14 DAY TRIAL // Eminem has been getting a lot of negative media attention and online responses to his most recent releases / leaks, but it’s not all bad: the rapper has just dropped a beautiful music video for his single “Guts over Fear,” which is a new collaboration with Sia.
“Guts over Fear” is the first single off his brand new album “Shady XV,” out in stores since yesterday, November 24, 2014. Fans got a first taste of it in the official trailer for “Equalizer” in June this year, and the full song with the official OST.
It just got the perfect visual companion: the video tells the story of a boxer reduced to washing dishes in a restaurant to provide for his family, which includes a pregnant girlfriend / wife and an alcoholic father, who never misses the chance of reminding him what a failure he is.
The video is marked throughout by a sense of frustration and missed opportunities, of failure understood as unfulfilled dreams, and plays like a gorgeous hybrid of Eminem’s biggest acting accomplishment to date, “8 Mile,” and “Warrior” with Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton.
Perhaps more striking than the story and the heartbreaking way in which it’s told is the fact that Sia’s “role” is played by Chantelle Brown-Young, a model who appeared on America’s Next Top Model. Those are Sia’s vocals on the chorus, but it’s Chantelle who lip-synchs them in the video.
Chantelle has Vitiligo and she’s been embraced by a wide online community for daring to go in front of the camera without her makeup on, thus both raising awareness on the condition and challenging current ideals of beauty.
Embedded below is the full video. *Please note that discretion is recommended because it contains strong and profane language in a few instances.
