Are Eminem's "Pop" Songs Fillers?

[X'ed Up]

I'm used to harcore Rap so that's why I said that statement. But it was incorrect...I almost completely ignore "soft" Rap.

But a filler for me is a track that is not at the musical level of the others like My Name Is, Just Lose It and We Made You.

[MikeNUFC]

I'm used to harcore Rap so that's why I said that statement. But it was incorrect...I almost completely ignore "soft" Rap.

But a filler for me is a track that is not at the musical level of the others like My Name Is, Just Lose It and We Made You.

Everyone seems to have different views of fillers.

I'd say it's a track that has no relevance to the rest of the album or theme. Nothing to do with quality.

[Emadyville]

I'm used to harcore Rap so that's why I said that statement. But it was incorrect...I almost completely ignore "soft" Rap.

But a filler for me is a track that is not at the musical level of the others like My Name Is, Just Lose It and We Made You.

Which is why I would agree in some sense that based on your topic those 3 you just stated were so

[X'ed Up]

I'm used to harcore Rap so that's why I said that statement. But it was incorrect...I almost completely ignore "soft" Rap.

But a filler for me is a track that is not at the musical level of the others like My Name Is, Just Lose It and We Made You.

Everyone seems to have different views of fillers.

I'd say it's a track that has no relevance to the rest of the album or theme. Nothing to do with quality.

So what's the word I'm looking for? Musically lower tracks compared to the rest?

[embm]

yes cuz the rec execs tell him 2 do it

[EminemBase]

No song he has ever made is pop.

At the most you could say it's popular hip-hop. But that's not and never was the driving force or defining factor. Or point.

He creates very catchy music, catchy music, becomes popular. But he packs and scatter such an immense range of subject matter with such absolutist, individualist, subversive, ironic viewpoints that it could no way be considered pop music.

People confuse catchy or cheesy with pop. With like "Just Lose It" he basically became self-parody because he was clearly bored of the formula but knew it was pretty much surefire. But I also think the fact he said he wants each lead single to be a little time capsule of that time period actually justifies those singles in a whole new dimension now.

I mean it started out as literally pure randomess. He didn't create "My Name Is" to catch on or be his lead single. It just happened to and because he was completely slap-happy, over the top and being so openly satirical of cliche' American society and pointless pop figures,

Then when they wanted him to re-create the success, he figured out what was successful about the song. It's catchy as fuck, pokes fun at himself and society and jumps from topic to topic like a madman on speed. So he kept using the formula. But to think at a certain point he became conscious of this new use of them.

Of having each lead single not only introduce his new style but actually encapsulate key pop icons, targets, politics and issues of that time so that you could watch it 50 years from now and just know... Superb new justification for them.

But it's insane to call them or any of his songs pop. Even the idea of insulting people who chase fame for its sake or sing to get their face on magazines - He started doing this in an aggressive manner not just because it became a gimmick which kept working - But more importantly because he was quite literally, forcefully SEPARATING himself from pop.

He did it for a purpose. He was being lumped in with them. So what better way than to chop them up, curse them out, totally segregate your attitude from theirs. Like he said - Not character attacks, it's more like using these people as links from him to the media perceptions. It usually wasn't the band's fault they got mentioned but the paper for comparing them to him just because they're young, have sex and offence appeal and make music.

So you can't then say, just because he's become a popular artist so to speak that he makes pop music. He still says exactly what he likes in these songs, he now usually cuts down the swearing obviously to get immediately on music channels. But that's such a small pointless compromise, he really doesn't need it. I mean... He's usually pretty justified with it but sometimes he's ruined verses with over-doing it and he can certainly be as riveting, damning, entertaining without it. Or at least, in these types of songs he can.

That's all he compromises about it. Swears less. Swearing less doesn't make it pop. Rubbing your naked self against an old bewildered lady or shoving things up lesbian's asses - As figurately toned down or tamed as they may be - Are NOT pop views. Any song which even hints at something this extreme or potentially publicly offensive cannot be considered pop.

Music can become popular but I think 'pop music' should always mean the actual genre. And pop music is purposely made to please as many people as possible. It's compromised from the get-go. They make an effort not to offend anybody, encompass all views of humanity, smooth them out, make something catchy and / or beautiful without stepping on a single toe.

