"Gnat"
Song by Eminem
from the album Music to Be Murdered By: Side B
ReleasedDecember 18, 2020 (2020-12-18)
Recorded2020
GenreHip hop
Length3:45
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)D.A. Got That Dope
Music video
"Gnat" on YouTube

"Gnat" is a song by American rapper Eminem from the deluxe edition of his eleventh studio album Music to Be Murdered By. It was released on December 18, 2020 along with the rest of Music to Be Murdered By: Side B (Deluxe Edition) and Cole Bennett-directed music video.[1] It was written by Eminem and producer D.A. Got That Dope, alongside Anders Olofsson, Christopher S Torpey, Ezemdi Chikwendu, D. Levin, and K. Mars.

The song debuted at number 65 on the UK Singles Chart and number 11 on the UK R&B Singles Chart.

Music video

The music video for "Gnat" marks the second collaboration between Eminem and Lyrical Lemonade, as Cole Bennett previously directed music video for "Godzilla".

In the music video, Eminem fights off a swarm of oversized bats in a yellow hazmat suit and other personal protective equipment gear, wipes down every surface with Lysol, gets paranoid about catching the COVID-19 to earn his freedom from quarantine, gets shot in the chest by a cuckolded husband after he dissed his wife, and bites the head off a bat. In some parts of the music video, Eminem is seen wearing a red tuxedo, a homage to the music video of "My Name Is". Additionally, he also wears a similar outfit from the "Space Bound" music video.

Machine Gun Kelly line

In the chorus of the song, the lines "They come at me with machine guns, it's like trying to fight off a gnat" sparked an online debate about whether the "machine gun" mention was intended as a subliminal shot towards American rapper Machine Gun Kelly,[2] who tweeted: "I'm under your skin" with an upside down smiley face emoji.[3]

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for "Gnat"
Chart (2020–2021) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[4] 34
El Salvador Anglo (Monitor Latino)[5] 16
Global 200 (Billboard)[6] 69
Greece International Digital Singles (IFPI)[7] 80
Ireland (IRMA)[8] 65
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[9] 6
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 65
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[11] 11
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 60
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[13] 13

References

  1. ^ Kaufman, Gil (December 18, 2020). "Eminem Battles All Kinds of Bugs in Berserk 'Gnat' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  2. ^ Eustice, Kyle (December 17, 2020). "Eminem's Machine Gun Kelly 'Gnat' Subliminal Sets Twitter Ablaze". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  3. ^ Zorka, Zoe (December 20, 2020). "Machine Gun Kelly Claps Back at Eminem's Latest Disses". The Source. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  4. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "Top 20 El Salvador – Anglo – Del 26 de Abril al 2 de Mayo, 2021" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  6. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Week: 51/2020". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  8. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Eminem". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  9. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  10. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  11. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  12. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  13. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
Categories