THE CYPHER

[ImANoob]

Hat/Hoodie no eye contact> Polo/Tie old wizard reciting spells

holyshit

[cheeseburger]

CHAAA!!!

[Sam.]

The ONLY ray of hope for his future Album. This actually supports EmBase's opinion of his Solo shit being dope as ever.

[EminemBase]

i think it's the hat/hoodie that does it for me. seems like he's avoiding eye contact with the camera which comes off as a lack of confidence. that on top of his facial expression makes it seem like he was forced into the performance.

edit: yeah i'm watching it back now. i just don't feel the performance. it's reminiscent of his 09 performances

I don't think that's a lack of confidence, I think that's to imply a darkness / mystique. Em and Paul have always crafted a mystique around Em's character, and that's not me overthinking it, Paul himself has said they do that as has Em... it's part of who he is as an artist...

Normally I would see a hood as cheesy, but the way he's got it there and is doing it lately, hiding his eye contact is like hiding a window in to him, he's blocking you out, there's mystique to it, kinda how some rockstars like Oasis would almost always wear glasses even in doors...

He kinda creates not only a new sound and style but a new look for every 'era', and his 2011-13 so far is clearly the use of hoods to hide his face and create a bit more of a distinction, I like it, but I like dark shit, I like mystique, I like it when he's angry and anti-social (not that he always pretty much isn't lmao). Seems like he's getting darker, it's all good signs to me.

[Elision]

If they wanted dark they could've taken some more theatrical routes. You and I both know that em could come out in a wife beater and still have the exact same presence. The hat/hoodie setup is representative of a timid MC. And while mystique may be part of em's character, it's not genuine when it's being done via clothing. It's just a distraction that comes off as a lack of confidence.

All that aside, is it unfair to see a correlation here?

http://youtu.be/iIjMDNI_qqk?t=28s
http://youtu.be/YyoShQqYK-s?t=6m37s

[Kill You]

Since when has what a rapper wears affected the music? Who cares if he's wearing a hoodie, T-shirt, or a goddamn dress? As long as he's rapping and doing it well that's all I care about.

[RoleModel'Est96]

Something about it that reminds me of Marshall Mathers

edit: the song, that is!

[EminemBase]

Something about it that reminds me of Marshall Mathers

edit: the song, that is!

Well he's being genuinely spiteful in real world contexts again, and the humour in it is in the spite "spit in his friggin' big kids meal" rather than what has mostly overshadowed his genuine wit from Encore to Recovery which are... silliness, over-the-top attempts at being aimlessly crude (shit up asses) or puns and obvious ideas shouted as if genius... I got a real eerie confidence from his Cypher that I haven't felt with that consistency since his prime, same with the 2010 Westwood freestyle...

Even The Eminem Show - he was witty, but he was more self-serious and more concerned with serious themes and issues, rather than just provoking or poking fun; even though he has always kept levels of humour, irony and mean-spirited wit throughout every album, it's usually been of such low quality or density in comparison to his best work; where as lately, I feel he's getting back to that...

So maybe that's what's reminiscent of it?

[Elision]

Since when has what a rapper wears affected the music? Who cares if he's wearing a hoodie, T-shirt, or a goddamn dress? As long as he's rapping and doing it well that's all I care about.

It matters when it's a performance. It's theater. Otherwise we'd just listen to audio. Any artist will tell you that composing music in isolation is nothing like doing so live. They're two totally different productions. And we as the consumers have every right to discuss the visual side of the piece if they're giving us one.

[EminemBase]

If they wanted dark they could've taken some more theatrical routes. You and I both know that em could come out in a wife beater and still have the exact same presence. The hat/hoodie setup is representative of a timid MC. And while mystique may be part of em's character, it's not genuine when it's being done via clothing. It's just a distraction that comes off as a lack of confidence.

All that aside, is it unfair to see a correlation here?

http://youtu.be/iIjMDNI_qqk?t=28s
http://youtu.be/YyoShQqYK-s?t=6m37s

I disagree about the 'timid' aspect.

I know that at least where I'm from... wearing a hood over you head like that would be considered aggressive; it's thuggish as you're hiding yourself usually for suspect reasons or just intentionally signifying that you're urban or not to be fucked with.

So I see it completely like that, I don't think he can be timid and spit those lines how he does at the same time. His inner core is shy but his character and presence are dark and powerful.

[Elision]

you're hiding yourself usually for suspect reasons or just intentionally signifying that you're urban or not to be fucked with.

I guess you see people who are hiding as intimidating. Whereas I see them as shy. Like they've been forced out of the house for some reason. And obviously em isn't the type of signify his urban-ness. I feel like the shady people who hide under hoodies and mumble every word are aspiring to not have to be that way. So it doesn't make sense to me that someone would make it their "style" per se. He simply comes off as suppressed to me.

I don't think he can be timid and spit those lines how he does at the same time.

That was exactly my point in my first post. This is why it' seems staged/plastic and awkward to me.

[EminemBase]

you're hiding yourself usually for suspect reasons or just intentionally signifying that you're urban or not to be fucked with.

I guess you see people who are hiding as intimidating. Whereas I see them as shy. Like they've been forced out of the house for some reason. And obviously em isn't the type of signify his urban-ness. I feel like the shady people who hide under hoodies and mumble every word are aspiring to not have to be that way. So it doesn't make sense to me that someone would make it their "style" per se. He simply comes off as suppressed to me.

I don't think he can be timid and spit those lines how he does at the same time.

That was exactly my point in my first post. This is why it' seems staged/plastic and awkward to me.

I don't see them as intimidating; I'm saying that's the perception which comes from it, whether you agree with it or not, that's generally seen as the case here and with youth... Em has always emphasized his mystique and being dark and inward, and he does and has always emphasized his urban-nees, so I think it's a combination of all of that. He is a shy person, but I don't think THAT looks shy, I think it just adds a visual edge; hiding your eyes if you're quiet and withdrawn looks shy... hiding them as you express clear, aggressive, audacious rhymes, is badass.