15 celebrities who got political in 2017

LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 13: Recording artist Eminem performs onstage at the 2014 MTV Movie Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on April 13, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for MTV)

Eminem

It is safe to say you are no stranger to political commentary when a line in one of your songs leads to a Secret Service investigation. Eminem has been in the controversial business of calling out politicians for the better part of two decades, delivering scathing lines to George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Lynne Cheney and Tipper Gore. But in a year in which many celebrities were rightly called out for appropriating black culture while remaining dead quiet on the issues that affect African-Americans, the Detroit rapper knew his words would carry new weight.

He did not shy away, delivering one of the most eviscerating takedowns of President Donald Trump yet in a nearly-five minute freestyle rap during the BET Hip Hop Cypher Awards. He was widely praised, not just for his skill, but for his willingness to use his privilege to stand up and speak out on controversial issues that do not affect him directly, like immigration and the Black Lives Matter movement.

As a white rapper, Eminem has long acknowledged that he didn’t build the field he has made his fame in, but with “The Storm” and his subsequent album, he went beyond just lip service.