Guilty Conscience
...s before their major debut album is released. A mediocre rapper couldn’t say that he’s collaborated with Dr. Dre, Elton John, and Dido, all in the same year. Then again, Marshall Mathers III, better known as Eminem isn’t your average rapper. No other artist has ever been the center of such heated and conflicting debates. He’s hailed as brilliant by some critics and deemed as indecent and disgusting by others. But the controversy isn’t as simple as that. This is an artist and a man who is as complex as he is talented. “...no labels wanted to sign me, almost gave up... until I met Dre, the only one to look past, gave me a chance, and I lit a fire up under his ass...”- “White America”, from “The Eminem Show” Eminem was born in Kansas City, Missouri. During his early years Marshall Mathers and his mother moved between Kansas and Michigan until the age of twelve when they settled in east Detroit. During these years there would be much turbulence to get through. Tragedies including the suicide of his beloved cousin Ronnie and being abandoned by his father threw his world into what could’ve been an irrevocable downward spiral. They would prove to be haunting to the tortured youth. Without stability finding friends and staying out of trouble became all but impossible. Yet the one solace he discovered was rap music. Even while dropping out of high school and working several full time, low pay jobs, he kept an unwavering focus on his music. Between 1995 and 1997 he worked on and released the albums “Infinite” and “Slim Shady EP”. Both were considered failures which was disappointing to Eminem who was desperate to be embraced by the Motor City’s hip hop scene. Then in late 1997 while performing on, “The Wake Up Show” with Sway and Tech he was discovered by infamous producer Dr. Dre. When looking back on the performance that changed his life he’s quoted as saying, “I felt like it was my time to shine...at that time I felt as if it were a life and death situation.”. That determination and seriousness would serve him well for the roller coaster ride that was to come. “I do know one thing though, bitc*es they come they go... maybe I’ll love you one day, maybe we’ll someday grow...”- “Superman” from “The Eminem Show” The focus of many of Eminem’s most passionate, brutal, and moving songs have been inspired by the women in his life. One of them is his wife and twisted muse, Kim. She was a woman he dated and loved for ten years before marrying. Sadly their union didn’t last, and it ended eight months later with an attempted suicide from her and a file for divorce from him. Even now he says he could never go through that kind of pain again. His cherished daughter, Hailie who he shares custody with Kim and his resentful mother are also targets for his music. These three women have inspired, tormented, and betrayed him. But it is Eminem’s fans that have benefitted by gaining some of the most bone chillingly moving songs a listener could hope for. Songs such as “Kim”, “Drips”, “97' Bonnie & Clyde”, and the break up anthem “Superman” will hit home to anyone who’s sweet love has gone sour. These songs chronicle the disintegration of an eleven year long love that slowly turns to loathing. On the other hand his declarations of devotion in “Hailie’s Song” might catch some fans off guard with it’s sincerity and soul. However his strongest feelings of hate and rage are still reserved for his mother. Since his breathtaking success she has tried everything in her power to take what she never helped him to get. In fact on September 17, 1999 she went so far as to sue him for “defamation of character” (Bozza, Anthony: pg. 75). His pain over their estrangement is never so eloquently stated as in the song “Cleanin’ Out My Closet”. This compelling song cries, “...keep telling yourself that you was a mom!” “How many retards’ll listen to me and run up in the school shootin’ when they’re pissed at the teacher?”- “Who Knew?” from “The Marshall Mathers LP” It’s widely known that Eminem is his own worst critic, but that hasn’t stopped the media and activist groups from trying to overshadow his talent with protest. When “The Slim Shady LP” was released in May of 1999 congress pounced on the chance to take a stand against violence in the media. Eminem was the perfect scapegoat. His songs and persona were declared a terrible influence for the young people who were his core audience at the time. After the Columbine tragedy in April of 1999 things grew even more complicated for movie makers and musicians alike. Suddenly the words “free speech” didn’t mean anything. Things that were said in jest or in context of a particular scenario were singled out and attacked. Ironically, Eminem goes farther than anyone when portraying himself as being possibly responsible for real life carnage. His most potent weapon is his ability to counter his critics by accepting his vulnerabilities and turning them into song fodder (Wood, Douglas S. pg.2). “Stan”, one of the most haunting songs of the decade is a tribute to this argument. In the song a troubled fan writes to his idol and becomes increasingly unstable. He takes everything the singer says to heart. In the end he goes on a drunken murder/suicide. Eminem takes the opportunity to address his fans in the last verse. He sadly laments, “Try to understand that I do want you as a fan, I just don’t want you to do some crazy shit”. In the less serious song “I’m Back” he mocks the presumption that blaming music can relive wrongdoers of responsibility. “I take each individual degenerate’s head and reach into it. Just to see if he’s influenced by me. If he listens to music... he’s an innocent victim, and becomes a puppet on the strings of my tennis shoes.”, he sings. “Damn, how much damage can you do with a pen?”