Kill you

Kill you
publication	May 23, 2000
length	4:24
Genre (s)	Hip hop
text	M. Mathers , A. Young , M. Bradford
music	Dr. Dre , Mel-Man
album	The Marshall Mathers LP

Kill You ( English for " (I) kill you ") is a song by the American rapper Eminem and the first song on his third studio album The Marshall Mathers LP , which was released on May 23, 2000.

Due to the - as is often the case with Eminem - excessive use of swear words and detailed descriptions of violent acts, the song caused great resentment, especially among politicians, and is considered one of Eminem's most controversial songs. The very aggressive and aggressive tone should, according to Eminem, be a response to media coverage, which was of the opinion that Eminem could no longer rap about pain and suffering and living on the subsistence level on his third studio album, as he could rap with his previous album The Slim Shady LP made a lot of money and got rich from it.

Background and production

Shortly after a European tour in late 1999, Eminem called his producer and friend Dr. Dre and asked him for music for new songs. Dre let Eminem hear a few new beats, but informed him that he didn't really have any material to speak of and was still working on it. During the conversation, a melody casually played in the background, which Eminem was immediately taken with and which Dr. Dre convinced to produce the song Kill You from the melody . Eminem also decided to use the song as the first song for his third studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP, to counter critical journalists who felt he had nothing new to say after his success with The Slim Shady LP .

content

On Kill You, Eminem raps about women, mostly in a cynical and despising manner. He reports in detail how he kills women using tools such as a machete or a chainsaw. He also raps disparagingly about his mother and says that the media shouldn't believe that he has nothing new to say just because he has now made a lot of money with his music. At the end of the song, Eminem makes it clear that the song should not be taken seriously and that he "just plays" - in truth he loves women.

Controversy

The author Lynne Cheney , wife of the 46th Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney , criticized Eminem sharply, accusing him of advocating rape and killings. She continued: “He's talking about killing and raping his own mother. He talks about slowly strangling women so he can hear their screams for a long time. ”Canadian politician Jim Flaherty suggested punishing Eminem with an entry ban because he doesn't want to see anyone in Canada who advocates violence against women.

In 2002, French pianist Jacques Loussier sued Eminem for copyright infringement for $ 10 million on the grounds that Eminem and Dr. Dre would have sampled the beat to Kill You from his 1979 song Pulsion without his approval . Both parties were able to agree out of court to pay an unpublished sum.

Sales figures and awards

Although Kill You was never released as a single , the song received a gold record for more than 500,000 units sold in the United States in 2018 due to streaming and downloads . In the UK, the song was also awarded silver in 2020 for over 200,000 sales.

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
United States (RIAA)	gold	500,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	silver	200,000
All in all	1 × silver 1 × gold	700,000

Main article: Eminem / Music Sales Awards

Web links

• Lyrics with interpretations
• Lyrics (German)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ultimate Albums: The Marshall Mathers LP - Dr. Dre interview . In: VH1 . Retrieved July 16, 2012 .: “We don't wake up at two in the morning, call each other, and say, 'I have an idea. We gotta get to the studio. ' We just wait and see what happens when we get there. "
2. ↑ Lyrics
3. ^ Robert Mancini: Eminem Targeted At Senate Hearing . In: MTV News . Viacom. September 13, 2000. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
4. ↑ Grooves & Samples # 28: Jacques Loussier - Pulsion (1979) on thefindmag.com
5. ↑ US: Gold