God Damn!

[Tash8]

I am for the most part a very conservative person, and those who know me would probably never imagine that I am a devoted Eminem fan. When The Slim Shady LP came out in 1999, I heard a lot about it, but I had almost no exposure to the music itself. The only song I really heard at the time was the radio version of My Name Is, and that little ditty seemed to have "gimmick" written all over it. I expected Eminem to disappear from the music scene after a few months. I, like many people, was uninformed and wrongly dismissed this artist out of hand. Then, I actually listened to the man's music, and I soon realized that Eminem was in fact a musical genius. This first album is a little more bare-bones and gritty than The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show, but it is nonetheless nothing short of amazing. I am not exactly a big fan of rap or hip-hop, although I have wandered down those lanes a few times in my past, but Eminem actually transcends rap, creating a musical genre all his own that reaches out to even the most unlikeliest of places to win fans like me. Sure, the lyrics are explicit, but what I have come to realize is this: Eminem does not use the explicit lyrics to attract notoriety and sell albums; he uses explicit lyrics because he is expressing himself in a shockingly honest way, and what he gives us is his own version of truth and reality. He really does have something to say, and he says it in a way that speaks not only to the culture of the streets but also to boring conservative individuals like me.

I can't find a bad song on this album, although I'm not that fond of the Ken Kaniff sketch. Eminem does things with beats and rhymes that I have never heard anyone else do, using the very rhythm of his music as a further means of communicating his ideas and feelings. 97 Bonnie and Clyde is rightfully well-known, a song which addresses real issues that many people deal with every day; it's much more than a song about someone killing his wife. Guilty Conscience is a notable track, with Eminem and Dr. Dre playing devil and angel to folks encountering real, albeit, extreme situations. One of the greatest things about Emimen is his denial of himself as some kind of role model or superman; you can't pin him down to anything, as he shifts back and forth between a "don't do like I do" message (such as can be found in Role Model) and a celebration of the parents' nightmares he is creating. His life hasn't been easy, as he relates in Rock Bottom and further expounds upon in Brain Damage. As the World Turns is a great song with pop appeal, but my favorite has to be My Fault. Lounge, the preamble of My Fault, is just amazing because its Beach Boys-esque sound is quite unexpected and a perfect lead-in to what has to be the funniest song on the album. There's all kinds of variety here, including the designated "dance track" [Come] on Everybody. "Still Don't Give a" is the perfect ending to this emotionally complex diatribe of an album, summing up in the introductory words the very essence of Eminem.

There are many individuals who would never agree with me, but I truly think there is a little Eminem in all of us. As an introvert who tries to avoid conflict, I can't help but idolize Eminem for his fearlessness, boldness, and complete dedication to individualism. His reputation guarantees a legion of men and women who will never even consider listening to his music or consider him anything more than a moral cancer on the younger generations, but I think Eminem has already proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is a talented musician capable of influencing the music of today and tomorrow in ways that many people will probably never even realize. While I enjoy his next two albums a little bit more than this one, The Slim Shady LP serves as an absolutely crucial piece to the fascinating puzzle that is Eminem.


I found this article on amazon and it just shows, what in the fuck happened?

just wanted to show this to you guys, it's a pretty damn good read.

[4D]

Yeah, nice read tash. I thought it was your review until abouit the 2nd r 3rd paragraph. We could search the interrnet for reviews of any of his first 3 albums, and find loads of similar tributes. I just hope his next album lives up to the lageacy that the first 3 albums have made standard, it needs to be something so good, it makes people forgive him for the lacklustre Encore.

[,-,'-{Bar}-',-,]

I can't help but idolize Eminem for his fearlessness, boldness, and complete dedication to individualism

money changes everyone, eminem isnt 1 of those things anymore



good read though

[4D]

I can't help but idolize Eminem for his fearlessness, boldness, and complete dedication to individualism

money changes everyone, eminem isnt 1 of those things anymore



good read though

Actually that part you quoted is a testament to what he still is, it cost him a lot of critical acclaim, but on Encore, he was the personification of fearlessness. He's always an individual, there's still nobody like him, and he doesn't try to be like anybody else, when he does it's out of parody and intended foolishness.

[AspirinE]

I cant take one word of yours seriously, when you say "you are not exactly a fan of rap" ... that voids all the points u make about his musical supermacy.

Im no fan of rock but i absolutely love music by jimmi hendrix, i cant say he is the best, i just wouldnt know.

Eminem transends hip hop into music? Excuse me but that was done by a collective effort of hip hop musicians. Some groups like THE ROOTS even started using real drums, guitars and formed a musical group to be by no means discredited for being simple sampling rapping fools.

Listen to the music carefully first, it takes years to understand the importance of some artists in this game, years to form opinions and realise what uve really loved and what left u with inspiration.

