Eminem

Eminem is largely hailed as the man that brought Hip-Hop to the white masses. I don’t need to go into this too much, because if you’ve ever heard a record of his (and the only way you wont of done is if you’ve lived under a rock for your whole life) it’s pretty much all he raps about. Indeed, I don’t deny that he defiantly made it more popular with the masses. Maybe just rap though, as opposed to Hip-Hop (see my blog entry “Hip-Hop ain’t Dead” because I’m not one to beat a dead horse) so much so in fact, that even my old man has a couple of his CD’s in his collection. Not cool.

So if he is responsible for bringing rap to the forefront, and without just reiterating what I’ve already said in a previous article, why is my discontent for the man so high? Why do I detest him so much? Why do I find myself in weekly arguments with fans as to explain why he is so rubbish? That I’d rather listen to the cheeky girls? Ok, maybe not that far, but it is close. Let me explain.

It’s not that he’s a talentless hack, no that’s a status I reserve for very few people. Tim Westwood being the first that springs to mind. Eminem, AKA Marshal Mathers, is actually a very talented man. He has a unique style of rap that I do appreciate. He has a business acumen very few people do. He’s also a good talent scout and producer.

This is actually one of the reasons he annoys me. For such a talented man, he doesn’t half talk some shit. Turning the world against you to build an image to sell records is one thing, but Eminem takes it to a whole new level. The amount of controversy surrounding what the man says about other stars is immense. Now, as someone who writes a blog and enjoys a joke in bad taste, I’m not going to be so two-faced as to say you can’t do this. As a firm protester against censorship I’m not going to tell him to shut up. But Jesus Christ man, have some restraint. With Eminem it’s not really a joke as much as it is teaching people that hate with no aim is ok. That picking on a crippled superman is a good thing to do. Making quips is ok, but the line in the sand has to be at least understood. You also have to be able to take it back as good as you give it, but evidence has it Eminem doesn’t react kindly to someone flaming him back.

The second of many qualms I have with the rap megastar lies not with his misrepresentation of Hip-Hop either, but with flip-flop, hypocritical attitude of the man himself.

To start with, Eminem announced in 2005 after speculation that he was hanging up the mic, Quitting rap to concentrate on his family, production, and company, Shady Records. However during may of this year the world saw the release of “Relapse”. This new 20 track album hardly seems the work of someone who had ever quit the business. Further to this, “Relapse 2” has been announced, and is awaiting release.

Next there is the way, in several songs on his last few albums, he mentions how he is fed up with the world staring in on (obviously not enough to stop releasing records) him and his family. Specifically his daughter, Hailie Scott. However, his daughter features in no less than 9 songs Eminem has released. Surely the way to way to remove your family from the spotlight is to –not- mention them in your music?

There’s also the way he dictates how he doesn’t like how violent the rap scene has become. He’s on record in 2004 stating he was disgusted with it, and would quit rap if it didn’t stop. Now, other than signing 50cent (one of the most gun slinging wannabes to ever grace the scene) to his label, he has had his fair share of feuds himself. His war with House of Pain ex-front-man Everlast AKA Erik Schrody spanned many records. Genuine grievance or not, it hardly seems like the actions of someone who wants to remove violence from the rap industry.

The third and final reason I’ll list, isn’t really a complaint with the man himself, more the media and fans that follow him around. Aside from the obvious media talking about him constantly when they keep saying how bad he is and that he shouldn’t be allowed on the radio, despite giving him free publicity. No, it’s more to do with how many people claim he was the first white rapper, and how every white rapper since his debut immediately gets compared to the whining git. Plan B is not the English Eminem. He is just Plan B. King Kool Savas is not the German Eminem. Just King Kool Savas. Asher Roth is not Eminem for college kids. He’s just... well more on him later. Just because they rap and are white, doesn’t make them Eminem. Racisms gone all out of whack. And since when was being a twat the industry standard anyways?

Wow. Three major complaints in, and I’ve yet to mention that his high-pitched voice sounds like the squirrel from Rocky and Bulwinkle. Or that Peroxide hasn’t been cool since Duran Duran. Or that he does in fact, represent everything wrong with rap and trailer trash American culture. Or even that I get pissed off that people call what he writes Hip-Hop. Crap, guess I did mention it after all.

While the world awaits his new release eagerly, while listening to his now best selling chart topper “Relapse”... Actualy, I think I will join them in waiting eagerly. Only instead of an iPod, I’ll be holding an axe. Or a microwave.