Eminem Accused of Being Homophobic Due to His Controversial Song Stan; Sir Elton John Defends the Rapper
Rapper Marshall Bruce Mathers III or best known as Eminem has been accused of being homophobic because of the controversial lyrics of one of his songs titled Stan. The song was released in December 2000 as the third track of his third album featuring British singer Dido and has since raised some eyebrows. The song tells a story of a die-hard fan named Stan, who sends letters to an artist, who failed to write back. As soon as he did, he finds it too late as Stan has committed suicide with his pregnant girlfriend.
In the lyrics, Stan mentioned that he and the artist named Slim could've been together only if he writes back. "I loved you, Slim, we could've been together," reads the lyrics of the song. However, Slim slams this idea and thinks that Stan needs to have time with his girlfriend. The violent lyrics of the song made some critics think that Eminem is being homophobic.
However, the Huffington Post reports that well-known English musician Sir Elton John, who is openly gay doesn't agree and even defended the rapper. In an interview with Zane Lowe, John talks about his 70th birthday and recounted the days of his career as one of the most influential and successful musicians in history. This includes his performance of the song Stan at Grammys in 2001 with Eminem, which received controversy because of its lyrics. John said that the rapper is never homophobic and explained that the singer is just writing about the way things are and not about how he thinks.
"I listened to the whole of the ‘Marshall Mathers' album when I drove to a show in South Hampton and I was floored by it. And I thought how could anyone think this is," he said. In 2014, Eminem told MTV News that he wasn't aware that John is gay or cares about his sexuality but he knows John supports him. He further said that he has no issues with gays at all.