Grammy-winning rapper Eminem sparked a social media discussion about his personal faith in recent days with a new single that has him praising Jesus, touting Scripture, and denouncing Satan.
The song, Use This Gospel (Remix), is a collaboration with Kanye and is a track on D.J. Khaled’s new album God Did. The original song was included on Kanye’s 2019 album Jesus Is King.
“I’m holding on but I don’t know if I can take it much longer; today’s the day that I put all of my trust and faith in You, Father,” Eminem raps in the song.
Later, he raps, “So my Savior, I call on; to rescue me from these depths of despair; so these demons better step like a stair; because He is my shepherd; I’m armed with Jesus, my weapon is prayer.”
The song’s final lines also mention Christ: “Bible at my side like a rifle with a God-given gift; every single day I thank God for; that’s why I pay so much homage; praises to Jesus, I’ll always.”
The song caught the attention of faith-based writer DeWayne Hamby, who noted at Patheos that Eminem, a gritty artist, “might seem like an unlikely person to sing the praises of Jesus Christ” but that the rapper previously referenced faith in a 1996 song. The headline asked: “Is Eminem a Christian?”
Relevant Magazine noted that “other than the use” of one semi-curse word, the song is “fit for your next Sunday Service.”…“You can play it around the kids! In front [of] your Grandma! No headphones necessary!”
Read the lyrics below, courtesy of Genius.com:
Please let this hate make me stronger ‘Foe they turn on me like a zombie It’s like I’m being strangled unconscious When temptation is almost like Satan is making you tryna
Take you away from your daughters Danglin’ a bunch of painkillers on ya Wavin’ ’em in your face and then watch ’em comin’ extra strength And that’s why they make ’em in rectangular objects
‘Cause that’s the shape of a coffin Though, it ain’t medication this time But the devil’s egging me on And I ain’t gonna let ’em break me ’cause I’m a soldier You can bank on that promise like the Chamber of Commerce
So my Savior, I call on To rescue me from these depths of despair So these demons better step like a stair Because He is my shepherd I’m armed with Jesus, my weapon is prayer
Soon as I squeeze it, I’m blessed like sneezes Call me Yeezus, I’m eff’d in the head, maybe I’m bonkers Regardless, never claimed to be flawless Long as the mistakes I’ve acknowledged
Y’all wish I would say something positive Well, okay, then I’m positive They’d rather trade weather with Mayweather
‘Cause they would fare way better with them odds
Than they would exchanging some bars Or trading any bars with Shady and probably is painfully obvious
To compare Godliness to an atheist But I got them audiences raving in amidst my squabbles I got some awesome inspiration to drop ’em, off ’em Pen and paper, I’m knockin’ ’em off
Woke up on stage at a concert Whole place looking like a mosh pit Bible at my side like a rifle with a God-given gift Every single day I thank God for That’s why I pay so much homage Praises to Jesus, I’ll always
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Jon Tyson
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
