Eminem is above rap's expectations?

[Fleka]

When I first heard Eminem, I didn`t know he is white. And it was the best thing I ever heard. When I first saw him on TV, I was surprised, but nothing changed. I would be a huge fan of Em also if he was black. And if Gucci Mane was white, he would still suck cocks.

The fact that he is white did help him sell, but that happened AFTER he got signed. Until then, his skin colour was something that just made it more difficult for him to be a rapper.Did Dre decided to work with him because of his skin colour?
His music, lyrics, rap skills and charisma made him what he is today. And, as much attention he got because he is white, just as many people never gave him a chance-because he is white.
There were white rappers before Eminem and there are white rappers now. And nobody can touch him. And if he was black, things would be the same. He is just that good.

There are loads of great rappers out there. White and black. But none of them can`t really be compared to Eminem. You can be a great lyricist, you can rhyme your ass of in every song and you will never be able to get the attention of the whole world like Eminem did. And that`s ok, if you are not on TV and radio all the time, that doesn`t mean you`re not good. But, that also means that there is no way you can be compared to Eminem.
Take Sadistik for example. I like him, he is good-but he sounds so boring and same all the time. I need to be in a mood to put his album on. And after I listen to him one or two times I need a few months break to bump his music again. And he is white.

Take every rapper you want and compare him to Eminem. Lyrics, delivery, flow, humor, storytelling, rhyming, charisma, live performance, stage presence, voice. Eminem is great in all that areas.
Wayne, Drake, Gucci, Nicki Minaj, Soulja Boy...lyrics, storytelling, charisma-just bad. Well, Wayne is kinda charismatic.
50 Cent-I feel like his whole career is just one song about hoes, money and his gangster ways. There are loads of better lyricists and storytellers than him. But he is charismatic, he can flow, he has a good delivery. He is a star.
Sadistik-10 times better lyricist than 50 but he is as charismatic as a dead frog.

My point is that Eminem can compete in every one of these areas with any rapper you can think of. You can think that someone else is a better lyricist or has a better delivery, that is a matter of taste and nobody can argue with that. But lots of rapper can`t compete with Eminem in the same areas. And that is what makes him great. Not his skin colour.

[I'mShady]

He's white brah

















































































































Jokes...lol

[Slim Fiasco]

Haven't read the previous posts, but the most important thing is that he was dope. The reason the being white thing played a part is because it was kinda ironic and surprising that someone white was so good, but it does come down to skill. When I first heard Em, I was fucking amazed at how perfect he sounded. If he was wack it wouldn't have worked.

[NextEpisode]

It is [almost] as ignorant to say that Em being white didn't contribute to his level of mainstream success, as saying that Em being white is the only reason he achieved success.

[EminemBase]

It is [almost] as ignorant to say that Em being white didn't contribute to his level of mainstream success, as saying that Em being white is the only reason he achieved success.

Nobody is suggesting being white didn't get him more spotlight. But that doesn't last or matter after the talent is judged. Where is Vanilla Ice today?

Absolutely Em being white was a talking point, but the only reason after THAT aspect died down for his success, was his material. Him being white isn't a big deal now and yet he's still having huge success, it's his material now and it was his material then.

Being white got him talked about more, but race doesn't sell records.

All I'm objecting to is this notion that if he were black he wouldn't be what he is. Yes he would. His content is amazing and original regardless, and The Marshall Mathers LP didn't sell 20 million records and sustain a classic status because of his race.

And all that I heard being talked about at the time was the content of that record. Him being white was like an, afterthought. There's plenty of white rappers in history, plenty who are good, none of whom had the impact of Eminem.

Yes it contributed on some level. But nowhere near the level people assume or are suggesting. A novelty aspect simply doesn't sustain such consistent huge success. Talent does.

[StatQuo]

Every other white Artist aside from Eminem has flopped or not even sold platinum be it Paul Wall, R.A. The Rugged Man, Bubba Sparxxx, Cage, Asher Roth, Mac Miller. Where as countless black Artists are the ones who have always sold multi platinum be it 2pac, Dr Dre, Snoop, Nas, Kanye, Outkast, T.I.. So do the math most black rappers are the one's who sold multi platinum and Eminem the only white 1. Eminem sells the most cos he makes great music it can be catchy, it can make people relate, it can entertain or it can just be hardcore but he not just a rapper he a better artist than any other rapper his lyrics are powerful, he makes great beats and allong with the music he had the looks to appeal to females worldwide.

[EminemBase]

Every other white Artist aside from Eminem has flopped or not even sold platinum be it Paul Wall, R.A. The Rugged Man, Bubba Sparxxx, Cage, Asher Roth, Mac Miller. Where as countless black Artists are the ones who have always sold multi platinum be it 2pac, Dr Dre, Snoop, Nas, Kanye, Outkast, T.I.. So do the math most black rappers are the one's who sold multi platinum and Eminem the only white 1. Eminem sells the most cos he makes great music it can be catchy, it can make people relate, it can entertain or it can just be hardcore but he not just a rapper he a better artist than any other rapper his lyrics are powerful, he makes great beats and allong with the music he had the looks to appeal to females worldwide.

