Credit: Alamy

Criticism around Eminem is a strange thing to navigate. On one hand, he’s responsible for increasing the popularity of hip-hop worldwide with classic songs and albums to his name. On the other hand, the second half of his career has been filled with lacklustre music, with some of his older music also ageing pretty terribly.

Em’s run of albums between 1999 and 2004 has cemented him as one of the greatest rappers ever. He released projects like The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show, and Encore that serve as cultural milestones. Songs like ‘Without Me’, ‘Stan’, and ‘Lose Yourself’ are some of hip-hop’s biggest records, not to mention Dr Dre’s ‘Forgot About Dre’.

However, his catalogue has never been without corny lyrics. Sure, it’s part of his personality, but there’s no denying when bars are simply bad. Whether it’s rapping about his “pee-pee” going “doing, doing, doing” on ‘Ass Like That’ or a “booty” being “heavy duty (doody) like diarrhea” on ‘Remind Me’, there’s plenty of them.

His career has been littered with those lyrics, but arguably, his music took a dramatic turn around 2010’s Recovery album. You could pinpoint Em’s collaborations with Skylar Grey or the comedic ‘We Made You’, although ‘Not Afraid’ is a perfect example. The intention behind the song might be pure, serving as a motivational anthem about going through hard times and coming out the other side, but the music itself didn’t align.

In the chorus, Eminem sings, “I’m not afraid, I’m not afraid/ To take a stand, to take a stand/ Everybody, everybody/ Come take my hand, come take my hand/ We’ll walk this road together, through the storm/ Whatever weather, cold or warm/ Just lettin’ you know that you’re not alone/ Holla if you feel like you’ve been down the same road.”

During an interview with Elton John for Interview Magazine, he revealed that his manager, Paul Rosenberg, initially didn’t like ‘Not Afraid’, suggesting he should make some changes. “When I played him ‘Not Afraid’ for the first time, he wasn’t too fond of it,” Em revealed. “Then we had a conversation a few days later, and he was like, ‘Do you think it needs a bridge?’ And I was like, ‘I knew you were going to say that.'”

The bridge in question was, “And I just can’t keep livin’ this way/ So startin’ today I’m breakin’ out of this cage/ I’m standin’ up, I’ma face my demons/ I’m mannin’ up, I’ma hold my ground/ I’ve had enough, now I’m so fed up/ Time to put my life back together right now.” Still, it wasn’t enough to save it.

‘Not Afraid‘ was a hit worldwide, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and five on the UK Singles Chart, while going 11 times platinum. But for music’s sake, it would have been better if Eminem had never released it. Good music can transcend decades, but listening to ‘Not Afraid’ 15 years later sounds like a time capsule for 2010. And not in a good way.