'Lose Yourself': Barack Obama thrills crowd as he raps to Eminem’s classic hit
Former US President Barack Obama channeled
his inner MC on Tuesday by rapping lyrics to Eminem’s iconic song ‘Lose
Yourself’ at a packed Kamala Harris campaign rally.
The former
president, 68, was introduced to the stand at the Detroit rally by the Grammy
award-winning musician himself - and himself a Detroit legend.
After the
introduction, Obama began his speech by quoting the song’s lyrics.
“I gotta
say, I have done a lot of rallies, so I don’t usually get nervous,” Obama said.
“But I was feeling some kind of way following Eminem. I noticed my palms are
sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, vomit on my sweater already, mom’s
spaghetti.”
He then
followed those first lines with several more lyrics from the song before
chanting some of the melody as the crowd roared, "I’m nervous but on the
surface I look calm and ready, to drop bombs but I keep on forgetting…”
“I thought
Eminem was going to be performing," Obama said. "I was about to jump
out … love me some Eminem."
Eminem, real
name Marshall Mathers, also took the opportunity to make clear his support for
Harris and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz in his introduction at the
rally, saying the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan were important to
him and were in the spotlight going into the election in two weeks.
“It’s
important to use your voice,” he said. “I’m encouraging everyone to get out and
vote, please … I don’t think anyone wants an America where people are worried
about retribution of what people will do if you make your opinion known."
“I think
Vice President Harris supports a future for this country where these freedoms
and many others will be protected and upheld."
Tapping
Eminem to appear at the rally was strategic, as he has been vocal about his
disdain for the former President and current Republican nominee, Donald Trump.
In 2017,
Slim Shady performed a five-minute freestyle at the BET Awards where he called
Trump a “bi**h,” called him out for his commentary at a White Nationalist
rally, and for his stance on NFL players protesting the national anthem.
In his song ‘Framed’
from that same year, he rapped, “That’s an awfully hot coffee pot/ Should I
drop it on Donald Trump? Probably not/ But that’s all I got till I come up with
a solid plot.”
One year later, on his track ‘The Ringer,’ he
suggested that his supposed threats toward Trump caused Secret Service to pay
him a visit.
“‘Cause
Agent Orange just sent the Secret Service/ To meet in person to see if I really
think of hurting him,” he spat.
US
publication Buzzfeed then-obtained documents that the Secret Service referred
to Slim Shady as “exhibiting inappropriate behavior” threatening the
“protectee.”
The rapper,
who has numerously been tapped as one of the five greatest rappers of all time,
also supported the Biden-Harris ticket in the 2020 election while also being
outspoken against Trump.
On his part,
former president Obama is an avowed music fan, sharing his favourite songs
twice a year in official posts on his social media platforms.
His summer
2024’s selections included songs by contemporary pop and Afrobeat names such as
Beyoncé, Tyla and Rema alongside older tracks by Nick Drake, the Supremes,
Tupac Shakur and soul legend Etta James.
The US
presidential election will take place on November 5, 2024.
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