Meaning of “Berzerk” by Eminem

Berzerk is a Grammy Award-nominated rap song performed by American rapper Eminem. The song, which pays homage to old-school rap music, has lyrics that blast a number of prominent celebrities, including television personality and socialite Khloé Kardashian and her former husband basketball player Lamar Odom. The lyrics also make mention of a number of artists whom Eminem admires, including Kendrick Lamar.

But what is the meaning of the word “bezerk”?

The word, which is a noun, has a number of meanings in the slang world, most notably it is used to refer to someone who is behaving in an extremely wild and uncontrolled way – a character Eminem exhibited in both the lyrics and video of the song.

Interesting Facts about “Bezerk”

• Berzerk was released on 27th August, 2013 as the first of the five singles from Eminem’s eighth studio album titled The Marshall Mathers LP 2.
• The song samples a number of famous tracks from the 1980s and the early 1990s, including 1981’s The Stroke by American rock musician Billy Squier, 1986’s (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!) by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys and 1995’s Feel Me Flow by hip hop trio Naughty by Nature.
• The song was produced by the noted American record producer Rick Rubin, who also co-wrote the song with Eminem.
• In its first week of release, the song sold about 362,000 downloads in the United States alone.
• Upon debuting at the number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the song became the rapper’s 15th song to make it into the Top 10 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
• The music video of Berzerk features cameo appearances from several artists, including Rick Rubin, The Alchemist, Mr. Porter, Kid Rock and Kendrick Lamar. It is noteworthy that the latter two artists are mentioned in the song’s lyrics.
• At the 56th Grammy Awards in 2014, the song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of the Best Rap Performance but lost to Thrift Shop by the American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.