There are few artists in today’s day and age that wish to shine the lens of cultural reflection upon themselves and upon their fans, fearing as though this will prevent them from retaining their popularity, however Eminem is not one of those artists. In “We Made You” (2009), Eminem once again turns the harsh lens of cultural reflection on himself, his music, and his fans. While the entire video is rife with cultural references and significant commentary, it is the juxtaposition of the lyrics “We made you” in combination with his portrayed adoring crowd ripping him to pieces in an attempt to devour him as portrayed from 4’:32” > 4’:42” of the video that truly stands out.

The imagery conveyed by this scene serves to indicate the power that the populace has over their rock stars in today’s day and age, whether they be cultural icons or whether they be singers. The populace at large works to turn the icon into who they are and if the icon does not adhere to the vision set for them by the populace, they will rip the icon to shreds. Conversely, if they do manage to uphold themselves to the standards that have been set for them by their adoring fan base, they will still be devoured, consumed from without by those who would desire to make the icon their own.

The camera positioning and the fade out on the consumption of Eminem by his supposed adoring fans serves as a means of driving home the unspoken point…we made you…and we can unmake you as well. This point is driven home by each of the different scenes presented in the video, from Kim Kardashian to Jessica Simpson, from the all American football player to Amy Winehouse, from Elvis to one of the Kardashians being ground up into money. Each of the different scenes is connected via a common thread of Eminem superimposed on a Guitar Hero track, indicating that it is not he who is making the music but the audience on the other side of the screen, further tying into the original message.

Through the combination of visual content and lyrics, Eminem is able to create a comprehensive package designed to not only require his audience to engage in the practice of self-reflection, looking at who they are and what they are doing to other, but serves as a means of mocking himself as well and even his ability to kowtow to the populace all the while mocking the consumer for acting the way that they do and demanding the way that they do in spite of who they are.