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Saturday, Jul 4, 2009
Eminem may be the most violent, woman-hating, homophobic rapper ever. Why are critics giving him a pass?
Jun 7, 2000 | Accountants for Interscope Records and rapper Eminem weren't the only ones cheering last week when the star's new album, "The Marshall Mathers LP," debuted at No. 1 in blockbuster style. The aggressively demented album, which features the white rapper weaving rapid-fire tales about rape, faggots, bitches, drug overdoses and throat cuttings, sold 1.7 million copies in just seven days, according to SoundScan, becoming the second-biggest-selling debut week in industry history -- and certainly the most successful showing by a rapper ever.
Also applauding the sales tally for the new record were the nation's music critics, who, for the most part, have been wildly enthusiastic about the rapper's work. "Eminem has not only become the legitimate heir to Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G.," gushed Newsweek, "he's arguably the most compelling figure in all of pop music." Fed up with watching boy bands and girl pop posers win over the hearts of consumers, critics welcomed the chance to bond with fans of some tougher sounds.
And with a love as true as theirs, it's doubtful critics will show Eminem any less affection even after he was charged Tuesday with carrying a concealed weapon and assault with a deadly weapon. Michigan prosecutors say Eminem was spying on his wife late Sunday night in a Hot Rocks Cafe parking lot in Warren, Mich., and pulled a gun on a bartender after seeing him kiss his wife. Eminem faces up to nine years in prison if convicted on both charges.
Eminem, 26, is from Detroit; he has short blond hair and an insolent stare. His rap debut came in the little-noticed form of "Infinite," which was void of Eminem's now trademark slurs. It flopped. In '97 a sample of Eminem's new, harder sound landed in the hands of Dr. Dre, a founding member of hardcore rap group NWA and mentor of Snoop Dogg. Dre signed Eminem to his Interscope-distributed label; by the time last year's "The Slim Shady LP" was released, Eminem's single "My Name Is" was already a blockbuster in the burbs. The album went on to sell 3 million copies and remained near the top of the album charts for the better part of a year.
Bitch I'ma kill you!
You don't wanna fuck with me
Girls leave -- you ain't nuttin' but a slut to me
Bitch I'ma kill you!
...
You better kill me!
I'ma be another rapper dead for poppin' off at the mouth with shit I shouldn'ta said
But when they kill me -- I'm bringin' the world with me
Bitches too!
You ain't nuttin' but a girl to me
-- "Kill You," a song about Eminem's mother
Of course, Eminem has the right to rap about whatever he wants, and if executives at Interscope are comfortable releasing that sort of CD, then the debate ends right there. But should the nation's tastemakers, the ones supposedly pondering the connection between art and society, align themselves with an artist as blatantly hateful, vengeful and violent as Eminem?
Not only have Eminem's foul lyrics not sparked a debate among serious music observers, they've barely even caused a stir. It'd be as if Bret Easton Ellis wrote the murderous "American Psycho" and no critic questioned his judgment or the book's content -- and those who did pause briefly to consider the book's moral or social implications simply dismissed the consequences because: A) the story's only fiction and B) Ellis is a really, really good writer. That's basically what most music journalists have done as they eagerly explain away Eminem's psychopathic subject matter.
So afraid are music's defenders to give an inch in their battle with the Bill Bennett moralists of the world that they're now championing an artist who raps nearly nonstop on his new slanderous CD about sluts, guts, cocaine and getting "more pussy than them dyke bitches total."
Of course, the problem with "Marshall Mathers" isn't simply R-rated lyrics. They're nothing new, although Eminem has taken them to a new and oddly focused level. Other rap records might create a world of clichid bitches and ho's to lay down party beats for good times or hold up a mirror to their environment. Some of the better ones (Jay-Z, Ice Cube, Ice-T) even took time out occasionally to reflect on the consequences of their gangsta actions. But Eminem's not interested in any of that. Instead, the rapper simply delivers 75 minutes of nearly nonstop hate (that is, when he's not whining about his fame). How hateful? According to GLAAD (the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), the album "contains the most blatantly offensive homophobic lyrics we have ever heard. Ever."
New Kids on the Block, sucked a lot of dick
Boy-girl groups make me sick
And I can't wait 'til I catch all you faggots in public
I'ma love it [hahaha]
...
Talkin' about I fabricated my past
He's just aggravated I won't ejaculate in his ass
-- "Marshall Mathers"
No matter, critics love this record. "It's mean-spirited, profane, shocking -- and actually quite entertaining if not taken too seriously," the Arizona Republic opined. "Guilty pleasures rarely get as good as this," added CDNow in a record review. "A bona fide masterpiece," raved VH1.com, adding that Eminem is "possibly the greatest storyteller in all of hip-hop."
