premiere prep:
IMAGINE DRAGONS: Dan's Not a Fan of Eminem
Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons is one of the artists complaining about the homophobic language Eminem uses on his new album.
On the recently released Kamikaze, Eminem calls rapper Tyler the Creator a gay slur. Reynolds, a long-time supporter of LGBTQ causes, spoke up about the track on Twitter over the weekend.
He wrote, “It’s never ok to say a word that is filled with hate. I don’t care what year you were born in or what meaning it has to you. If it contributes to hate and bigotry, then it is hateful. Period. There is never an ok time to say [that word]. I don’t care who you are.”
After Reynolds' tweet received plenty of backlash from Eminem fans, he responded, “It’s disgusting to be told this is being ‘overly sensitive’ or ‘millennial’. LGBTQ kids are TAKING THEIR LIVES after being bullied with homophobic slurs. It’s not ‘sensitive’ to take a stand against a word that has been used to spread hate for years."
On Monday he added, "I don’t speak for the LGBTQ community. If they want 2 reclaim the word for themselves that is their decision & theirs only. I was only speaking to someone of great influence thinking it’s ok for him to say it time after time for years. It’s not."