12 Eminem Rage Anthems to Switch into Beast Mode in the Gym
Guess who was the only artist the legendary Daniel Day-Lewis listened to constantly on set while doing his iconic Bill the Butcher!
Damn right! Let's face it. For some things in life like working out like a Spartan… or being Bill the butcher, being all happy and gaga just doesn’t cut it. At times, you need a bit of rage to fire the inner demons.
And Eminem can be as capable of bringing those demons out as an exorcist. As Jim Carrey rightly said in the 2000 MTV VMAs, ‘he scares me a little’. No wonder ninety percent of the gym playlists have Em hovering somewhere or the other.
Listening to Eminem gets your juices flowing any time of the day, but when you have got a frickin’ barbell in front of you, things can really start ‘working out’.
The List
So then, what have I got for you is a list so full of lethal venom, unadulterated spite, and ugly insecurities, you can use it to turn yourself into a beast any day of the week and really go for that one more rep. Ready to summon the dark side?
But before we go further, let me clarify that we are focusing less on inspiration and more on some negative motivation. So, each song has got to have at least some of the following :
- Anger
- Self-destructive frustration
- Heap load of arrogance
So here you go.
- THE WAY I AM
Some songs define genre. And there is no getting past this one. This was the song that DDL listened to on a loop on the sets of Gangs of New York. We all know what it turned him into.
Even after we have spent nearly two decades watching Em spit pure fire while free falling from the top of a building and singing alongside Marilyn Manson, there is no doubt that the song is the greatest ego trip ever.
So much that Em even tells his own label what he thinks of it. All the barbells and dumbbells better watch out.
2. AMITYVILLE ( LAST VERSE )
The song as whole freaks you out a little. With the hook sung by Eminem dwelling deep into psychosis, it only symbolizes the years of frustration that needed a vent.
Eminem’s last verse is pure rage slowly starting to drip from a leaking pipe and climaxing to an absolute explosion. Never been to Amityville; but if it is any close to description, well, I am not taking any chances…you’re just what the doctor…Goddamn just stop and lift!
3. FIGHT MUSIC
To be honest, the mob intro kills it even before the beat arrives. The beat kills it before Em’s hook and the hook makes you want to grab the pullup bar and bring it down with you.
“This kind of music, use it,
and you get amped to do shit.”
And then comes his verse. Going last as he so often does for D12, Em seems hellbent to lift all curtains of people’s hypocrisy and show the world its own face. Which ain’t that beautiful. Also, a verse from Bizzarre that is as psychotic as only he can be.
My recommendation: Keep it for your last set.
4. RABBIT RUN
Don't fret too much if the crazy multisyllabic rhyming makes you stop on a treadmill (…call it quits…wall of bricks…fall in pits…alcoholic fits...politics ). Because when you get back up, you will get up stronger!
If Eminem had to put all his years of struggle, insecurities, and anxieties in a fire vehicle and turn on the water hose at the other end, this song is exactly what would come out. See the lyrics :
“If I gotta scream ‘til I have half a lung,
If I have half a chance I’ll grab it, rabbit run!”
💥
5. THE WARNING
Now I don't care if you’ve got 99 problems and what ain’t one of them. But if you’re sitting alone sulking on a girl who flake or a sore thumbnail, better tune up this song and get some pump out of it. You will come out feeling better… and with more type II muscle fibers.
This whole list could be full of diss tracks themselves. But, with this Mariah Carey diss, you feel the heat from a mile away.
“I was gonna stop at 16, that was 32,
This is 34 bars, we ain’t even third of the way through!”
That’s what you’re going to feel on the 4th rep.
6. SOLDIER
“ You’ll all get shot whether it’s your fault or not.”
Eminem has always loved being the underdog. It has brought the best out of him. And with this song, he is loading up his shotgun and emptying all its barrels at the critics, the media, and anyone who gets in the way.
Watch out for the last verse where he openly warns those trying to knock him off his throne. So damn caring! And even though you don't have to get your collar bone ‘crushed and crumbled’, there is no harm in feeling like a warrior yourself.
7. GUTS OVER FEAR
See a pattern. Most songs on the list are either his early works or pointing towards the end.
And this song is kind of both. Listening to humble beginnings and unsung legacy, you get to see a bit of skin underneath the mask. And it almost makes you cry. Nostalgia is an ex-girlfriend you never get over with.
“ Just having to balance my dang self
When on eggshells I was made to walk
But thank you, Ma, coz it gave me the
Strength to cause Shadymania”
Superimpose that on your own issues, and well, work them out…what can I say!
8. NO APOLOGIES
Alright, the beat is a little mellow, I admit. But the lyrics more than make up. Besides taking a shot at guess whose pot belly (Ha!), Em keeps throwing bars like sharp bullets before letting us know he is actually just a ‘sheep in wolf’s clothing’.
True, but not too bad for a sheep either. Not to forget that this comes in his Re-Up album at a time when many were beginning to doubt his skill.
I recommend this song for the high rep stability days. A nice ambiance of hurt to put in some pain!
9. SING FOR THE MOMENT
Take an Aerosmith riff, add Eminem’s poetry, and a collage video that shows his road to stardom and you have got an absolute blockbuster of a song. But where’s the rage?
Second verse. This is where he starts talking about the evils of stardom and his never-ending lawsuits. And his famous fist to John Guerrerra, with an empty gun in it, of course!
“If my music is literal and I’m a criminal,
How the heck can I raise a little girl?
I couldn’t, I wouldn’t be fit to
You’re full of shit too,
Guerrera, that was a fist that hit you !”
Now, I’ve got no plans of messing with bouncers but no one can stop me from jabbing a few at the bag.
10. BEST FRIEND
This song from Yelawolf’s album has got Em featuring in it, and like any other Eminem feature, it no more remains the host’s song.
It opens up pretty cool and sober but with a sick beat. And when Em arrives talking about Gandhis and Clint Eastwoods, general insanity slowly gets restored. If ever you wanted a kick in the gut to get yourself moving, this is it!
Balls, intestines, and yes men…this marathon verse makes you take a look in the mirror and see if you are not leaving your soul out there in the gym. And if you aren’t, it makes you feel very, very guilty.
11. BAD GUY ( LAST VERSE )
Well, nothing beats a nice murder plot. Especially if it is a dead sour fan’s alive sour brother plotting it.
But it is the last verse where things become really serious. After all, it is Em’s conscience that is doing the accusation now. Personally, I time this song at my last endurance lap where I switch from jogging to sprinting like my life depends on it.
And when you do that, you realize how much you have left in the tank after you think you have nothing left in the tank. Yeah…that good!
12. LEAVING HEAVEN
Music to be Murdered By has to be Eminem’s best work since Recovery (and no bubble pop either). Even though the emotions have gone down a notch and skill up by a thousand, the latest album still has enough spite and hatred for you to puke battery acid.
And with this song, Skyler Grey almost outshines Em for a little while until Marshall goes back to his father for a bout of pure rage. And you know how angry he can be talking about his Dad…or Mom... or Kim…or well, George Orwell.
And if you ain’t got a dad to hate, well, there is always somebody you can picture slamming that medicine ball on. Good riddance!
So then. That was quite a list for a war. And I know there will always be songs I missed out on. Like how the hell….where are the Till I Collapses, the No Loves, and the Go to Sleeps.
All I can say is that….it’s my list.
Tell me if you agree with it and if you don’t, what is your top 5?
And don’t forget to cool down with gentle Vanilla Ice and take Elton John to sleep. And if you want a solid post on bodyweight training, read this :
And oh, we are just playing Vanilla…you know we love you…