Well, that's fine but it's not in the bigger scheme of things the most exciting avenue (certainly not) and definitely not the one which will progress or have much of an interesting contribution to art as a whole. How can it. Art is self-expression, self-expression should be as specific as possible. The more single-visioned the better. Pop starts out purposely intending to the opposite of this. It starts out with the intention (whether they admit or are aware of it or not) of being the exact opposite of art. Or at least, any art which has any real merit.

Nooooow.... Are they filler do you ask. Well the quick answer is yes because he's making them now or rather, he started making them for formulaic reasons:
- To please the label (they want that giant hit each time)
- To create automatic avenues for automatic conflict / controversy
- To be the '1st Single' and fill a spot on the album.

So in that sense yes. But in the same breath, those songs aren't shoddy. Even if he's being forced to make them for... Kind of the wrong reasons, but compromising the least he can - He's still making them AS EMINEM. He's not giving you less of passion, just in a different way.

I mean "Without Me" is genuinely one of the best rap songs period. If you just break it down, the beat... The chorus, the flow, the verses, the manic pacing and topic hopping. It's a totally perfected splurt of energetic hip-hop crack lmao. I'm not saying it's his best song but definitely amongst the best hip-hop songs to be constructed.

In my eyes a filler has to be pointless, aimless and also somewhat lazy. So... I take back the first answer. His singles are made for a few valid purposes and aside from "Just Lose It" he doesn't slack much with them either. In terms of quality. In fact with a few he's excelled some of the album cuts technically. In basic musical terms. It's just the predictable subject matter which lets it down.

He's not doing one for Relapse 2 though so I can't imagine what he's going to do now.

[MikeNUFC]

I'm used to harcore Rap so that's why I said that statement. But it was incorrect...I almost completely ignore "soft" Rap.

But a filler for me is a track that is not at the musical level of the others like My Name Is, Just Lose It and We Made You.

Everyone seems to have different views of fillers.

I'd say it's a track that has no relevance to the rest of the album or theme. Nothing to do with quality.

So what's the word I'm looking for? Musically lower tracks compared to the rest?

The word your look for is "worse". In your opinion of course.

[dR3]

No song he has ever made is pop.

At the most you could say it's popular hip-hop.

He creates very catchy music, catchy music, becomes popular.

Well pop stands for popular. A popular hip hop song = pop song. If you know what I mean.

[UofLCard]

No song he has ever made is pop.

At the most you could say it's popular hip-hop.

He creates very catchy music, catchy music, becomes popular.

Well pop stands for popular. A popular hip hop song = pop song. If you know what I mean.

Pop is short for popular, but most consider pop a genre of music now.

[MikeNUFC]

God dam EminemBase wrote like a fucking essay

You obviously havent been here long, if your suprised by that.

[EminemBase]

No song he has ever made is pop.

At the most you could say it's popular hip-hop.

He creates very catchy music, catchy music, becomes popular.

Well pop stands for popular. A popular hip hop song = pop song. If you know what I mean.

Yes I know what you mean but they're two completely different things.

To say something is popular music, as in literally, is totally different to saying 'that' is pop music.

Eminem's music has become popular. It's catchy and he's obviously talented and yada yada. But that doesn't therefore make it pop music. His music is made out of his own passion and circumstantial and artistic self-expressions at any given time. He's not prohibited to writing a certain way or conforming for the sake of... He's the 100% exact opposite of pop. And him being popular, even Elvis-like, doesn't mean his music then becomes pop music. It's still rap. HE is just more popular.

Pop music is an exact genre and it's music that is made with an agenda. Not only that, its absolute purpose is to be accepted by a wide audience. That's not the aim of Eminem's music and never has been. And anybody who knows anything about hip-hop or him obviously knows that. No matter how big he gets, his music is still and should still only ever be defined by what it is. Not by how famous he is.

No song Eminem has ever made is pop music. You can't equate his fame or consistent success with the type of music he makes. Yes it's popular - LITERALLY but it's not pop music. Two very different things, as soon as you shorten it to pop it implies the genre. And he is not pop.

