Happy Un-Valentine’s Day from Eminem!
The Detroit rap legend unleashes the Emil Nava-directed video for “River,” his Ed Sheeran-assisted single f last year’s Revival.
Em and Ed Sheeran kick f the dramatic visual with confessionals, detailing their individual perspectives on love. Then, the storytelling begins through hotel vignettes, cell phone videos, and surveillance footage depicting Marshall Mathers’ ill-fated relationship with his lover, played by actress Sarah Ashley Toups.
Slim Shady meets his romantic interest while boxing. They share a meal and eventually hit up a hotel, where she films their interactions, as shown in the first viral clip about the video. They’re all laughs and kisses there, but soon, their relationship fizzles and dissolves into chaos when she finds out she’s pregnant.
The clip shows Eminem’s dissatisfaction with the news, echoed in the song’s lyrics. “With her in the womb, we can’t bring her in this world,” he raps. “Shoulda knew / To use protection ‘fore I bit into your forbidden fruit.” Before the clip ends, Em reveals the track’s possible personal nature: “What this songs means to me is something that I felt like I needed to get f my chest.”
Let the “River” run below.