Absolutely

And you make a great point about looks. If anything, looks contribute more, I don't know anybody who buys music if they're black or white, but I know of plenty of women who like rappers because they're 'hot'. And that's true of black and white, the white thing is not valid.

[EminemBase]

Being white did help his exposure at first, which leads to more sales. So while people didnt buy his album because he was white, they may have heard about him because he is white. The fact that he is white was a major conversation piece when he first started becoming popular. No matter how you look at it, in some way, shape or form, he sold more in the start of his career because of his skin color.

Yeah okay, it got people talking about him, absolutely. And that in itself promotes him, but if the music / talent isn't there, it doesn't matter, see: Vanilla Ice.

And yes, start of his career, but it doesn't matter then, it's just a conversation starter.

[StatQuo]

Every other white Artist aside from Eminem has flopped or not even sold platinum be it Paul Wall, R.A. The Rugged Man, Bubba Sparxxx, Cage, Asher Roth, Mac Miller. Where as countless black Artists are the ones who have always sold multi platinum be it 2pac, Dr Dre, Snoop, Nas, Kanye, Outkast, T.I.. So do the math most black rappers are the one's who sold multi platinum and Eminem the only white 1. Eminem sells the most cos he makes great music it can be catchy, it can make people relate, it can entertain or it can just be hardcore but he not just a rapper he a better artist than any other rapper his lyrics are powerful, he makes great beats and allong with the music he had the looks to appeal to females worldwide.

Absolutely

And you make a great point about looks. If anything, looks contribute more, I don't know anybody who buys music if they're black or white, but I know of plenty of women who like rappers because they're 'hot'. And that's true of black and white, the white thing is not valid.

And majority of Eminem fans the 1s who actually buy his music are young females now of course most initially liked him cos of his looks thought he was hot but his sales remained so high cos once they initially liked him for attraction, they genuinley enjoyed the music too and the main reason is theres a complete balance to his music it's catchy but not club type rap he balanced out something no 1 has ever done which is make songs with a message but make them catchy too. Would Not Afraid have gone number 1 with out the catchy hook it had? maybe not

[Fleka]

...theres a complete balance to his music it's catchy but not club type rap he balanced out something no 1 has ever done which is make songs with a message but make them catchy too.

Great point.

"I’ll probably never get the props I feel I ever deserve"

[StatQuo]

...theres a complete balance to his music it's catchy but not club type rap he balanced out something no 1 has ever done which is make songs with a message but make them catchy too.

Great point.

"I’ll probably never get the props I feel I ever deserve"

And that in it self is the hardest thing to do actually have a message in the song but make the song catchy at the same time to write verses that are fire with a message really good lyrically but then come up with a really catchy hook after writting it actually excecute it to be catchy. It can't be a coincidence no other rapper can combine these 2 things accept for Eminem.

[cityfan31]

He's white, credible, unique, funny, ironic, honest and extremely talented. He also appeals to women, which is an extra 50% (roughly) of the population who might not routinely listen to Hip Hop, who listen to him.

He's an Icon because there isn't another rapper with that combination of qualities.

That's also why he is probably the best rapper to ever live.

And, for me, he is humble. Which is why I like him.

[StatQuo]

And when your music relates to so many people and it has a personal connection emotionally then that is also gonna be a huge factor

[EminemBase]

And when your music relates to so many people and it has a personal connection emotionally then that is also gonna be a huge factor

Yeah, well, one of biggest points with Eminem is that he's a complete personality through music. You can't sum him up as X type of rapper. You can't say he's a club rapper, because he's so much more and hardly ever that, and yet he has done club records...

You can't say he's always angry as he's also been very funny, been very goofy, very serious, very heartfelt, it's a complete personality through music. And aside from appealing to every emotion in the book, and angst and youth; he also appeals to writers on every level, I had a discussion with my old English teacher who thinks he's fucking brilliant.

Em appeals in so many directions, so little of it is to do with him being white. Never has there been a rapper with such a morbid and articulate sense of irony, dry wit, conceptual, dark brilliance etc.

Most rappers have a certain... category you can place them in to. They're either this or that, or this kind of rap, Em does it all, so it's no wonder why he has such a wide appeal, because despite having a very definite sound and identity, he pretty much appeals to people who like any kind of music; dark, light, silly, insane; but most of all, he has a musician's grasp of melody.

The true key to his hit rate and why he's so memorable and catchy, is his sense of melody. All of his best raps are one continuous, distinctive melody that he's rapping his verses around, a lot of rappers just rap 'over' beats, they're on time, but they're not creating new melodies.

[StatQuo]

A lotta what you say EminemBase is presented well some good examples the only slight issue i have is ok you dont like all his introspective music but you can i hope understand why so many adore it to those who love it it really is amazing to us