Eminem on 60 Minutes: I’m Not Homophobic, Misogynist

As CNN’s Anderson Cooper puts it, the controversy surrounding Eminem has never toned down. In the latest edition of 60 Minutes, the rapper talks a bit about the issues that have gotten him the most (negative) press.

For instance, claims that he was homophobic and misogynist, and that he didn’t believe some people should be treated with the same respect as others.

As many fans may recall, early in his career, Eminem was targeted by various groups – GLAAD being only the most vocal – about certain lyrics in his songs.

Accusations against Em have ranged from being a hate-filled misogynist to being a flaming homophobe who would not see reason.

As the video below can confirm, Eminem wants his fans (and critics alike) to distinguish between him as an artist and him as a person.

After visiting Detroit and the streets he grew up on, including one of the underground clubs where he used to perform, Eminem is asked whether there is any substance to the claims made against him.

Cooper came prepared, even quoting lyrics from an older song by Em (which we unfortunately cannot reproduce in writing) before asking him why he’d include certain offensive words in his music if he didn’t believe in them.

“The scene that I came up in, that word was thrown around so much, you know? [Expletive] was, like, it was thrown around constantly, to each other, like in battling, you know what I mean?” Eminem said.

Cooper pushed the rapper, directly asking him whether he had a problem with the gays or women.

“No, I don’t have any problem with nobody, you know what I mean. Like, I’m just whatever,” Em said in what many saw as an attempt to dodge the bullet and avoid the question.

Em also believes he was “singled out” for this precisely because he’s white: because no one hears anyone complaining about black rappers saying the exact same things as he does.

“[Other rappers] do and say the same things that I’m saying. And I don’t hear no one saying anything about that. I didn’t just invent saying offensive things,” the rapper says.

He then went on to explain that the vocabulary in his music is not the vocabulary he uses around the house. Actually, there’s no profanity at home.

Watch out this segment of 60 Minutes in the video below. *Be advised that it contains strong language that may offend.