King Mathers?
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Artist:
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First, let me apologize for the sparseness of my comments & the near absence of posts. I have a shitty internet connection these days, so I mostly read your posts from my phone. Nevertheless, where there's an opinion, there's a way.
I read Mr. Frost's post about Eminem's new album, and I got to writing this comment about his abilities, his strenghts, his weaknesses, and his fan base; iIt became so long-winded that I decided to just go ahead and do a post. It's been a while, so I figured it couldn't hurt right?
There are three things we get when it comes to Em, and they will FOREVER keep him from being a rapper's rapper, and keep him on the list of all-time greats:
1. RACE: this societal construct had a hand in keeping him out of the game (so he says), but became a huge reason for his mainstream success. See "White America" & "Yellow Brick Road". I refuse to believe that this is the sole reason for his popularity, but I have never heard Little Brother, The Roots, or even someone as popular as Jay or Snoop (well maybe Jay) on the "all" rock station. Yeah, OutKast is there; yeah, you might hear Cee-Lo, but that's because of his Gnarls Barkley joints. Believe it or not, there are a few black dudes who refuse to "drink the Eminem Kool-Aide" because he is a white guy; simple and plain. Oddly enough, it's 2008 and race is still a huge factor in this oh-so-civilized society.
2. SUBJECT MATTER: Mr. Mathers has a weird sense of humor (one that I get and appreciate…or at least I think I get it), and because of it, his albums will almost never be brought up in the "Classic LP" conversation. I personally LOVED the beginning of Encore and felt the album slipping away from me somewhere around "Puke". Don't get me wrong, I found a lot of it humorous, and I really dug the not-so-hip hop "Crazy In Love" but when it comes to listening to the whole album (the whole damn thing) it rarely happens. Still, you have to admit that being funny & kinda weird (read original) has merit in a musical world that has grown stagnant with rhyme by number lyrics (I'm looking at you Tony Yayo, et al.), Kinko (what up gang-sta!) images, and misogynistic mentalities that don't actually represent the people in the booth (we accept your apology Gemstones). Even when Eminem makes fun of gay men (like in "Criminal"), talks about his hatred of women ("Kill You"), and makes a party out of doing drugs ("Drug Ballad"), you…okay, I get the feeling that this is just some shit he says to make you all part of the plan: "It's the return of the 'Oh wait, no way, your kidding, he didn't just say what I think he did, did
he?'"(See also "As the World Turns," "Big Weenie," "Rain Man,"). Why do I feel this way? Well, I've listened to Infinite ("It's OK," "313," "Searchin"...especially "Searchin"), I've awed at "Lose Yourself," I felt the pain on "Rock Bottom," I've heard the truth in "Like Toy Soldiers," and we all can see the seriousness in songs like "Mosh," "When I'm Gone," "Hailie's Song" and "Mockingbird".
3. LYRICS: Marshall Bruce Mathers III has a way with words. Even his stupidest (with the exceptions of Fack, Encore, and the one they call "Tylonol Island") really make me marvel at his ablitily to rip. This knack for wordplay has struck a chord with both steady hip hop fans and what some would label as part-timers or fair-weather fans: white kids who mainly listened to Tribe, Mos, Kweli, and the heavy hitters (N.W.A., Snoop, Dre, T.I., Tupac, Jay-Z, etc...basically anybody who's ever been on a soundtrack). In fact, just last week, Vibe readers voted Eminem the Best Rapper Alive. Is it blasphemy? Depends on how you read the word "BEST" and what you think about the label rapper. Once you get into semantics, though it's really a pointless conversation. Still, whatever you think about a white dude who's not shy about admitting that he's gifted ("I'll probably never get the props I feel I ever deserve" OR "I joke when I say I'm best in the booth, but a lot of truth is said in jest") he IS gifted.
I don't have a "Best Rappers" or "Greatest Emcees" list, but if I did, Em wouldn't necessarily be excluded from it. If I had a "Greatest Albums by an Emcee or Rapper" list, he wouldn't come close. It's all about what you're looking for and the artists ability to either exist outside the trends or bend the trends to him/herself. So, to answer Frost's question: yes, I am looking forward to Relapse.
"Till I collapse I'm spilling these raps, long as you feel 'em
Till the day that I drop you'll never say that I'm not killing them
Cause when I am not then I am stop pennin them
And I am not hip-hop and I'm just not Eminem."
peace
Locating MOG account...
Comments (8)
Dope ass post.
I definitel think Eminem is one of the best in the game, but is he THE best? Hell no.
I personally think the Eminem Show and Encore didn't have staying power, and both of the albums very well could be considered wack if dropped today. There are gems on both albums (unlike you, i loved "Puke" and "Fack" but I hated shit like "Big Weenie").
Although I enjoyed those tracks, I dont think they display Eminem at his finest... it seems like he's just bored on the mic and wasting our time when he makes a song like "Ass Like That" rapping in a ridiculous accent.
Agreed, great post...
I gotta say that Encore had to be one of the most disappointing albums that I ever bought. As you said, it started out pretty good, then tailed off. I just wasn't feeling it at all, and I gave it multiple tries. One of the constants that I noticed through Eminem's albums was that the lead singles were always catchy, sometimes gimmicky songs, and the rest of the album, for the most part, had more substance. Encore wasn't like that, and the Eminem Show wasn't all that much better. I think Relapse is a true make-or-break album for him, not in the traditional sense because he's already "made it," but he'll fade away without a successful album in Relapse. One selfish thing for me... I'm hoping that while he might be "relapsing," he needs to "rehab" from the Formula 50 if you catch my drift.
I was totally getting lost in his flow. Not the hugest Eminem fan but definitely into this track.
Occaisionally his music has crossed my ears..I think he is talented, but the music is what always pushed me away..I think a lot of folks can spit rhymes well, and he's good,but I never "got" his package..I think he got too famous,too fast..
break it down, Scribes! Love the post, and this was actually my first time hearing Em's new song. I had to give it a few good plays. NOW I'm excited for Relapse so thank you!
I'm one of those who think Em is the greatest to ever breathe on the mic. I think The Slim Shady LP is fuckin' sick, and I think The Marshall Mathers LP is nothing short of genius, classic material.
I've got a feeling that Relapse will be the return of Eminem at his best. I think every artist who reaches the top of the game gets bored, loses direction, and consequently releases a garbage album (Kanye). I think after the extended haitus and just kinda watching the game from the sidelines, he's hungry to smash the game again.
But, yeah, who hasn't reached the top then released a disappointing album.
Jay-Z - Kingdom Come
Nas - Nastradamus
Snoop Dogg - The Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told
T.I. - Paper Trail and T.I. vs T.I.P.
50 Cent - Everything after GRoDT
That's just the way it goes.
"we accept your apology Gemstones"
lol...funny shit.
Grreat post, Scribes. Its been a minute, eh? I haven't really looked forward to anything from Eminem in quite some time. It's interesting to see where he has ended up from where he started.