Eminem as the Greatest Rapper - Art Essay Example

Eminem is undisputedly one of the greatest rappers whom we have seen given his accolades and success in the hip-hop industry. He has single handily been able to change the face of gangster rap with intrinsic messages in his music that a majority of music lovers can relate. His career as a gangster rapper took off spontaneously into stardom after being signed to Doctor Dres music label Aftermath Entertainment and releasing His first long play album The Slim Shady LP . winning him His first Grammy Award and even more importantly gaining an army of loyal fans. This gave him the approval of the official consumers of music after topping the Billboard 200 chart and the commercial success that came with the album. Eminem had the resources this gave him a platform and the resources to bring the change that he did to the gangster rap culture.

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Music critiques often point out that Eminem displays a split personality and when he does so he presents it with the different performing identities that are used to refer to him including double M, Slim Shady, Marshall Mathers and recently the Rap God. He was presented as Slim Shady in His debut album Slim Shady EP in 1997. In this extended play he showed humorously and at the same time threatening persona, the act could only be paralleled by that of the Joker in the Batman sequel of movies (Chaney and Lindquist 1). This was a character trait that was likable to the masses was a new concept in gangster rap (Dawkins 1). Including humor in his music in a genre that was use the art to reflect on the hostile nature of the environments where they grew up was interesting. Additionally, there were no white people who were doing gangster rap then, and still, there arent. Eminem, therefore, had broken the glass ceiling, opening a market for gangster rap in the white demography and also welcoming other white artists into the art form. Despite the economic dynamic that he brought, he addressed issues in his music that were affecting the entire community directly or indirectly (Ford 1). His style of rap was also ideal as he used a columnar technique of rapping. This was a clever new technique of rapping in the industry (Dawkins 1). His delivery to was unique since he would at times deliver in a fast pace and like in his hit single Rap God. Alternatively, he used slow basic techniques where he executed creative styles within an essential AA rhyme such as in the track IM Back where he rhymes I murder a rhyme/ One word at a time/You never/ Heard of a mind/ Perverted as mine!! (Mathers 1).

The stardom and iconic culture shift in gangster rap that came with Eminems career can further be understood through analysis of the following interview with Mark, a sound engineering student who is well knowledgeable on the culture of hip-hop.

How are you, Mack?

I am doing well, pretty well.

I understand you love hip-hop, more so Eminems music.

Sure, I am a lover of Eminems music and primarily hip-hop music.

When did you first get exposed to hip-hop music?

I was in high school when a friend recommended Eminems 2010 album Recovery, and I pretty much loved it.

What would you say lead you to love his music?

Well, after listening to the Recovery, I got interested and researched von Eminems history and got other albums which lead me to understand the approach that he used to address the issues in the community that were being assumed and swept under the carpet.

Does his persona reflect in his music?

Yes, it does. In his rap, he tells tails of Eminems life before stardom in Detroit. He grew up in an unstable environment regularly from school to school, moving back and forth from Detroit and Kansa City. These dynamics at an early development stage made it difficult to meet and make friends (Ford 1). He always loved rapping and began rhyming at only 4 years of age. He would rap battle his classmates in hallways at school ("Eminem" 1). At 14 year of age, he started taking rap seriously and making taps and was casually referred to as M$M and abbreviation to his real name Marshall Mathers, and the name eventually grew to Eminem.

What would you say is the inspiration for his music?

As many artists often point out prior life and the social-cultural issues in the community as their muse. Eminem equally reflects his background in his music. DR. Dre picked him after attending a rap battle where he intended to win the grand price of $1,500 to support his life with Kim Scott and their newborn baby Hailie Scoot. He was flat broke and was getting evacuated from his residence at the time. At the rap battle, he was looked down upon due to his race this genre of music being a black dominated art form (Verstegen 1). Despite the severe racial discrimination, Eminem used his skills to water down any stigmatization attempts that arose in the battle. Although he lost the battle, he caught the attention of Andre Romie (Dr. Dre). He traced Eminem down and eventually signed him to his label.

What made Eminem the celebrity who changes the face of gangster rap?

As expressed, he presents a character mix which is unmatched in the industry. He poses as an experienced poet given his longevity in the art form and also as a humorous lunatic. The cold-blooded nature coupled with skillful delivery are the basics of making it in gangster rap. Eminem beat this two thresholds, and adding candy to it all added the tweak of humor to it. Dr. Dre has been referred as the pioneer of gangster rap. Working with the pioneer of this art form gave him the platform that he needed to change the culture by himself. Besides, having the platform he needed, Eminem has been built to withstand hostilities that endear him to gangster rap fans.

What do you mean by he is built to withstand hostilities?

Referring to the life he leads before stardom, he portrays resilience and persistence which is the only way Eminem survived until he meets his producer Dr. Dre and even afterward. After getting into a drug addiction, he fought through it and address it in his 2010 Recovery album. Addiction is an issue that people relate to and are experienced on an everyday basis. In the hit single from the album Not Afraid he raps about helping other people getting off their addictions by working progressively on a daily basis. The album turned out to be the bestselling album in the United States selling more than three million copies in two weeks only

Thank for your time and thoughtful insight of Eminems music.

Youre well come.

As Mark expresses, Eminem personal character and skillful approach to the art has changed the art form of gangster rap to address real issues although he does it with profanity which categorizes him as a gangster rapper. His resilience and tweak in rap are substantially associated with his success in gangster hip-hop. Dr. Dres role in his career and legacy do not go unnoticed.

Work Cited

Chaney, Michael A. and Jason H. Lindquist. "The Gothic Aesthetics of Eminem". Gothic Studies 9.1 (2007): 57-68. Web.Dawkins, Marcia Alesan. "Close To The Edge: The Representational Tactics Of Eminem". The Journal of Popular Culture 43.3 (2010): 463-485. Web."Eminem". IMDb. N.p., 2014. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.

Ford, Ryan. "HipHop White Wash: The Impact Of Eminem On Rap Music And Music Industry Economics". Socialism and Democracy 18.2 (2004): 127-134. Web."Gangsta Rap Music Genre Overview | Allmusic". AllMusic. N.p., 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.

Mathers, Marshall. "Eminem I'm Back". Genius. N.p., 2000. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.

Paine, Jake. "Will Smith Reportedly Told Eminem, "You'll Either Be The Biggest Flop, Or The Biggest Thing We've Ever Seen"". HipHopDX. N.p., 2017. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.

Verstegen, Ian. "Eminem And The Tragedy Of The White Rapper". The Journal of Popular Culture 44.4 (2011): 872-889. Web.