Eminem may have taken a hiatus from music, but he is still focusing on battle rap with his new film, Bodied.
Based on a script written by battle rap champ Alex “Kid Twist” Larsen, the Eminem produced film is directed by music video director Joseph Kahn, is a satirical exploration of the world’s most verbally intense sport – battle rapping. Although Hip-Hop is the core, the film is also said to focus on race relations and stars Anthony Michael Hall, Debra Wilson, Charlamagne tha God and Calum Worthy revolves around a university student, who gets tangled in the tense race relations on campus when he writes a controversial thesis on the rap battle scene.
In the trailer, several voice overs declare “Battle rap is not boxing, it’s a street fight,” “words are weapons” and “we battle rappers, we battle each other and disrespect each other in the ring as rappers.” There is also a voiceover that states “how sensitive the climate is towards racism and appropriation.” It closes with a tension-filled rap battle exchange between characters “Megaton” and “MC Goggles”.
The legendary lyricist – who starred in the hit 2002 blockbuster 8 Mile, dropped his last record in 2013, The Marshall Mathers LP 2. Despite the five year hiatus, Em is rumored to be making a new record after director Allen Hughes revealed Dr. Dre was working on a beat for the Michigan-bred MC’s “latest album.”
“Dre still records. People don’t know this: Dre records every day. Literally, he’s in there recording songs every day. He’s like Picasso in that way. He’s always painting. Right now he’s producing, in the 11th hour, a track for Eminem’s latest album. So Dre’s still real active in music, you know?”
Eminem released his debut solo album Infinite in 1996, but he really hit the headlines in 1999 when he dropped The Slim Shady LP, which spawned Grammy Award-winning hit “My Name Is.”
Bodied will premiere at Toronto International Film Festival in September.
Check out the trailer below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_8ycSX9PqE
