> From: RainDog138(a)aol.com
> Subject: Re: eminem
> this eminem thing is arguable the most foolish thing i have ever read on
this list.
> eminem being credited for writing his own music is equally absurd. if
anyone deserves the credit for his success it must be Dr. Dre. who actually
creates (writes) all the music for that loser. all eminem does is come up
with his typical 4th grade bull-shit lyrics and spit them out with the same
nasally flow on top of dre's great production.
> i'd rather listen to an elvis or beatles record of them passing gas (or
how bout them sleeping and snoring real loud?) than listen to any of
eminem's shit-ass vocals.
> if you think that eminem has talent - you are the reason pop music went to
shit in the first place.
> i pray to god this is a joke and i am the punchline.
> -mike
> ps - if you wanna praise singer-songwriters, how about tom waits, nick
cave, bruce springsteen, johnny cash, willie nelson, etc...?
You shouldn't be dissing one of the most talented popular performers in a
genre that you seem to only have second-hand experience with. If you had
listened to a wide variety of rappers, you'd realize that Eminem's
combination of rhythm, syntax, and rhyme structures are very accomplished.
Not to mention that he's funny as hell, and a fascinatingly disturbing and
telling pop culture phenomenon. He did almost all of the production on his
latest album, including the amazingly catchy first single, "Without Me."
Like South Park, I hated Eminem at first because he was obnoxious, un-PC and
popular as all hell. But, like South Park, if you take him on his own terms
and try to see what the fuss is really all about, you'll recognize his
talent. Granted, it comes off as forced and self-important sometimes, but
the line between fact and fiction is interestingly blurred, and if you want
to listen to something that millions of other people enjoy (I'm talking to
you, zorn-listers!), something that will keep your head in the real world,
Eminem is a good pick. This would involve actually listening to his music.
Listen to "The Eminem Show" from front to back (it reads like a book, albeit
one that gets boring after the several-th listen) and then say that he spits
the same flow on every track. It's obvious (to me) that he put effort into
matching the type of flow (inflection, speed, pitch) with the lyrical
subject matter. The production also has little elements that tie in to the
lyrics. Again, Em is not my favorite musician, my favorite rapper (Aesop
Rock gets my vote), or even my favorite "white" rapper. He may or may not
be an asshole, or just a good actor (I'm talking about his musical persona,
not the "8 Mile" movie- anyone seen it? Any good?), but he deserves respect
for his talent and hard work. That's all he's after anyway.
NP bob dylan "leopard-skin pill-box hat" from live 1966, royal albert hall
concert
