Not afraid
| Not afraid | |
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| publication | April 29, 2010 |
| length | 4:10 |
| Genre (s) | Hip hop |
| text |
Marshall Mathers , Matthew Samuels, Luis Resto , Jordan Evans, Matthew Burnett |
| music | Boi-1da |
| Award (s) |
Grammy 2011 ( Best Rap Solo Performance ) |
| album | Recovery |
Not Afraid is a song by the American rapper Eminem . It is the first single from his seventh studio album, Recovery, and was released on April 29, 2010.
content
In contrast to the first singles from previous Eminem albums, in which the rapper mainly mocked other celebrities, Not Afraid is a song with a very serious topic. In this song Eminem describes how he overcame the difficulties of the last few years, especially his drug addiction. In the first verse, the artist raps about the fact that when writing his lyrics, he doesn't worry about the opinions of critics or the whole world, but only writes to express his point of view on different things. In the second verse, the rapper criticizes his own previous album Relapse and says that he missed the pitch on this one. He also promises his fans that from now on things will continue to improve. In the last verse, Eminem reports that he has overcome his drug addiction, thanks his fans and says that from now on he will focus on the important things, e.g. B. will focus on his responsibilities as a father. With the chorus sung, in contrast to the rapped verses, Eminem encourages all those who are still in a difficult phase and tells them that they are not alone and should follow his example.
production
The beat for the song was mainly produced by the American producer Boi-1da. Jordan Evans, Matthew Burnett and Eminem himself acted as additional producers.
Music video
The music video filmed for Not Afraid was directed by Rich Lee. The video premiered on June 5, 2010.
content
The video was shot for the most part on the streets of downtown Newark , New Jersey and contains many special effects: for example, the rapper flies across the city or leaps through a mirror after arriving at a precipice on a ruined road. Eminem also raps on the top of New York's Municipal Building , where he stands at the beginning and end of the video, and in a dark room that the artist breaks out of by punching a hole in a wall.
Awards
Eminem received Best Male Video and Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12 for the video for Not Afraid .
single
Cover design
The single cover shows Eminem wearing a leather jacket, he holds out a hand to the viewer. The background is in shades of gray, in the lower part of the picture are the words Not Afraid and Eminem .
Chart successes
In the 30th calendar week of 2010, Not Afraid reached number 9, the highest position in the German charts. A week later, the single took 10th place, before returning to 9th place for two weeks. Overall, the song stayed in the Top 100 for 30 weeks. The song reached number 1 in the US charts, which Eminem had previously done with the songs Lose Yourself (2002) and Crack a Bottle (2009) and then with Love the Way You Lie (2010) succeeded. Not Afraid is only the 16th song that could debut ever at the top of the US charts and the second rap single after I'll Be Missing You by P. Diddy that went in the first place. Likewise Not Afraid the downloaded fourth fastest single ever after Eminem it with Crack a Bottle had managed already the No. 3 singles digitally sold.
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Sales figures and awards
In the US alone, Not Afraid has sold more than ten million singles , including streaming . For this, the song was awarded ten times platinum in the United States , which corresponds to a diamond record . In 2018, Not Afraid received a platinum record in Germany for over 300,000 units sold.
| Country / Region | Award | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales) |
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 Australia (ARIA)
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 5 × platinum
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350,000 |
 Denmark (IFPI)
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platinum
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90,000 |
 Germany (BVMI)
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platinum
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300,000 |
 Italy (FIMI)
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platinum
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30,000 |
 New Zealand (RMNZ)
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platinum
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15,000 |
 Switzerland (IFPI)
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platinum
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30,000 |
 United States (RIAA)
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 diamond
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10,000,000 |
 United Kingdom (BPI)
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platinum
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600,000 |
| All in all |
11 × platinum 1 × diamond |
11,415,000 |
Main article: Eminem / Music Sales Awards
At the Grammy Awards 2011 , Not Afraid received the award for best solo performance in the rap category and was nominated for best rap song .
swell
- ↑ Lyrics in the booklet
- ↑ Video premiere June 5, 2010
- ↑ Report on the video shoot on rapradar.com
- ^ MTV Video Music Awards 2010
- ↑ Single cover at amazon.de
- ↑ a b c d e f Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US
- ↑ Eminem in the US singles charts
- ↑ Not Afraid debuts at number 1 on the US charts
- ↑ a b c d e 2010 annual charts: DE AT CH UK US
- ↑ DE: Platinum
Web links
- Lyrics with interpretations
- Lyrics (German)
- Music video on YouTube.com
| Studio albums |
Infinite • The Slim Shady LP • The Marshall Mathers LP • The Eminem Show • Encore • Relapse • Recovery • The Marshall Mathers LP 2 • Revival • Kamikaze • Music to Be Murdered By |
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| Extended plays |
Slim Shady EP • Hell: The Sequel |
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| Compilation albums |
The Singles • Curtain Call: The Hits |
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| Video albums |
The Up in Smoke Tour • E • All Access Europe • Eminem Presents: The Anger Management Tour • Live from New York City |
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| Singles |
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| Featurings |
Dead Wrong • Forgot About Dre • The Watcher • Rock City • Hellbound • One Day at a Time (Em's Version) • Welcome 2 Detroit • Smack That • Drop the World • Roman's Revenge • That's All She Wrote • I Need a Doctor • Writer's Block • Throw That • My Life • C'mon Let Me Ride • Calm Down • Twerk Dat Pop That! • Best Friend • Speedom (WWC2) • The Hills Remix • Caterpillar • Homicide • Bang |
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| Splits |
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