I think its important being a fan of the genre before being a fan of an artist, otherwise u dont belong in the culture or understand it.

[4D]

I cant take one word of yours seriously, when you say "you are not exactly a fan of rap" ... that voids all the points u make about his musical supermacy.

Im no fan of rock but i absolutely love music by jimmi hendrix, i cant say he is the best, i just wouldnt know.

Eminem transends hip hop into music? Excuse me but that was done by a collective effort of hip hop musicians. Some groups like THE ROOTS even started using real drums, guitars and formed a musical group to be by no means discredited for being simple sampling rapping fools.

Listen to the music carefully first, it takes years to understand the importance of some artists in this game, years to form opinions and realise what uve really loved and what left u with inspiration.

I think its important being a fan of the genre before being a fan of an artist, otherwise u dont belong in the culture or understand it.

Yeah, good post man. How can people be a fan of Eminem and not be a fan of hip-hop. See, they think he's not hip-hop and that he's better than rap, or that they only like him, but they're not interested in all the other "shit". That kind of frame of mind is saturated with ignorance. I've a lot of friends that like many Eminem songs, but wouldn't dream of checking out Rakim, Common, Nas, or Canibus, etc. That's not Eminem transcending musical genre's, that's Eminem being wise enough to be a grerat lyricist, but also have the ability to make it popular music as well. But, in that is the double edge sword, popularity or critical acclaim or respect of your peers. In his early years he had all those things in spades, but has lost site of concentrating on the latter two, which of course are the most important.

I agree with you Asp, anyone who doesn't listen to all rap, can't claim Eminem is a musical genius, whether it's true or not.

[,-,'-{Bar}-',-,]

I can't help but idolize Eminem for his fearlessness, boldness, and complete dedication to individualism

money changes everyone, eminem isnt 1 of those things anymore



good read though

Actually that part you quoted is a testament to what he still is, it cost him a lot of critical acclaim, but on Encore, he was the personification of fearlessness. He's always an individual, there's still nobody like him, and he doesn't try to be like anybody else, when he does it's out of parody and intended foolishness.

fordie how can you say he doesnt try to be like anyone else when he purposely changed his voice on a chorus so he sounded like he was from the south ? you cant deny he did that coz..well, i have ears that work, and maybe 2-3 years ago there was no one like him but on current material and re-up material excluding very few verses, i could find 100 people to that standard on myspace ect.

as for fearlesness, on encore nothing was really out of the norm, he didnt do anything original on the album, and if it was original it was wack (puke)


i agree back on his other 3 albums he was all them things but now he isnt.

i think it was killa who asked this question and i dont think anyone answered him so ill re-ask


If eminem was a uknown asrtist right now trying to get signed, would he be signed on the basis of his new material ?

[mart85]

I cant take one word of yours seriously, when you say "you are not exactly a fan of rap" ... that voids all the points u make about his musical supermacy.

Im no fan of rock but i absolutely love music by jimmi hendrix, i cant say he is the best, i just wouldnt know.

Eminem transends hip hop into music? Excuse me but that was done by a collective effort of hip hop musicians. Some groups like THE ROOTS even started using real drums, guitars and formed a musical group to be by no means discredited for being simple sampling rapping fools.

Listen to the music carefully first, it takes years to understand the importance of some artists in this game, years to form opinions and realise what uve really loved and what left u with inspiration.

I think its important being a fan of the genre before being a fan of an artist, otherwise u dont belong in the culture or understand it.

Yeah, good post man. How can people be a fan of Eminem and not be a fan of hip-hop. See, they think he's not hip-hop and that he's better than rap, or that they only like him, but they're not interested in all the other "shit". That kind of frame of mind is saturated with ignorance. I've a lot of friends that like many Eminem songs, but wouldn't dream of checking out Rakim, Common, Nas, or Canibus, etc. That's not Eminem transcending musical genre's, that's Eminem being wise enough to be a grerat lyricist, but also have the ability to make it popular music as well. But, in that is the double edge sword, popularity or critical acclaim or respect of your peers. In his early years he had all those things in spades, but has lost site of concentrating on the latter two, which of course are the most important.

I agree with you Asp, anyone who doesn't listen to all rap, can't claim Eminem is a musical genius, whether it's true or not.

