Eminem Drops a Controversial Rhyme at BET's Hip-Hop Awards

Last night, BET aired their annual Hip-Hop Awards show, which featured a series of "cyphers" showcasing rappers like KRS-One, Wale, Nicki Minaj and Joe Budden trading verses and rhymes. Mos Def, the Roots' Black Thought and Eminem passed the mic in one of the three segments, and although all three MCs killed it when their turn came up, Em's short verse included a controversial statement that was bleeped by the censors: "My dick is so big if I add another inch to it you would swear when I raped you that you was actually into it."

The crowd emitted an audible "oh no he didn't!" gasp as Slim Shady finished his verse. The fact that even the semi-edited line made it to air is surprising, since BET is owned by Viacom, the parent company of MTV and VH1 — two networks who have famously censored videos and artists whose lyrics include violent imagery. (Even Madonna's "What It Feels Like For a Girl" clip was banned for excessive violence after it showed a fiery car crash).

Do you think Em's rhyme should have been broadcast? Let us know in the comments.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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