MUSIC, HIP-HOP

Eminem Is The Ultimate Success of White-Trash

But does he still have relevance in current pop culture?

Eminem was 27 when ‘The Slim Shady LP’ came out in ’99, and his career launched him through the roof. The sudden fame put him above any other artist in the music business. However, many would argue that he never had a chance to grow individually — apart from his career.

He was stuck in a time bubble with constant drug abuse, endless concert tours, and failed relationships for almost a decade. He didn’t have much space to mature himself, and it didn’t seem he really wanted to. He lived a rockstar’s life.

Rather than changing, he took his life experiences and worked it into his art; his music. But mostly, he just wanted to goof around and piss off every celebrity he could.

When he talked from his soul, he offered a voice to all suppressed white teenagers around the world. He aged physically, but his mentality and voice never did. Can we legitimately blame him for that? I don’t think so.

His influence on pop culture is unquestionable. He is a “one-in-a-million” underdog, who climbed from rock bottom to the top of the freaking industry.

Marshall hit the ground in 2007 when he overdosed on methadone and collapsed in his bathroom. After several relapses, he finally stepped on the road of sobriety. From that point forward something similar happened to him that Stephen King went through when he quit drinking and drugs. The reception of his music ever since was controversial. He was no longer America’s favourite goofball criminal.

Em went through phases of depression, isolated himself, and never made a step without a guard of securities following him around. His commercial success was still huge but slowly decreasing. In an interview at 2010 with the RollingStone, he said:

“It might sound weird, given that I’m always trying to get people’s attention with my music, but I’m not an attention-seeker. When I’m not Eminem, and I’m just Marshall — it’s hard.”

In his recluse-like lifestyle — after multiple Grammys, an Oscar, and enormous worldwide fame — what else left for him to do? Prove the critics wrong. Truth is, the harder he tried, the less he got away with. He says he doesn’t care, but it bothers him. Whenever he comes up with a new album, it’s always the same shit he gets: the lack of his scathing humor, way too serious topics, and wasting of his lyrical talent.

Critics and bitter fans were constantly accusing him of being immature, trying to reproduce the raw intensity once he had as a rebellious upcoming artist. But those same voices continue to complain when he chooses serious topics to rap about.

“It’s a shame that the man who made a name for himself as a self-deprecating battle rapper, then as gag-rap’s Slim Shady and finally as a songwriter of considerable depth, capable of making light of his own inner demons, somehow lost his sense of humor.”- Rodney Carmichael, NPR.

After all the failures — disappointed hard-core fans, hateful critics, commercial downfalls — he still puts it out there, though. From time to time, perhaps not consistently, but he shows what’s left in him can still sparkle.

“If time was on my side, I’d still have none to waste/ Man, in my younger days that dream was so much fun to chase/ It’s like I’d run in place while this shit dangled in front of my face/ But how do you keep up the pace and the hunger pangs once you’ve won the race?”

These lines coming from the song called ‘Believe’, from his 9th studio album, ‘Revival’ (2018). His most hated piece — it failed miserably, and had been criticized by both critics and fans.

If you ask me, those lines are the most genuine ones that came out of his mouth for a long time. He finally admits there is nothing left for him to concur anymore. He did everything; got rid of his rage and inner demons, toppled the charts, went from a Detroit white-trash to the most famous hip-hop musician alive.

Now, — that he’s closing in on 50 in a few years — are we seriously going to bash him for changing subjects and tone accordingly to his age? He tried on numerous occasions to bring back Slim Shady, but the results of that were painful failures. You can’t pull the same jokes like you’re 27 when you’re 20 years older. You’ll be ridiculed.

His 9th and 10th albums (Revival and Kamikaze) suffered critically and commercially. In the 21 years of his career, he never experienced fatal financial setbacks, but these two albums reached the lowest numbers, with each of them gaining just over a million sales. Compared to his previous successes those two were a real gut punch.

Regardless, somehow he managed to stay on the surface of relevancy. Could Tupac or Biggie have done that? Maybe. We’ll never know. If you take a look at his once contemporary competitors like DMX and Ja “Fyre Festivel” Rule, or even Nas, I think Em’s doing pretty well.

My main point is this: does Eminem need to be relevant at this age of time or he can do whatever he wants? He ruled the industry for so long it earned him infinite creative freedom.

His latest album, ‘Music to be Murdered By’, is pure evidence of that. His 11th album’s title “alludes to a 1958 collaboration between Alfred Hitchcock and film composer Jeffrey Alexander, and Hitchcock’s voice appears in segues throughout.” — said Jon Dolan in his review on the Rollingstone. That’s already a hint of Em’s sort of intellectual angle, and shows he can easily refer to something over 50 years ago, if he wants. Just as he can relitigate a review of an old LL Cool J album.

The album’s most ambitious attempt (Darkness) is citing the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting from the perspective of its perpetrator. Which is a brilliant take about gun control in the U.S., although, some critics marked it as a somewhat out of date performance. Also claiming that he didn’t leave his lyrical comfort zone. To be fair, when he did, they roasted him for it. And the result? As good as ‘Walk on Water’ should’ve been, the delivery of his experimental new style totally killed it. So let’s not get him to leave what he’s a champion at, shall we?

‘MTBMB’ is far from his best, but it captures glints of his raw talent that doesn’t seem to die of old age. He’s not what he used to be, but I see that as someone’s attempt for reconciliation in life. As crooked and peculiar as that might be, it’s something for an artist at his caliber.

Having said that, Marshall’s fan base is clearly decreasing. The generation grew up resonating with his music is getting too old to keep up. The upcoming generation doesn’t seem to find a handle that leads to his world. How could they understand what went on in the late ’90s, when an unknown white guy lit up the whole freaking world by making fun of every single pop icon?

There is no shock value in it today.

Maybe nostalgia all there is for us, putting him on a pedestal 20 years ago. Truth is we don’t want to watch him fall. Rappers’ lives are quite similar to gangsters’. The inevitable downfall will come either in the face of death, incarceration, career suicide, or slowly fading out of importance.

Considering those options Eminem has been pretty lucky. Still alive, trying to stay on the top of the throne while others grabbing his every word to drag him down. I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time until they’ll succeed — or Em drops the mic by his own will. I’d favor the latter.

If you liked what you’ve read and want more bits and pieces of pop culture, you should read this one as well:

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