It’s been over a decade since Eminem became a household name, two generations of hip-hop have passed and popular culture has been turned upside down, caught off guard, shocked and disturbed more times than Em has dissed an A-lister. The late nineties were in a lull when it came to cutting edge music, everything was safe and clean. The old-skool hip-hop of the eighties never left the eighties, rising stars Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg struggled to break into the mainstream and become ‘stars’ like they are today. Eminem was different, yes he was a brat, full of angst and anger but he was white and he used that minor (major) detail to his advantage. Obviously hiphop is a dominantly black genre which allowed him to play the outcast role and make fun of himself and his perceptions but the major players in the music industry are white, the kids at school looking for icon to annoy their parents with are white, Eminem was someone they could try to relate to. Slim Shady was Eminem’s bit on the side, if you like but Eminem was the character of Marshall Mathers, do we know where they cross over?
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Confusing, eh! Love him or hate him, you can’t deny his talent, he took risks that most wouldn’t even consider, My Name Is was the first of many hits singles he’s had. His material has grown with him, lyrically they cover everything from popular
Eminem