Eminem has thrived on the confusion and controversy that he was once so good at sowing. Time magazine was so spun around by this album that it had to break its grade into two parts (an unprecedented move for that publication) – one grade for music and another for content. That’s total wishful thinking – as if those two could possibly be separated from one another. You can admire Em’s rapping, but at the end of the day his mic skills have to be weighed against what he’s rhyming about. That’s what I intend to do here…
THUMBS UP: Eminem is no more or less of a cartoon character than any other MC on the scene, and he deserves the same artistic license that’s routinely extended to artists such as Stephen King, Wu Tang Clan, and Sam Peckinpah. If rap lives in Gotham City, Eminem is the resident Joker – at the height of his popularity he reminded me of the kind of misbehaving tyke who throws a handful of poo all over a dinner party and then rejoices in the ensuing freak out. If you can get past the blood and guts and pointless celebrity beefs, you’ll find some fluid verbal flow and pretty good songwriting here. ‘Stan’ is a portrait of a deranged fan gone wrong, and a surprisingly self-aware acknowledgment of where his words might lead, ‘The Real Slim Shady’ has the kind of snotty bounce that he’s perfected, and some of his skits are actually funny – in ‘Steve Berman’ he gets blasted by a record executive who asks him “You know why Dre’s record was so successful? He’s rappin’ about big-screen TVs, blunts, 40’s and bitches. You’re rappin’ about homosexuals and Vicodin.”
THUMBS DOWN: Eminem amuses me. I like a few of his songs a lot, but most of his stuff I don’t care for at all. His homophobia is impossible to defend, regardless of any hugs from Elton John or extensive parsing of the slang use of the word “faggot”. He has undeniable mic skills, but until he figures out some plot lines that might appeal to kids over the age of 15, he’s bound to be stuck in the cultural novelty bin. The Marshall Mathers LP has aged poorly for a number of reasons, not least of which is his incessant celebrity beefing (Christina Aquilera? Fred Durst? Insane Clown Posse? Who cares?) that anchors this album to the past. The other big strike against this album is that much of its premise is founded on the house of cards that was Eminem’s fame (or infamy, depending on how you’re scoring). Once the front page headlines are taken out of the equation, Em’s bragging and boasting sounds hollow and empty, an echo from another time, when he still mattered, and his bratty schtick could cause the world to wring its hands.
[What's your take on Mr. Marshall Mathers and his self-titled LP?]
Tags: Christina Aquilera, Elton John, Eminem, Fred Durst, Insane Clown Posse, Sam Peckinpah, Stephen King, The Marshall Mathers LP, Wu Tang Clan
25 June 2009 at 9:51 am |
Hmmmmm…. tough one. I guess I have to go with thumbs down although I catch myself bouncing to emenim every now and again. Thumbs down with reservation.
25 June 2009 at 11:47 am |
Got to go thumbs down. I like a couple of his songs but never owned this (or any of his other albums). He can definitely rap, but his style/personality just never really appealed to me. I think the whole dot-com era thrived on controversy and confusion… dude made out like a bandit — it’s all good.
25 June 2009 at 1:38 pm |
Huge thumbs up. I’m not a big believer in taking lyrics literally. For me, music (and most art, really) is a way to get in touch with various emotions and feelings. Putting on Eminem is like listening to a temper tantrum. Sometimes I want to go there and when I do, Eminem does it as well as anyone.
The uproar about the lyrics stikes me as a little bit of a double standard. The Dead Kennedys had pretty dark lyrics (give a listen to “I Kill Children”), but that was viewed as satirical and edgy and Jello Biafra is remembered as a misunderstood revolutionary. I think of Eminem in a somewhat similar light and try not to hold it against him that he was so popular.
25 June 2009 at 3:56 pm |
It would be interesting to know if Marsh (I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I called him that) consciously makes an effort to stay a few paces out of the mainstream. Enough pop to be commercial, literally. But also enough potty-mouth to steer clear of The Jonas Brothers/Miley Cyrus hordes. Shrewd? Or just Marsh being Marsh?