, the rapper called out the President for his racial tendencies and his sheer incompetence at being a Presidential candidate let alone being the President of the United States of America and for sacking Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers quarterback who took a knee while the American national anthem was being sung.
Many fans and colleagues alike are referring to Eminem’s song as the most politically correct rap and one of immense importance and so many others who are not fans of the rapper are declaring their support of the diss, saying it is relevant that a white celebrity has come to the fore of criticisms against the President who is often accused of racism.
While it is important to note that the session achieves, among other things, the primary aim of beating Trump at his game and using the same level of Trump-like arrogance and nonchalance while at it, it is also important to note why the skin colour comments against Trump in the song will not be seen as ‘racist’ by many.
“Racism’s the only thing he’s fantastic for
‘Cause that’s how he gets his f**kin’ rocks off and he’s orange
Yeah, sick tan”
The line above which has been quoted by some as racist and which has been attributed to the rapper’s wit and dexterity in beating Trump at his own game by others, is, in fact, a reference to the President’s tan. The line simply refers to his skin colour and not his race, some argue.
First, the motive behind a supposed ‘racist’ comment against Trump from Eminem should come into play. The question of why would Eminem, a white man, want to refer to Trump, another white man, in a racially provocative manner, is unanswered.
Secondly, the term ‘Orange’ which has been used by many Americans to refer to the President for a long while is a form of mockery of his own racist tendencies in comparison to the fact that he himself has a funny looking skin colour is as a result of his tan.
Lastly, in the said session, Eminem mentioned that he was going to use Trump’s own vices against him and anybody can attest to the fact that Trump has made really racist remarks in the past. So, the near impossibility of a white man being racist to another white man resulted in the rapper’s decision to refer to the only thing that could suggest that Trump is not white – his colour.
There is however another argument for Colourism. Colourism is to discriminate people based on social meanings attached to the colour of their skin. Coined by Alice Walker in 1982, colourism is different from racism in that colourism , unlike racism, may not be related to ancestry.
Tanned skin is generally seen as a sign of wealth, leisure and social standing. A few studies have found tanned skin people are regarded as both more attractive and healthier than pale or very dark skin,and there is a direct correlation between the degree of tanning and perceived attractiveness especially in young women. This shows that tan is a factor in colourism. By this it is also be argued that Eminem’s reference to Trump’s skin colour is discrimination based on skin colour which is technically different from racism.