I agree with you 2 except for your last line 4D...
"I agree with you Asp, anyone who doesn't listen to all rap, can't claim Eminem is a musical genius, whether it's true or not."

a musical genuis doesn't have anything to do with hip hop... people who don't listen to hip hop can consider Eminem a musical genuis without knowing hip hop... saying he's a hip hop genuis, that would be kinda weird, but a musical genuis, it makes more sense, cause it's about music in general... that's something important about Eminem in my opinion... he used to make hip hop that was fun to listen to even for people who never listened to hip hop... I was one of them... by that I don't mean songs like Smack that and all that crap lol... I'm talking about his first albums... I won't repeat what the guy said in that article, but I agree with him... it doesn't make him a better rapper tho... but I think it makes him a better... "music guy" anyways, you get what I mean lol

[AspirinE]

"musicguy" should be replaced by "popstar"

chart pop music appeals to people that arent interested in understanding music and genres. Like asking a teenager with no experience about cars to tell which car he thinks is the best.. he's gonna choose some piece of expesinve shit like a Lamborgini, a mechanic will know wats crucial to a car and say that its some other car that a simple person wont like coz it doesnt appeal as best.

i dont see how eminems pop-success constitutes him as a musician, coz if we do that, then we'd have to say, britney spears is good too or even worse ... that stupid frog remix from last year is a musical masterpiece.

[Tash8]

If eminem was a uknown asrtist right now trying to get signed, would he be signed on the basis of his new material ?

he got signed because of his music skill, Remember he's white that does affect him getting signed whether you like it or not... now that his skills aren't that impressive, no one would sign him


NO DISSING ME, i didn't write that, i just thought it was a good read.

[mart85]

"musicguy" should be replaced by "popstar"

chart pop music appeals to people that arent interested in understanding music and genres. Like asking a teenager with no experience about cars to tell which car he thinks is the best.. he's gonna choose some piece of expesinve shit like a Lamborgini, a mechanic will know wats crucial to a car and say that its some other car that a simple person wont like coz it doesnt appeal as best.

i dont see how eminems pop-success constitutes him as a musician, coz if we do that, then we'd have to say, britney spears is good too or even worse ... that stupid frog remix from last year is a musical masterpiece.

no, read my post again, you didn'T understand what I meant... what you just said applies to the "new" Eminem, the one that makes songs like Smack That... to an extend, it was also true for his first 3 albums, but we all know that those albums were real quality albums, while Smack That is... nothing special...

I read tons of articles like the ones in this post, by "serious" people/journalists/critics/music fans in general (not pop fans) who loved Eminem's albums and consider his albums to be masterpiece, and I don't think the fact that they're not hip hop fans takes away from their credibility... if they said it was the best hip hop albums ever, then yeah, that would be kinda stupid, but they can talk about their point of view, about music in general, there's nothing wrong with that?... Eminem used to have that little something that appealed to many people, from pop fans, to real hip hop fans, to adults who never listened to hip hop... like I said, it doesn't make him a better rapper than other underground/unknown rappers, but it's what made him so special

[shady_aftermathzz]

yeah its a good read aigght/ propz for postin'

[Tash8]

nice mart, that's true for the most part.. when i got hooked on to hip hop was when i learned of eminem

I used to them hip hop was trash, but eminem was special in the case that he introduce me to real hip hop and to these sick artists i had never heard of before.

[AspirinE]

no, read my post again, you didn'T understand what I meant... what you just said applies to the "new" Eminem, the one that makes songs like Smack That... to an extend, it was also true for his first 3 albums, but we all know that those albums were real quality albums, while Smack That is... nothing special...

I read ur post fine and i meant what i am saying, it doesnt matter how good the first 3 albums were, they were needles to say exaggerated as eminem appealed to the pop crowd not the hip hop crowd.

I read tons of articles like the ones in this post, by "serious" people/journalists/critics/music fans in general (not pop fans) who loved Eminem's albums and consider his albums to be masterpiece, and I don't think the fact that they're not hip hop fans takes away from their credibility...

And? the magazines also exhaulted 50 cents "massacre", turned out to be an embarrassment for hip hop. A good album is a good album, but we talking nominal values here, like that "article" tash posted, too much to say for person that doesnt know hip hop. And just coz many people on an EMINEM messageboard agree, dont make it true.

if they said it was the best hip hop albums ever, then yeah, that would be kinda stupid, but they can talk about their point of view, about music in general, there's nothing wrong with that?..

but they do say that, infact this site is full of little dipshits that only know who 2pac, dr. Dre and Eminem (and shady aftermath ofcourse lol)is and argue about quality of music. Its cultism in musical form .. i say they are the equivalent of evangelical americans from Texas that think the world is 10000 years old.

. Eminem used to have that little something that appealed to many people, from pop fans, to real hip hop fans, to adults who never listened to hip hop... like I said, it doesn't make him a better rapper than other underground/unknown rappers, but it's what made him so special.

Appealing to pop-crowd only discredits u as artists. The Pop-crowd is a media generated army of drones, what they think should be by no means interesting to any music fan, doesn't matter hip hop , rock or whatever.

[Tash8]

asp, wtf are you saying... mart's saying how much eminem impacted the world, not the hip hop community.. how everyone thought he was a new genre rather than hip hop..... why did they think that? maybe cause he was white maybe cause he was different. Idk but that's what really happened and you can't deny that.. people who hated rap and shit liked eminem sometimes.