Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has criticized rapper Eminem for an “unnecessarily hurtful and deeply disrespectful” lyric about the 2017 attack in the city.

In a song on his new album, the American star quotes: “I’m thinking of yelling ‘bomb away’ in the game / Like I’m outside an Ariana Grande concert waiting.”

This is followed by the sound of an explosion, writes with the BBC.

Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images/Gulliver)
Twenty-two people died when a suicide bomber attacked a crowd after an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in May 2017.

These lines are quoted in the song “Unaccommodating”, in which the star boasts of his influence on hip-hop. The song is part of his newest album, Music To Be Murdered By, which was released on Friday.

In a statement to BBC News, Mr Burnham said: “This is needlessly damaging and deeply disrespectful to the families and all those affected.”

Eminem (Photo: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images/Gulliver)
Figen Murray, whose son Martyn Hett died in the attack, also expressed disapproval of the song on Friday morning.

Hett’s former partner Russell Hayward also expressed his disapproval of Eminem’s latest lyrics, writing: “Disappointing but not surprising that #Eminem would use controversial lyrics about the Manchester bomb, drawing again the families of the victims and Ariana again in a very dark time.’

“I’m not sure how popular he is these days, but I hope any success he gets off the back of this is worth it,” Russell wrote.

Ariana Grande (Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images/Gulliver)
His comments were echoed by Ariana Grande’s fans, who described the Unakcommating album as “a pathetic attempt at attention”.

Eminem meanwhile previously pledged his support for the victims of the tragic event in 2017, calling on his fans to donate money to the families who were affected. /Telegraph/