Rap God
"Rap God" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Eminem | ||||
from the album The Marshall Mathers LP 2 | ||||
Released | October 15, 2013 | |||
Recorded | 2012–2013 | |||
Studio | Markaz Records, Ferndale, Michigan | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 6:04 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Eminem singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Rap God" on YouTube |
"Rap God" is a song by American rapper Eminem. The song premiered via YouTube on October 14, 2013, and was released in the United States on October 15, 2013, as the third single from Eminem's eighth studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013). It contains references to previous conflicts in Eminem's career, as well as to other rappers' conduct.
With 1,560 words, the song entered the Guinness World Records as the hit single that contains the most words.[1] The song was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance but lost to "i" by Kendrick Lamar.[2]
The song also reintroduced Slim Shady,[1] Eminem's well known alter ego.
Composition
The hip hop song references a line from the first
The song's tempo is 148 BPM, but may be played at 74 BPM in half-time.
Additional references include
In the part that begins at 4:26,[13] Eminem raps 99 words containing 157 syllables in 16.45 seconds—an average of 6.1 words per second, or 9.5 syllables per second—which he describes as "supersonic speed".[14]
The song's
In the second verse of the song, Eminem raps about his success allowing him to speak at the induction of Run DMC into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and says "...the only hall of fame I'll be inducted in is the alcohol of fame, on the wall of shame." In 2022, he was named as a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2022 induction class.[19] He would perform the song at his performance at the induction ceremony, including the full "summa lumma dooma lumma" fast rapping portion of the third verse of the song.[20]
Music video
On November 21, 2013, Eminem tweeted the trailer for the music video, directed by Rich Lee, and announced it would be released on November 27, 2013.[21] On November 27, 2013, as scheduled, the music video was released on Vevo at 12:00pm ET.[22] Eminem parodied Max Headroom in the music video. There are also references to The Matrix, The Walking Dead, Hellraiser and the video games Pong, Portal and Super Mario Bros. in the video. The video received three nominations at MTV Video Music Awards 2014 in the categories "Best Art Direction", "Best Editing", "Best Visual Effects".[23] On February 15, 2020, the video reached 1 billion views, making it his third video to reach this milestone.[24] The official video also has received over 16 million likes, making it the 25th most liked video on the site.
Critical reception
Commercial performance
The song debuted at number five on the
Controversies
The lyrics of "Rap God" were criticized by the
In January 2015,
In September 2015, a 15-year-old boy in
Awards and nominations
Year | Ceremony | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | |||
Detroit Music Awards[50] | Outstanding National Single | Nominated | |
Outstanding Video / Major Budget (over $10,000) | Nominated | ||
World Music Awards[citation needed] | World's Best Song | Nominated | |
MTV Video Music Awards[23] | Best Art Direction | Nominated | |
Best Editing | Won | ||
Best Visual Effects | Nominated | ||
2015 | Grammy Awards[2] | Best Rap Performance | Nominated |
Guinness World Records[51] | Most words in a hit single | Won |
Track listing
- Digital Download
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Rap God" |
| 6:04 |
- Notes
Personnel
Taken from The Marshal Mathers LP 2 deluxe edition liner notes[52]
- Eminem – rapping, mixing, writing
- DVLP – all instruments, production
- Joe Strange – additional keyboards, production, recording
- Mike Strange – mixing, recording
- Tony Campana – recording
- B. Zayas Jr. – writing
- D. Birks – writing
- D. Davis – writing
- F. Shaheed – writing
- J. Burns – writing
- J. Lee – writing
- K. Nazel – writing
- M. Deligiorno – writing
- L. Walters – writing
- S. Hacker – writing
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[74] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[75] | Diamond | 250,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada)[76] | Platinum | 80,000* |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[77] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI)[78] | Gold | 150,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI)[79] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF)[80] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[81] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[40] | 7× Platinum | 7,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Country | Dates | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
United States | October 15, 2013[82] | Digital download | Shady, Aftermath, Interscope |
Notes
^ The lyrics "Slim Shady, you're on" prove his appearance.
References
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