  |
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||
will the real slim shady please stand up? by Robert Sterling (robalini@aol.com) - February 25, 2001 |
||||
| When it comes to the music world, white rapper Eminem (whose real name is
Marshall Mathers III) is in a class all by himself. After winning two Grammys and MTV's Best New Artist last year thanks to his album The Slim Shady LP (Universal/Interscope, 1999), his follow-up, The Marshall Mathers LP (Universal/Interscope, 2000), became one of three top-selling albums of 2000. His Eminem - E DVD (2000) and book Angry Blond (2000) only expanded his bid for world domination. Along with mega-platinum sales, he has earned plenty of new prizes, including being named Spin Magazine's Artist of the Year, the Rolling Stone magazine's critics prize for Best Album, and MTV's Video of the Year. He was nominated for four Grammys in 2001, including the trophy for Best Album, and was awarded "Best Rap Solo Performance", "Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group" (with Dr. Dre) and "Best Rap Album." Eminem's Grammys live performance, with Sir Elton John, of "Stan", will be released as a single. It seems like everybody loves Eminem. Uh, scratch that last part. Not since Guns 'N Roses created controversy nearly a decade ago, has one musical artist earned so much admiration and loathing at the same time. And, like GNR, Eminem often earns both feelings from the same person. Part of the reason is his impressive talent: unlike Vanilla Ice, there is little doubt that as a rapper, Eminem got game. What seems to be the question is if he's wasting his talents or not, on ludicrously overblown songs of shock, raunch and rambling obscenities. His supporters find him in the tradition of comedic art which dares people not to laugh, yet still manages to do precisely that. Because it is offensive, it is funny. He is the modern heir to the Rolling Stones and The Sex Pistols, Pulp Fiction to a hip-hop beat. His detractors sneer at the comparison, and declare him to be an artistic fraud. The Stones and the Pistols were challenging their audience beliefs, while Eminem catered to their simplest prejudices. Women and gays, who are both frequent victims of his smart-ass lyrics, are most notable. Feminist and Queer rights organizations, such as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) have protested his music. It would be easy to dismiss this as Politically Correct gripes, except there seems to be some truth to it. Is Eminem really challenging his audience? A look at the yahoos who flock MTV's TRL set would suggest the answer is no. Perhaps the most telling fact is that his greatest target of late have been the twin boy bands of the Apocalypse, The Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync. While the two bands' crappy music deserves criticism, it really doesn't take much balls to diss them. When the controversy surrounding Eminem's music started boiling over in public, Mr. Mathers did what rock stars usually do when their legitimacy is questioned: he began behaving in a self-destructive manner. Since then, his life has been like a VH1 documentary which is practically begging to happen. Here are the highlights of the misfortunes surrounding rock 'n roll's latest shit magnet: · In September 1999, Mathers was sued for $10 million by his mother for slander, claiming he falsely maligned her on interviews with Rolling Stone, The Source, Rap Pages, and the Howard Stern Show. · On June 4, 2000, after spotting another man kissing his wife outside a bar, Eminem allegedly walked up to the man, pulled out a semi-automatic gun, and had a heated argument. Though the gun was unloaded, he allegedly threatened to kill the man, and smashed him over the head twice with the firearm. Mr. Mathers was charged with possession of an illegally concealed weapon and assault with a dangerous weapon, while his wife was cited with disturbing the piece. The alleged victim. John Guerra, filed a $25,000 lawsuit against Mr. Mathers. · It was revealed afterwards that on June 3, 2000, Mathers was involved with another argument, this time with an associate of rival Detroit musical act Insane Clown Posse. As with the Guerra incident, an exchange of words led to Eminem allegedly pulling an unloaded gun on him as well. On a recent song, ICP refers to Mathers as "Slim Anus." He was again charged withpossession of an illegally concealed weapon and a misdemeanor count of brandishing a handgun. · On July 7, 2000, Mrs. Mathers slit her wrists in a failed suicide attempt. The ever sensitive husband continued on his tour, appearing live on July 9, 2000 without any cancellations. · Finally, on August 21, 2000, Kim Mathers sued him for $10 million, after the rapper filed for divorce. The lawsuit was based on lyrics to the song "Kim," which Mrs. Mathers accurately claimed "depicts horrific domestic violence against the wife, resulting in her grisly murder." While Eminem had long claimed artistic license in his songs - and in fact uses the character Slim Shady as an alter ego during his entertainingly obscene raps - a court would likely find little sympathy for a husband who sings songs about beating and killing his wife. Since then, Eminem has laid low, which could indicate that his real problem all along may have been foolish taste in women. Or maybe he's just holding out until his next album to cause another media storm. In an increasing banal music scene, where the market is split among boy band fluff and hard rock that doesn't seem quite sure why it's so pissed off, Eminem is a breath of fresh air. Somehow, I get the feeling this guy's gonna stick around and answer all the criticisms about him. In the meantime, enjoy the show, which undoubtedly will be coming very soon to you at home courtesy of VH1. |
||||
|
||||
 |
||||
|
||||
|
Eminem Eminem Direct Eminem World Slim Shady World Eminem 2000 Eminem Online Marshall-Mathers.net Dr. Dre D12 Online The D12 Eminem Top Sites Bad Meets Evil Eminem Board Dear Stan A Conversation with Eminem's Mom Salon Directory: Eminem Eminem's Dirty Secrets Eminem's Latest Outrage Helping Eminem Sell Records Sharps & Flats Do Eminem's Violent Lyrics Cross the Line? Invisible Man Why Eminem Should Get the Grammy I'm Shady Eminem--Bad Rap? Missing the Point of the Many Masks In Defense of a Fellow Artist No, Just Missing the Art of the Song They Hear Him Now Eminem's Year Eminem: Do Words Beget Deeds? Will the Real Eminem Please Stand Up? Shady's Darkside Crazy Shady Disinformation Dossier on Marilyn Manson |
||||
|
||||
|
