Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born in 1972 and was signed to a label (FBT Productions) by 1992 after he dropped out of school at 17 and became a hit on the underground scene. He's awesome. That's all there is to say about Eminem. Think about it; this skinny blond white kid comes onto the scene in 1992, at a time when racial hatred is still going strong, and enters into a racially biased genre where he is the minority, becoming the first white rapper to become successful and, eventually, becoming one of Rolling Stone's "Immortals". It's not that easy to make it in the music business. It is a small business; everyone knows everyone and, if you take one wrong step, they can blacklist you. Eminem had to walk this thin line, watching every word that came out of his mouth making sure to not offend his main demographic or peers, while still spilling out his heart, hopes, and fears. He had to come up against those protesters who claimed he hated women (Tori Amos had a tired answer to Eminem's "'97 Bonnie and Clyde"), those who hated him simply because he was white in a predominantly black genre (and he does make fun of this in "White America" and "Real Slim Shady"), and those who hate rap because they think it inspires hate (it's not actual hate, it's just their anger at not being able to understand it; rap, particularly Eminem's, is poetry). Regardless of all that he has come up against in his personal and professional life, he has always come out on top. He's a forty year old father and he is still cooler than anyone because he has been named "Best Rapper Alive" by Vibe Magazine and voted "Best Rapper Ever" by the readers of Vibe's website.
Before delving into this, I know some people are against Eminem because they get upset about misogynistic lyrics which they claim advocate violence against women. He does make violent claims against women, but so do other artists, in all genres. Getting all worked up over Eminem sharing his feelings in music (a common medium for this type of expression) is ridiculous; his lyrics have emotion that you can feel, or associate with, because he tells the truth. So if he feels like letting one of his alter egos loose to talk about some dark issues or feelings, it's an emotional outlet for aggression, not a physical act or advocation of this treatment. Besides, songs like "Superman" do not promote violence; this song is only Eminem's frustration at women who like him only for his money. "Sing For The Moment" (the best way to sample an Aerosmith song) and "Criminal" are the best answers Eminem could have given to those who allow themselves to be upset by his music.
Everyone knows the lyrics to "The Real Slim Shady" because it's great and, if you do not think that "Stan" is, while dark, put together beautifully (even if it is about a crazy fan), you need to look into some sort of music appreciation course; Eminem's music, and thoughts, are a lot deeper than non-fans believe them to be. "Lose Yourself" is an amazing work and, if you cannot understand him (even though I believe he clearly enunciates his words and that this is a slow song, if your ears were not trained for this type of music when you were young, it may be difficult for you to pick up on the lyrics), look up the lyrics, because they are great. "Mockingbird" is just an amazing song for his daughter(s) and is put together so thoughtfully and honestly that you can feel the emotions behind the lyrics.
Lil Wayne is the only male artist to have more song entries on Billboards Hot 100 list than Elvis; that alone makes him awesome. The fact that Lil Wayne requested, often, that Eminem work with him, and then continued to make three collaborations with him, only shows the support he (Eminem) gets in that community (no, we are not going to talk about the fact that Eminem takes shots at Lil Wayne in Recovery or that Lil Wayne claims he's better than Eminem [don't be ridiculous, Weezy]; I like to live in a world in which my two favorite male rappers enjoy working together and do not fight like teenage girls [i.e. behind one another's backs]). "Forever" is just a good song about being good at, and loving, what you are doing (and they are talking about rapping; those people who can't look beyond "telling every girl she's the one for me" should not listen to rap). "No Love" is one of the best collaborations and does a better job sampling (from Haddaway's "What Is Love") than any other rap song in the past few years; it's great because it makes little references to karma and then has the underdog overcoming all. "Drop the World" is just about the end of the world and how you need to get your issues in line and take care of any changes you want to make, sooner rather than later.
"Airplanes" gets annoying after a while, but "Airplanes Pt. II" is great because, just as you're getting tired of Williams "wish right now's," Eminem chimes in with great lyrics about making it to the top and the hard work and life that he had to go through to get to this life which he dreamed of when he was younger; his addition makes the song great (and I don't want to think about a world where "Marshall Mathers never picked up a pen").
"Square Dance" is a really underrated song. It's great and talks about the issues in the US at the time that this album was released, talking about how ridiculous politics and world relations were becoming. "Without Me" is a classic and I can still remember my sister making me listen to this song when I was ten, instructing me on why Eminem's music was great and why he would last.
"When I'm Gone" and "Hailie's Song" reference his problems in balancing his personal life with his professional obligations and are two of the (many) songs which allude to his daughter's influence in his need for success (as a way to give her a better life). "Like Toy Soldiers" allows Eminem the chance to warn others against using his daughter (after Ja Rule's crass lyrics), as well as offering an overview of feuds throughout the years, and a truce with his peers whom he has entered into feuds with since becoming a rapper, in an attempt to settle any fights. All together, it's an amazing song
"Space Bound" is one of my favorite songs. People may complain about the "shock value" of the video but, with an artist whose name has become synonymous with this phrase over his twenty year career, can you really act like you're surprised by images like this? Regardless of the video (which is good), the song is something pure that only Eminem can produce. He's talking about something he feels strongly about so he goes all out in trying to explain his emotions, holding nothing back. Accept it for the great song it is and, if you find the video offensive, just don't watch it.
"Love the Way You Lie" is my favorite Eminem collaboration; Rihanna and Eminem make a surprisingly great pair. The subject of the song is just as sensitive as every other great Eminem song, but it is put together in the best way possible and, with Eminem's angry rap and Rihanna's soft chorus, the song is perfection.
I hate (love) "Difficult" and "You're Never Over" because I don't cry, it achieves nothing, and these songs make me want to cry (especially the repetition of "I just miss you"). The songs are beautiful and perfectly written and composed; they show just how great Eminem truly is as an artist. It's always horrific when an artist dies; how much more could Proof have achieved had he survived, and how different would Eminem's music have been had he not lost his best friend so suddenly? Eminem puts his feelings into words perfectly and may be the only person eloquent enough to do so, so proficiently.
"Going Through Changes" is a nice way to ease out of this; it's still just as awful (in a way that makes the song wonderful), but it's as if Eminem has carried you through the different stages of grief and is coming around to accepting it. Everyone has lost someone whom they believe they cannot live without and, the fact that Eminem had to go through this to make him the amazing artist he is today, makes songs like "Not Afraid" bittersweet. It's an amazing song and gets angry (at the world and himself) before getting to business and giving you a more emotionally mature, and thoughtful, Mathers who promises to give you (his fans) better songs and to work harder as he continues his career.
There is so much to write about an artist as great and successful as Eminem and, even after cutting an inordinate amount of information and songs, this still may be the longest post I have ever written. Overall, Eminem has thirteen Grammy awards, his lyrics are fast but always flow perfectly, he is the best rapper alive, and he is the epitome of the underdog who finds success. His music has spanned countries and language gaps and, even after twenty years, he can still top the charts. Eminem is nothing less than amazing.
- E
