Eminem has been under fire for stereotyping Mexican culture in an old music video, which has been accused of cultural appropriation.
Users on social media are criticizing the 49-year-old rapper’s 2004 single “My Band” with the hip hop trio D12 as improper because the music video showed the group costumed as if they were in a Mariachi band.
Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known by his stage name Eminem, sings in the song that his “salsa makes all the attractive girls want to dance and get in their underpants.”
Watch the music video below.
Members of the Hispanic community complained that Tyga’s music video for the song “Ay Caramba” angered them, sparking a discussion about cultural appropriation.
Tyga, whose real name is Micheal Ray Stevenson, has already issued an apology for the video in response to the uproar.
The “Rack City” rapper, 32, said to Gil Tejada of L.A. Leakers and American Cholo: “I want to apologize to the Mexican community and my fans that are Mexican.”
“I have a lot of Latin fans that are Puerto Rican or Dominican that probably [wasn’t] offended by this video,” he said adding, “But, my Mexican fans in L.A., there definitely was some that were offended.”
Currently, social media users are arguing that the rapper ‘Real Slim Shady’ needs to answer for doing the same thing.
Let us never forget 🤣 #MySalsa pic.twitter.com/gRs9rYetey
— Mike Baggz (@MikeBaggz) July 31, 2022
One user wrote: “So it’s OK when he does it but when Tyga does it it’s a problem?”
Another user pointed out: “Does he know he’s dressed in traditional Spanish bull keeper clothes and Mariachi is Mexican and not Spanish???”
A third commented: “How did Eminem get away with soo much? lool.”
So it’s OK when he does it but when Tyga does it it’s a problem?
— PcPlaguee (@PcPlaguee) August 1, 2022
Does he know he’s dressed in traditional Spanish bull keeper clothes and Mariachi is Mexican and not Spanish??? https://t.co/4aRuR8CRuN
— 🇲🇽 (@zvtxk) August 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/JustJosie_x/status/1554035192326721536?s=20&t=-gJnhyhGJNtF4z_4JCDwbA
However, there were a number of comments from people who identified as Hispanic and didn’t object to Eminem’s music video.
One user said: “For me, I saw this first in 4th grade and thought it was comical.”
Another wrote: “As a member of the Hispanic community we really don’t give that much of a s*** enough to cancel someone.”
For me, I saw this first in 4th grade and thought it was comical.
— Kevin Molina (@NofDestruction) August 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/Muffinchipss/status/1553937720090787842?s=20&t=I06jSU69YVGoLCxq0g2YNA
Cultural appropriation was not a subject that was frequently discussed when the music video was first released in the early 2000s, thus little was said about it at the time.
In reality, the song was nominated for a number of MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year, Best Group Video, and Best Rap Video.
