Comments on: White Rage: Eminem, the Bad Boy from Detroit

By: Megherian

Megherian — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:08:00 +0000

Well written, especially for someone that feels an Eminem pull and can’t always decide why. I agree that the big attraction for me is the authenticity and complication of the writing/rapping, but after reading this article what really stood out was the vulnerability.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 22:52:00 +0000

I went micro instead of macro, because of the limited space (and attention span) in blogs and because I think with Em’s lyrics, micro is best. And I avoided the pill addiction debacle that was celebrated as formal genius (but emotionally empty) because I may mention it in the next post.

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:33:00 +0000

Nice analysis, but you skipped over the Marshall Mathers LP [2000], the Eminem Show [2002], Encore [2004], and Recovery [2010], all of which detailed key points in Eminem’s life and career [Encore in particular was the beginning of Em’s hardcore pill addiction] and you incorrectly wrote that 8 Mile was Em’s debut CD. The 8 Mile soundtrack [to the movie 8 Mile, which Em starred in] was released in 2002, a full three years after the Slim Shady LP, which was Em’s debut.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:34:00 +0000

this is an interesting point. I like critique so bring it on. What I would say is this—- there are marketing forces, for sure. BUT I think the underlying reality that Eminem is white and thus different, has to be there to be exploited. And it is not surprising that he felt isolated and still feels isolated if you look at how much of black rap is about black experience, history and rage. As far as Slim Shady goes— I would call what you are talking about smart editing. It is a tight album and the interesting question is why so many people love that album— it is darker than dark.

You point out a fascinating paradox— hip-hop is mainstream (and Eminem is not the only rapper to reach the white suburbs— teenagers listen to rap, like we (or I) listened to rock and early punk)— hip-hop is a defiant, angry and political form of music that is tremendously popular.

By: Tim Rosenkranz

Tim Rosenkranz — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:12:00 +0000

I like your articles, because you have obviously a great understanding of lyrics and context. This also should not really be a critique of your article, but “Whiteness” in Eminem’s case is a tricky duality, because I think it gets unfortunately reinforced through the business aspect of ‘the game’ that should not be ignored (but also not overstated, which I kind of do in the following ;). Dr. Dre is a business genius and there is a reason that he took Eminem under his wings that goes beyond talent. And I would be surprised if the cohesion of the “Slim Shady LP” is not the result of a tight process of selection and reduction under market considerations. Eminem is one of the biggest selling artists cross-genres and that is because he broke into the white suburban market. I do not want to say that Eminem is making stuff up, but I wonder how much is cultivation of a narrative from the get go? Hell, “Lose yourself” is the Oscar winning soundtrack to a movie, so how much comes from the heart and how much is made up to follow the storyline of the movie? There is a problem with looking just at lyrics and what Eminem wants us to know about himself, as all this is embedded in a structure that is also part of a business environment.

I am looking forward to the second part of your article, because this is where I think Eminem kind of emancipates himself from being the “white” rapper. The question is why?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 03:22:00 +0000

B— I am glad you mentioned this because it is something that I kind of skirted around. And I will return to it next time—- I think that Eminem is a linguistic giant, and really cannot write two lines without several rhymes. I like it, even love it, as a person who loves language— but then again, for completely different reasons, I love the latest collaboration between Kanye and Jay.

I like to say about Eminem that if you want to see how complicated his rhymes are, try to sing along—-

I think what we all like is the authenticity and the complicatedness. What we don’t realize we like is that he talks about the forbidden, maybe a little like Sid V.

By: Brennan Patrick

Brennan Patrick — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 23:33:00 +0000

I agree with a lot of these points, they are very valid. In response to the comment on his talent; his seemingly flawless flow is something that most mainstream rappers don’t have, and consequently never develop. “Rappers” like lil’ wayne dont have that raw talent: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24GcORFEeCw . He cant go for more than 10 lines without stopping. Even in his early days em could still go for days as it seemed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-2kk6s1axk. (sorry for all the links) Here he goes through 3+ beats and freestyles for almost 5 minutes straight with ease http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwyOfqbP8JU . When you spoke about anger, all I could think about was his album Relapse: Refill. listen to the song “Insane”, where he talks about growing up sexually and physically abused. All of the points adressed in this article are true and backed up. As an avid listener of Eminem I have found myself thinking the same exact thing while listening to his songs. Well written.

By: Kim Haley

Kim Haley — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 21:37:00 +0000

Great insight~I, too, enjoy listening for double entendres in his lyrics! This was a great in-depth peek at his messages and expressions. They may not be loud and clear to everyone who listens. Well written and informative.