Is Em talking about Eric Clapton in Who Knew?

[Mr Change]

If true then Eminem is a sick mastermind. A sick, calculating, devilish mastermind.

[Mr Change]

Tears in Heaven sampled for a Proof tribute...I couldn't think of anything cornier than that.

Doubt it's a Clapton reference, since his name was Connor Clapton. Eminem wasn't being that subtle. "Eric" is a filler name to represent a little kid...he used it because it rhymed with "terrace" and "parents"...

Also, Eminem is talking about the little kid Eric committing suicide. Eric Clapton's son didn't commit suicide.

Which brings me back to my first theory..

[Jdubem]

"little Eric". Could definitely be referring to Eric Clapton's son.

Pretty much this ,wow ,it makes me wonder how he used such an old reference .

yeah not like I already said that on the first post of the thread

[Jdubem]

Tears in Heaven sampled for a Proof tribute...I couldn't think of anything cornier than that.

Doubt it's a Clapton reference, since his name was Connor Clapton. Eminem wasn't being that subtle. "Eric" is a filler name to represent a little kid...he used it because it rhymed with "terrace" and "parents"...

Also, Eminem is talking about the little kid Eric committing suicide. Eric Clapton's son didn't commit suicide.

Edit: it could definitely be a Columbine reference, though. Sounds plausible.

You might be right about it not being about Eric Claptons son, but it definitely would not be any less subtle for him to be referencing Eric Harris from Columbine. The Eric Claptons son thing would make way more sense in context since the kid actually did fall off a terrace to his death.

Also the jumps off of the terrace thing does not have to be talking about suicide. Could be talking accidental especially when your talking about a "little" kid.

[Bananastyle]

"Don't blame me when little Connor jumps off of a terrace"

Doesn't fit and nobody would get the reference.

The MMLP is a very specific album when talking to/about someone. He even singled out an actual reporter in Bitch Please and didn't randomly make up a name. I really just don't think it's a filler name and the Columbine reference in that context just doesn't make sense. After all the other wild shit he says about the Columbine kids, why would he go that far off the mark with something that actually didn't happen? It's not like he cared about offending anyone.

It has to be about Clapton's kid, nothing else makes sense.

[true rue]

The whole song is about how HE shouldn't be blamed for what other people do (the chorus is right after that Eric line) and parents have to be responsible, not HIM, so this is not about Clapton's son. It's about what random Stan tkids do.

Also, I get the rhyme thing, but Clapton's son fell out a window so that's a double no on this theory.

[aprilm]

I don't think it's a reference to Eric Clapton's son - first of all, the reference would be too old by then. But more than that, the line is specifically about not blaming Em - again, even if Eric Clapton said something sketchy about Em (which I don't remember) he wouldn't have blamed Em for his son's death (which was a tragic accident). But he and other musicians did catch some blame after Columbine for the influence that they have on young listeners, so to me the Columbine reference makes more sense. Although I'm not really convinced of that either - I think it is in there for the purposes of the rhyme, just like when he uses "Eric" and "Erica" in White America. Or in So Bad when he uses "April" to finish the April Fool's Day metaphor, and "Missy" as a generic female term - I don't think there are women named April and Missy that he's talking about specifically.

[Fleka]

Eric and Erica are the kids of AMERICA, and he says that he is not the one to be ablamed when they do stupid shit. Parents are the ones to be blamed.

[Kez]

I heard that whenever Eminem uses Eric in songs it was talking about one of the dudes that shot up Columbine? That's why he uses Eric as a guy that is influenced in his songs...


And speaking of that, and messed up things even for Eminem; If he's talked about Columbine like he did I wouldn't put it past him to talk about Eric Claptons son..

True I guess I wouldnt put it past him, but thatd sure be a low blow.

I don't see the big deal. He rapped about JonBenét Ramsey and nobody complained, is it somehow different because it's Eric Clapton's son?

[Jdubem]

Also the jumps off of the terrace thing does not have to be talking about suicide. Could be talking accidental especially when your talking about a "little" kid.

Why would Eminem be blamed for a kid accidentally falling off a terrace? If it was an accident, they would fall off the terrace, not jump.

The point of Who Knew is that Eminem is being being blamed by parents for their kids' behavior.

He cant be blamed for something like that. Something like that would have to fall on the responsibility of the parents and that is(perhaps) ems point. Parents(like Eric Clapton) want to blame eminem when something goes wrong with their kids, but they dont really do a good job of parenting and watching their kids themselves. So who are they to point the finger and blame someone else when they are being negligent and inattentive in raising their own kids. Its a pretty genius (but harsh) way of exposing the hypocrisy.

I think it makes perfect sense within the context of the song. Im not saying it has to be true, but you cant dismiss it either.

[Jdubem]

I heard that whenever Eminem uses Eric in songs it was talking about one of the dudes that shot up Columbine? That's why he uses Eric as a guy that is influenced in his songs...


And speaking of that, and messed up things even for Eminem; If he's talked about Columbine like he did I wouldn't put it past him to talk about Eric Claptons son..

True I guess I wouldnt put it past him, but thatd sure be a low blow.

I don't see the big deal. He rapped about JonBenét Ramsey and nobody complained, is it somehow different because it's Eric Clapton's son?

I just think its kinda messed up to make fun of someone for the tragic death of their 4 year old kid. I mean if you ever said that to someone in person then you should fully expect and deserve to have your ass kicked.

[Amaranthine]

I just think its kinda messed up to make fun of someone for the tragic death of their 4 year old kid. I mean if you ever said that to someone in person then you should fully expect and deserve to have your ass kicked.

Em has no boundaries.

And anyway, you DO have to wonder why the parents weren't watching him. If I had a little kid and I was staying on the fiftieth floor of a hotel, I'd practically chain the kid to me and lock the windows. I definitely wouldn't leave a window open, even if I was just a couple feet away from the kid.

[Drug.Ballad]

Em has no boundaries.

And anyway, you DO have to wonder why the parents weren't watching him. If I had a little kid and I was staying on the fiftieth floor of a hotel, I'd practically chain the kid to me and lock the windows. I definitely wouldn't leave a window open, even if I was just a couple feet away from the kid.

Bit harsh, all you gotta do is take your eye off the kid for a split second.

[Wreck]

This is so stretched, I don't think this is a Clapton jab. First, I don't even know if his son's name was Eric anyway? Em wouldn't be that fucked up. He just puts random popular kid's names in rhymes, with no meaning or significance behind the line, besides simply completing the rhyme. Eric rhymed with terrace so that probably worked in his mind to say it.

[VinniePazienza]

I'm pretty sure I have read somewhere that he uses the name Eric 'cause of a dude that shot up Columbine no joke

MY NAME IS ERIC HARRIS I WAS FOREVER HARASSED

Ill Bill has a whole song about the dude