- “Who Knew” from “The Marshall Mathers LP” The controversy reached a fever pitch upon the release of “The Marshall Mathers LP”. Days before it’s June fourth release activist such as GLAAD and the National Organization for Women started demonstrating in front of record stores and writing letters to congress. They declared that the lyrics to his songs were homophobic, violent, misogynistic, and a dangerous influence. Songs such as “Kill You”, “Kim”, and “Criminal” were dissected and quoted often during debates. During this time Eminem stood up for his work and stated, “I don’t hate gay people. I just don’t go that way. Just keep that sh*t away from me.” (Mathers, Mathers pg. iv). Despite his statements to the contrary the war of words continued. Record stores were urged to boycott the rapper’s music but to no avail. It appeared that outcry was only helping the album’s sales. During the year 2000 it sold upwards of eight million copies, more than any other artist that year, aside from Nsync (Wood, Douglas: pg.3). “Half of you critics can’t even stomach me, let alone stand me!”- “The Real Slim Shady” from “The Marshall Mathers LP” Even his harshest critics can’t argue that his style and writing set him far apart from his peers. After all this is a life long rap fan who consumed thousands of songs and sorted them for reference, but who’s never repeated another rapper’s words (Mathers: pg.3). At times he seems to have a Pentium rhyme processor for a brain, which he uses to give pop culture the breath of fresh air it so desperately needs. No matter how much he has been battered by bad press one thing has remained constant. The awards. Since the release of his first single, “My Name Is” the awards and acclaim haven’t stopped coming. In his shining rise to the top he has conquered the VMAs, (recently winning Video of the Year for “Without Me”), AMAs, The Billboard Music Awards, and most impressively the Grammys. “You think I give a damn about a Grammy? “- “The Real Slim Shady” from “The Marshall Mathers LP” While the fact that he’s won five Grammys in the past three years would be exceptional enough Eminem is also responsible for one of the show’s finest moments of all time. Following the heated criticism of “The Marshall Mathers LP” the Grammy awards took a stand and nominated the album in four categories, including “Album of the Year”. He would go on to win three of these. This only brought more anger and resentment from social activist. “Our coalition’s presence will send a powerful message that hate in any medium will not go unchallenged.”, said Joan M. Garry, a member of GLADD (Wood: pg.1). From the beginning the organization had planned to demonstrate outside of the awards show. Gasoline was thrown on the fire when it was announced that Elton John would be performing “Stan” with Eminem during the February 21, 2001 telecast. Upon hearing this GLADD released a statement saying, “they were appalled and disappointed” that Elton John had accepted the rapper’s invitation . “If I thought for one minute that he was hateful I wouldn’t do it.”, he said, defending his choice (Wood: pg.1). The two did indeed perform that night, ending in a tight hug, leaving no more words needed. “Words... they can be great, or they can degrade, or worse they can teach hate.”- “Sing For The Moment” from “The Eminem Show” One thing that can be seen more as time goes by is Eminem’s desire to sing about something greater than himself. In his latest album, “The Eminem Show” it’s clear that he’s evolved from just singing about his name. He has now progressed to handling heavy subject matter with a spark of dark humor. His way with words and sheer honesty can make topics that would otherwise be old news seem very new. In a song such as “Cleaning Out My Closet” or “Sing For The Moment” he vents and expresses regret that his father abandoned him. For children who are dealing with the reality of divorce these songs help them by saying what they may feel guilty for thinking. But his songs can also serve as a warning to it’s listener. In the down and dirty “Drips” two men learn the sad repercussions of indulging in unprotected sex. Suddenly after a careless night with a promiscuous woman the threats of AIDS and pregnancy become a startling reality. With the hip hop song,“Drug Ballad” he tries to illustrate the horrors of drug addiction. The chorus bemoans the fact that, “I don’t wanna, but I gotta stay. These drugs really got a hold of me.”. He makes a valiant effort to show the dark side of popular drugs such as Ecstacy. “Let the X destroy our spinal cord so it’s not a straight line no more.”, he sings, giving a hint to the future of a user. Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001 the country needed a way to lighten up about what they’d been going through. Eminem gave them that chance with songs such as “White America”, “Business”, and “Square Dance”. He manages to walk the thin line between making light of what happened and showing respect to victims without crossing it. “You just a baby gettin’ recruited at eighteen... I’m twenty-eight, they gonna take you ‘fore they take me...”, he sings, addressing young men’s fears of being drafted for war. As usual he acknowledges what others think but are afraid to say. In early 2001 Curtis Hanson, the Oscar winning director of “L.A. Confidential” and “Wonder Boys” approached Eminem to star in a movie about a rapper’s journey out of poverty. It was material that he was all too familiar with. It was only after working with screenwriter, Scott Silver that he agreed to the project. Surprisingly the film entitled, “8 Mile” attracted some of the best in the business. Oscar winner Kim Basinger was cast as the lead character’s indifferent mother and critically acclaimed star Brittany Murphy won the coveted role of Eminem’s muse, inspired by his ex-wife Kim. For Marshall Mathers who until then had only been before the camera for brief music videos acting in a feature film was a compl...