SA#2: "No Love", by Eminem ft. 'Lil Wayne, Recovery (2010)

Daniel Sugar
4-1-2011
Poetry of Song-D
SA#2: “No Love”
The topics of bullying and hate in schools and in life are quite serious. Every day, many people, ranging from very young children to very old men and women, report being bullied or hated on in some form. Eminem is famous for writing raps dealing with a wide array of themes. The new song about bullying and hatred, coming from the 2010 album Recovery, features a speaker talking to a person who has victimized him. It also simultaneously discusses the failures of a relationship, not too different from “Figure 09”. In the song “No Love”, Eminem, featuring ‘Lil Wayne, use imagery and hyperbole to visually display the pain and hurt that bullying and hatred can cause people.
Eminem and ‘Lil Wayne use imagery in order to convey the important double meaning of this song. The first example of imagery is when ‘Lil Wayne says, “B**ches try to kick me while I'm down, I'll break your leg/money outweighing problems on the triple beam (Lines 13-15). This shows how victims of such hostility will fight back against their oppressors. The second example of imagery comes in the chorus when Eminem says, “It's a little too late to say that you're sorry now/You kicked me when I was down/But what you say just (don't hurt me, it don't hurt me, no more) (Lines 28-30). Here, Eminem is declaring that the time to apologize has passed and that there is no turning back.
In addition to the strong, riveting imagery seen in “No Love”, there is a strong example of hyperbole in this rap. One such example occurs towards the beginning of the song, when ‘Lil Wayne says, “Yeah, my life a b**ch, but you know nothing 'bout her/Been to hell and back, I can show you vouchers (Lines 3-4), exaggerating the fact that his life is rough in order to emphasize the point: bullying and hatred can create a mood of one’s life being very negative overall. Additionally, by using the word, “‘er”, ‘Lil Wayne personifies his life in order to add even further strength to it.
With the seriousness of bullying and hatred in society, it comes to no surprise that people write songs about it. Eminem is a white rapper in a primarily African-American industry who has dealt with discrimination and protests due to his lyrics, even though other people were saying the same things that he was saying. In the song “No Love”, he and fellow rapper ‘Lil Wayne write a relatable song to anyone who feels bullied, loveless, and hated.