Tuesday, December 31, 2013

RASQACHEPEDIA: EMINEM


RASQACHEPEDIA: EMINEM

Eminem is an interesting figure for a number of reasons, but most notably for being a poor white kid from Detroit who would eventually emerge as one of the biggest names in Hip Hop ever. While his socioeconomic status fueled him as an early MC, his skin color initially held him back (with special thanks to Vanilla Ice). Facing adversity as a child made it a little bit easier to face the haters in the rap game, which he did so with a balance of grace and rough edges.

In a genre dominated by artists who told glamorized tales of their lives, Eminem stood out by using the ugly truths in his life to tell much more engaging stories and connect to fans on the personal level. His earlier albums allowed for him to uncover battles with drug addiction & the emotional scars of growing up in a broken home and starting one of his own. Like a snake shedding dried up skin, a more confident Eminem was able to emerge, sharing his experiences as a father, a role model, and as a more mature artist with a political conscience & humbler sense of humor. While it can be easy to miss the old Slim Shady, the raw nerve, it has rewarding for fans to watch him step out of the fire.

Let's not forget about his technical abilities. Eminem may not be the greatest rapper to ever live, (and who can even make that call,) but he is the best at what he does. Even if you are not moved by his songs or don't agree with the content, it is hard not to respect his ability to put syllables together and use his voice like an instrument at a degree of intricacy and variance that dwarf's his contemporaries. He handles pressure on the mic in a line of work that is incredibly competitive and never loses his edge. Eminem has a way of getting better the more the odds are stacked against him, and even uses them to his advantage, a quality we can all admire.  

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