In his six-minute track "Rap God", Eminem ponders he ponders his place in the music industry as a white rapper when he spits the lines: "My honesty's brutal But it's honestly futile if I don't utilize What I do though for good At least once in a while so I wanna make sure somewhere in this chicken scratch I scribble and doodle Enough rhymes to Maybe try to help get some people through tough times But I gotta keep a few punchlines Just in case cause even you unsigned Rappers are hungry looking at me like it's lunchtime
" In these lines Eminem raps at a supersonic speed while meshing reality with humor. It's ironic how he is rapping so fast, yet he is saying that he wants his words to mean something to his fans and listeners. He preaches these important messages, but in a clever and comical way. Although he is rapping about being the best in the business, he acknowledges the critics who believe he should not be considered the best merely because he is white. Eminem also recognizes the other rappers in the business, who are mostly black, that want to take his spot at the top. Eminem was a rapper at time when racial tensions were high and not many interracial things were accepted. Therefore he had to stay relevant and make an impact on his listeners. The lyrics to "Rap God" expose Eminem's personal thoughts about his role in music as a white rapper in black industry. He knows what he does affect other members of his race without ever forgetting how his actions affect himself; he realizes how he can change a generation through the power of music.
Being a white rapper in a world where that is not commonly accepted by society that still endures racial tension, Eminem set forth a different approach to dealing with the color of his skin. Unlike Vanilla Ice, a preceding white rapper in a predominantly black music industry, Eminem was a genuine product of the lower class.
