OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
Eminem has always been known for his lyrical genius, and in a recent conversation with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, he dropped some knowledge about bending words in ways that even seasoned poets might never consider. The topic? How to rhyme with the notoriously unrhymable word “orange.”
As any rap enthusiast knows, “orange” has long been regarded as a near-impossible word to rhyme with. It’s one of those rare words in the English language that seems to defy the usual patterns of rhyme. Sure, you can find a couple of obscure words—sporange, which refers to a spore sac, and Blorenge, a mountain in Wales—but those aren’t exactly the go-to choices in everyday conversation.
But leave it to Eminem to figure out how to make it work. When asked by Cooper about the difficulty of rhyming with “orange,” the rapper revealed a surprising trick: “If you annunciate it and make it more than one syllable, you could say ‘I put my orange four inch door hinge in storage and ate porridge with George.’”
In classic Eminem fashion, he broke it down in the most casual yet precise way, explaining that rhyming with “orange” is all about manipulating the syllables and sounds. It’s not just about finding words that directly rhyme, but rather bending language to create the perfect flow. For Eminem, rhymes aren’t just a challenge—they’re a puzzle that he’s obsessed with solving.
In the interview, he revealed just how much time he spends thinking about rhymes, sometimes to the point of frustration. “I actually drive myself insane with it,” he confessed, showing just how deeply embedded the art of wordplay is in his everyday life. This dedication to rhyme is what has made him one of the most iconic and innovative lyricists in the rap game.
It’s clear that for Eminem, rhyming is an art, a science, and above all—a passion. So the next time you hear him spit a line that leaves you in awe, just remember: behind every word is a man who’s tirelessly bending the rules of language to make it work. And as for “orange,” well, now we know that it’s no match for his skills.