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Music
Militant rapper makes waves
By MATT STOULIL
No other white artist has made such
an impact on the world of rap music as Eminem. This controversial figure
hailing from the mean streets of Detroit has also accomplished the seemingly
impossible: to gain the respect of the black community as a rapper. Rap veteran
Dr. Dre of the group N.W.A. from Compton, South Central Los Angeles, even
signed him to his label, Aftermath, and has co-produced his three albums to
date.
Eminem’s first movie, “8 Mile,” opened the second
weekend in November with an impressive $54.5 million in box office sales. The
soundtrack topped the Billboard Top 200 album chart, with the single
“Lose Yourself” also topping the Billboard Hot 100 charts as
of the Nov. 16 issue of the music magazine.
Pop culture critic Mim Udovitch wrote in The New York Times
last year: “If you know one single thing about Eminem, besides that he is
white, it is that he is one of those artists people fear create an evil that
will, if allowed free reign, destroy civilization and corrupt American
youth.” Critics are beginning to like, or at least be in awe of and
respect this bad-boy turned rap-superstar, acknowledging a sophisticated talent
underneath the hype. Whether Eminem is here to stay is still in question, and
for how long is anyone’s guess.
He has surpassed the sophomore jinx by making three best-selling
albums since his major label debut in 1999. His first, “The Slim Shady
LP,” debuted at No. 3 on the pop charts, sold 3 million copies and armed
him with a Grammy award for Best Rap Album. “The Marshall Mathers LP”
made its 2000 debut at the top of the charts, selling about 1.7 million copies
within the first week and earned him another Best Rap Album Grammy. “The
Eminem Show” has been on the Billboard Top 200 charts since its
release last spring, where it still holds a spot in the Top 10 along with the
No. 1 “8 Mile” soundtrack.
Eminem is a stage name derived from the initials of his real name,
Marshall Mathers. Slim Shady is the name he gave to the devious alter ego
introduced on his first album. The fact that he goes by these aliases seems to
mirror the multiplicity of his persona. His lyrics read like chapters of a book
loosely based on his life, with his different albums fleshing out different
characters, or at least split personalities. His rhymes are steeped in
violence, anger, homophobia and male chauvinism. Though he raps lovingly about
his daughter, on two different albums he talks about killing his wife and he
criticizes his allegedly shifty, apathetic mother all along the way.
Though he did not kill his estranged wife, his lyrics reveal that
the thought may have entered his mind by way of one of his album alter egos. He
has been sued for defamation by his mother. His wife also sued him, though that
suit was dropped, and the couple is now divorced. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation has protested against the rapper for the rampant homophobia
dispensed on “The Marshall Mathers LP.” Yet, openly gay performer
Elton John took the stage together with him at the 2001 Grammy Awards to
perform Eminem’s hit “Stan,” and they ended the performance with
a hug and a pat on the back. John is also a self-proclaimed Eminem fan. The
song “Stan” deals with an unstable fan who takes Eminem’s lyrics
too far by acting out some Slim Shady-like violence.
Eminem is a media magnet whose broodingly bleak beginnings include
being born just outside of Kansas City, Mo., growing up there and in a mostly
black Detroit neighborhood in a poor, single-parent home. He has never met his
father. Though he was often ridiculed and bullied by others, his rhyming
abilities were revered. After flunking the ninth grade three times, Mathers
dropped out of school and competed in local rap freestyle competitions, was
eventually discovered and now stands as one of the giants of pop music
today.
Eminem is still the man people love to hate in many circles. He
often justifies his presence as a bad boy in pop culture:
Now this looks like a job for me so
everybody just follow
me
cuz we need a little controversy, cuz it
feels so empty without
me.
Eminem’s film “8 Mile” draws upon the
autobiographical themes heard in his music and puts them on the big screen. The
song “Lose Yourself” from the movie soundtrack shows a hopeful,
driven side of the many-faceted rapper:
Look, if you had one shot, one
opportunity
To seize
everything you ever wanted
One moment
Would you capture it or just let it
slip?
“There are millions who are just like him,” Udovitch
concluded, “who cuss like him, don’t give an expletive like him,
dress like him, walk, talk, and act like him, and, based on his sales, feel
like him. That is: They feel incredible anger. They may be, as he was, children
of welfare families, growing up to work for minimum wages while enormous wealth
accrues to the privileged few. They may have their own reasons. But that these
millions exist, and that Eminem speaks for them, is probably what is both truly
subversive and truly threatening about his success.”
From any viewpoint, Eminem has made waves for the last few years
and come into his own as a music giant, selling albums like candy. He is a
“violently warped and vulgar yet extremely talented wordsmith,” as
described by his Web site. So love him or not, respect him or not, he has made
his mark.
Matt Stoulil is NCR layout assistant, a bass player and
an avid observer of the music world. His e-mail address is
mstoulil@natcath.org
National Catholic Reporter, November 22,
2002
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