In class on Monday, we discussed people who had come out of nowhere (like Jeremy Lin) to take the world by storm and break the stereotypes society believes in. As I was thinking about people other than those we discussed in class-amazing people and groups such as Obama, the Fab Five, and the Tuskegee Airmen-I looked above my bed and saw my poster of my favorite rapper of all time: Eminem. For one, I couldn't believe I forgot about him in class discussions (I'm such a bad fan!). However, I quickly realized that he is exactly the type of person that discussion was meant for. Not only has Eminem sold close to 90 million albums worldwide, he has appeared in a feature film (8 Mile), guest starred in a hit TV show (Entourage), and more importantly, broken every stereotype of white rappers in the hip hop world.
During my senior year of high school, I did a biography of Eminem (Marshall Mathers is his real name), and came away amazed at the troubles he went through. From an absent father to an unreliable mother to a blatant stereotype about white rappers, perhaps no artist has fought through more to get to the top than Eminem has. Our class discussion asked "what has changed, how, and (if you can say) why." These are easy to answer. Eminem has simply changed the hip hop world and the perceptions it has on white rappers (8 Mile Final Scene). He has made people believe not only in his music but in his personal struggle and his willingness to accept his own failures (Road to Recovery). Furthermore, he has paved the way for other white rappers to come into mainstream hip-hop. Sure, white artists like Kid Rock were rapping before Eminem, but nobody had come from the rough inner-city like Marshall to make it big. He has become a mentor to many artists, including a rising talent named Yelawolf (Eminem and Yelawolf Interview Excerpts).
In short, Marshall Mathers/Eminem/Slim Shady has been a pioneer in the hip-hop world. His talents cannot be denied, and even though he is one of the most controversial artists of all time, his current sobriety and his devotion as a father have made him into a role model for kids everywhere, black AND white.
My five favorite Eminem songs (in no order):
-Lighters (with Bruno Mars and Royce da 5'9)
After discussing people such as Jeremy Lin, i started thinking about people who had disrupted the typical stereotype. However, I never thought about Eminem. Thinking about Eminem in this light has made me think of Darius Rucker in the country music realm. He is African American, and one of the only African American's currently in country music. His songs are amazing and both him and Eminem prove that race has no impact on what music genre you can be a part of.
ReplyDeleteGreat point, Eminem is among an elite few who have been able to break such important boundaries and blurr racial stereotypes. He is among good company: (President Obama, Jacki Robinson, Jeremy Lin, MLK, and others who are just as much corner stones in our nation's history). His music is exceptional, and he has virtually everybody's respect whether they are a fan or not. I hope he keeps making music and winning Grammys for a long time to come
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