The music changes drastically near the halfway point and stays that way till the end. That, along with the wise decision to abandon the chorus; one of Eminem’s all-time worst; makes this basically two songs in one. The first, a satirical rock anthem from the perspective of a white racist cop, is an annoying mess, thanks mainly to the aforementioned hook. The second, rapped by the black victim, fares better, though listening to the beat in headphones reveal that the bassline is mixed in stereo; sonically a terrible idea.

On the concept, it’s true that police corruption is a major problem in America. I’m just not convinced it’s essentially a white on black problem as the boy Eminem plays strongly suggests. Many people, black and white, prematurely attribute the bad acts of crooked cops to racism when it happens to be white on black. That creates a scenario similar to The Boy Who Cried Wolf, which minimizes the effects of true racism. It’s okay if Eminem is just playing characters, but it sounds like he’s on some kind of white guilt trip.

my rating : 3 of 5

2017