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The Prophets Eminem and Rihanna: Love the Way You Lie, Violence, and Hell
Written by Adam Ericksen
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Monday, 04 April 2011 09:59
posted by
Adam Ericksen
Hi Michael,
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You are exactly right. Prophets don't only warn, but they point to a way out and they point to hope. "Love the Way You Lie" is horribly depressing and violent, so much so that I can't help but see the warning. But there is no redemption in the video. It's pretty clear to me that Eminem has been struggling with his message. It has evolved during the last 5 years from a glorification of violence to what seems to me to be a warning. Which is a good step. Maybe someday he'll get to something like the biblical prophets and point to a solution. I hope so.
Thanks again,
Adam
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Saturday, 02 April 2011 03:06
posted by Michael McLean
One of the things it seems to me prophets through the ages have tried to do in addition to warning us of the consequences of our actions, is pointing the way out...showing the hope. I don't get a lot of that from the LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE song. I wonder if it's just too hard to take a "and this is the way out of this cycle" stand without coming across as being "preachy" or too "religious".
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I wonder if core fans of Eminem and Rhianna would resonate to their prophetic warnings if they came with "calls to repentance"? I know that's probably not job one for entertainers, but I notice that many musicians with messages of spiritual transformation (ie Christian Contemporary Singers) don't have the impact globally that these two have. Thanks for giving this song and video a perspective I missed when I saw the song performed on the Grammys...It became more relevant and also more provocative after your video blog. (Though I'm not sure your wardrobe was the right call. Let me know if you need some really, really baggy jeans that hang ultra low on the hips.) Please keep up the great work you're doing at Raven.