In the video, Eminem parodies Jackson’s various exploits including poking fun at his infamous 1984 hair burning incident, his cosmetic surgery and his child molestation case. The Detroit lyricist also imitates Madonna and MC Hammer in the clip.
“BET has pulled the Eminem video out of rotation effective immediately. We did so out of respect for our long-standing relationship with Michael Jackson that dates back more than a decade, including Michael’s induction as the first BET WALK OF FAME honoree in 1995. This action was a collective management decision by BET executives” BET said in a statement.
I do agree with the fact that the video should have been pulled. Child molestation is a very serious topic, and regardless if Jackson is guilty or innocent, it is not a subject to be taken lightly. Eminem is too creative an artist to stoop that low in order to generate some buzz. This situation does show us at least two things: #1. The hip-hop community has had its hand on the Kill switch for Eminem for a very long time (remember the now famous cover story that Source magazine (I’m pretty sure it was Source) did on him?). When it is all said in done, after all the awards, hit singles, etc. , Eminem is still White and most of the hip-hop community is mostly Black. That is just how some people are going to see it. There have been many videos put out by Black folks that have been far more risqué’, and yet, very little outcry. This leads to #2: How do you justify the other videos? Do they fall under the “artistic expression” category? Another thing, how many times on ComicView have they made fun of Michael Jackson?
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