Not Afraid

Not Afraid from Eminem

I’m not afraid (I’m not afraid)
To take a stand (to take a stand)
Everybody (everybody)
Come take my hand (come take my hand)
We’ll walk this road together, through the storm
Whatever weather, cold or warm
Just lettin you know that, you’re not alone
Holla if you feel like you’ve been down the same road (same road)

[Intro (during Chorus):]
Yeah, it’s been a ride
I guess I had to, go to that place, to get to this one
Now some of you, might still be in that place
If you’re trying to get out, just follow me
I’ll get you there

You could try and read my lyrics off of this paper before I lay ‘em
But you won’t take the sting out these words before I say ‘em
Cause ain’t no way I’ma let you stop me from causin mayhem
When I say I’ma do somethin I do it,
I don’t give a damn what you think,
I’m doin this for me, so fuck the world
Feed it beans, it’s gassed up, if it thinks it’s stoppin me
I’ma be what I set out to be, without a doubt undoubtedly
And all those who look down on me I’m tearin down your balcony
No if ands or buts, don’t try to ask him why or how can he
From “Infinite” down to the last “Relapse” album
he’s still shittin, whether he’s on salary paid hourly
Until he bows out or he shits his bowels out of him
Whichever comes first, for better or worse
He’s married to the game, like a fuck you for Christmas
His gift is a curse, forget the Earth, he’s got the urge
to pull his dick from the dirt, and fuck the whole universe

[Chorus]

Okay quit playing with the scissors and shit, and cut the crap

I shouldn’t have to rhyme these words in the rhythm for you to know it’s a rap

You said you was king, you lied through your teeth, for that

Fuck your feelings, instead of gettin crowned you’re gettin capped

And to the fans, I’ll never let you down again, I’m back

I promise to never go back on that promise, in fact

Let’s be honest, that last “Relapse” CD was ehhh

Perhaps I ran them accents into the ground

Relax, I ain’t goin back to that now

All I’m tryin to say is get back, click-clack, blaow

Cause I ain’t playin around

It’s a game called circle and I don’t know how, I’m way too up to back down

But I think I’m still tryin to figure this crap out

Thought I had it mapped out but I guess I didn’t, this fuckin black cloud

still follows, me around but it’s time to exorcise these demons

These motherfuckers are doin jumpin jacks now!

[Chorus]

And I just can’t keep living this way

So starting today, I’m breaking out of this cage

I’m standing up, I’ma face my demons

I’m manning up, I’ma hold my ground

I’ve had enough, now I’m so fed up

Time to put my life back together right now! (now)

It was my decision to get clean, I did it for me

Admittedly, I probably did it subliminally

for you, so I could come back a brand new me you helped see me through

And don’t even realize what you did, believe me you

I been through the ringer, but they could do little to the middle finger

I think I got a tear in my eye, I feel like the king of

my world, haters can make like bees with no stingers

and drop dead, no more beef flingers

No more drama from now on, I promise

to focus solely on handlin my responsibilities as a father

So I solemnly swear to always treat this roof, like my daughters

and raise it, you couldn’t lift a single shingle on it!

Cause the way I feel, I’m strong enough to go to the club

or the corner pub, and lift the whole liquor counter up

Cause I’m raising the bar

I’d shoot for the moon but I’m too busy gazin at stars

I feel amazing and I’m

“Not Afraid” was written and produced by Eminem, Boi-1da, Jordan Evans and Matthew Burnett; keyboardist Luis Resto was also attributed with songwriting credit. According to Eminem’s manager Paul Rosenberg and music critics, “Not Afraid” carries a positive message and depicts Eminem’s change in direction from drugs and violence. Recording sessions took place at Effigy Studios in Michigan, Encore Studios in California and Boi-1da Studios in Ontario. Brothers Mike and Joe Strange worked with Eminem on mixing and engineering. The hip hop song features a choir that assists Eminem in a heavily layered chorus and vocals are sung over a guitar, synthesizer and piano; no Auto-Tune was used on the sung vocals, but many reverberation tools were.

“Not Afraid” was released as the album’s lead single on April 29, 2010, by Interscope Records. It was first revealed as a single by Eminem via Twitter, after which the song debuted on radio. To promote the single’s release, a freestyle rap, “Despicable”, was released on the Internet and received attention for its tone and lyrical content.”Not Afraid” met with mixed to positive reviews from critics, who praised the song for being anthemic in nature and carrying a positive message. The song did, however, face criticism for its sudden change in theme from previous singles, and was considered to be less affecting than some of his other songs. Despite mixed reception,“Not Afraid” became the sixteenth song in Billboard history to debut on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number one; it also debuted as a chart-topper in Canada. As of August 2011, the song has sold over four million digital copies. “Not Afraid” has earned Eminem MTV Video Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards Japan, Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards and Detroit Music Awards.