Because then where would you ever measure it. An unwritten rule that any music from any genre that gets popular is then pop music? Sounds pretty ridiculous to me. So I imagine Iron Maden are a pop band then. They've sold 100 million records Worldwide and have had long had albums which have and continue to debut on and dominate well within the elite ranks of the charts.

But would say therefore, Iron Maden create pop music. Do you think their music is aimed at a wide audience. Noooooooo. It has no foreseen pre-agenda, it's not manufactured, it's not pop music. It's heavy metal. Heavy Metal which they've had the persistence and talent to reach enough Heavy Metal fans that they sell like pop is supposed too. But they're an acquired taste, just like Em is.

[dR3]

No song he has ever made is pop.

At the most you could say it's popular hip-hop.

He creates very catchy music, catchy music, becomes popular.

Well pop stands for popular. A popular hip hop song = pop song. If you know what I mean.

Yes I know what you mean but they're two completely different things.

To say something is popular music, as in literally, is totally different to saying 'that' is pop music.

Eminem's music has become popular. It's catchy and he's obviously talented and yada yada. But that doesn't therefore make it pop music. His music is made out of his own passion and totally random circumstantial and artistic self-expressions at any given time. He's not prohibited to writing a certain way or conforming for the sake of... He's the 100% exact opposite of pop. And him being popular, even Elvis-like, doesn't mean his music then becomes pop music. It's still rap. HE is just more popular.

Pop music is an exact genre and it's music that is made with an agenda. Not only that, its absolute purpose is to be accepted by a wide audience.

That's is not the aim of Eminem's music and never has been. And anybody who knows anything about hip-hop or him obviously knows that. No matter how big he gets, his music is still and should still only ever be defined by what it is. Not by how famous he is.

No song Eminem has ever made is pop music. You can't equate his fame or consistent success with the type of music he makes. Yes it's popular - LITERALLY but it's not pop music. Two very different things, as soon as you shorten it to pop it implies the genre. And he is not pop.

I didn't know that pop music is an exact genre, I just thought pop stands for popular. That's why I said his popular singles are pop.

[EminemBase]

^ Fair enough, you see why we were at a disagreement then

I think a lot of people may think that then and that's why there's this gross ignorance, especially of fellow jealous rappers to say Eminem makes pop music.

Its origin was in the 50's, originally to create softer rock and roll. An alternative of it, with the same appeal. Hence the combination of attractive, young people with broad, individually meaningless lyricism. Love is the most universal theme to exploit with... Attractiveness, commercial booms and wa'la, not soon we see the desired result - Britney Spears.

Now even Eminem having irony or any level of true personal, objective viewpoints in his lyricism and subject-matter which you'd never see a pop artist ever allowed to stab at. Even having those basic attributes forbid it from being pop. But the way he does it, there is no justification for calling any element of what he does pop music. Catchy music doesn't = pop.

Your aim should be for it to be catchy somewhat, even if only prolonged, gradual. Making music which has no human appeal or memorability is pointless. Doesn't matter how many Grammy's he wins, how accepted he gets by the public, if his music remains single-visioned and dedicated to rap... It's rap.

[X'ed Up]

The songs aren't fillers, they're good.

WMY, JLI, and MNI are worse than the rest of their albums, respectively.IMO

[LLockhart86]

Pop music meant popular music back in maybe the late 80's and 90's...Then people started realizing that just because a song is popular doesnt mean it doesnt belong in its own genre.

An Eminem song is a perfect example of this...In the early 90's he may have been put in the genre of Pop, like vanilla ice was. A popular rap song might be a part of the Pop genre back then because of how it sounded and how "popular" it was.

Nowdays, even though eminems music is very popular, and a song like without me was on every radio station across the world probably, he definately isnt a part of the "pop" genre ( which is more like, Lady gaga, britney spears, Aguilara...then them bands like my chem romance and tokio hotel... Basically, the way I see it is, any artist or artists that are "label made" meaning, a label puts a band together or brings up an artist, is pop. Like Mims or Rich Boy or Flo-Rida...These are all label made artists who imo are Pop)

So if you dont feel like reading my whole post - Imo, pop music is a label made artist. And you can seperate the other artists who actually make music THEN get signed into their own genres

agree embase?