Been listening to and watching Eminem’s video for the song Lighters and enjoying it on a number of levels. It features Bruno mars on the chorus and Royce who along with Eminem rap and sing about overcoming some pretty intense obstacles.

Now whatever you may think about their measures of success (particularly Royce’s whose rap lyrics are not as mature as Eminem’s) there is a great deal of confidence in the music and a level of contentment that is compelling. The confidence is real, not false bravado but the kind that develops as a result of walking through fires (most of them set by the singers themselves) and coming out alive, stronger, wiser and grateful on the otherside.

I won’t post a link to the video because lyrically the song can get pretty hardcore with the language but it’s pretty easy to find for those mature enough to understand it, appreciate it and maybe even be inspired by it.

Rap, at its best, is as good as any lyrical poetry and has the same hallmarks of classic art including fearlessness. I have said it a million times and will continue to say it – fear kills creativity; fear kills art – it castrates it and makes it soft and palatable and ultimately as useless as a painting chosen to match the living room couch rather than inspire.

There is not a great deal of fear in Eminem’s lyrics but there is a powerful, continuing story of what fear did to him in the past. I find it inspiring.