in defense of eminem
Apr. 16th, 2013 10:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancingsingingOK, I'm not going to try to defend some of the shit he says. But I was just driving kid-free this evening and heard "Lose Yourself" on the radio and it got me thinking. Because I actually really like eminem's stuff. And I was like, why? He says such awful things!
I think I figured it out, though. It's two things: good writing and authenticity.
Take these lines, for example: "There's vomit on his sweater already / Mom's spaghetti." You just don't see that kind of strong, fresh image in the lyrics of most raps on the radio. I mean, in eight words, you find out a lot about this character (or about him, I suppose, depending on how autobiographical he's being): (1) he was really nervous trying to break in and success was not something that came naturally, (2) he was wearing a sweater, not something more fashionable like a hoody. So implied kind of awkwardness, financial strain, (3) he was either living with his mom still or at least she was still cooking for him, (4) even though he's not a child, they're eating spaghetti, not something more foodie; again with some class stuff. I wish I could write like that! I mean, maybe I do sometimes, but it's not easy for me, and he makes it look easy.
And I really like that he writes about stuff that other people would try to hide--the living in the trailer, the working 9 to 5 and still taking food stamps and *still* not being able to afford diapers. I mean, that shit is real. I'll take that any time over the tired old lines about panties dropping. I even like how he writes about getting really mad, and how hard it is to try to be a good dad but that it's super hard with his "prima donna baby mama." He's certainly not writing a well-developed, complex female character and his stories sure as hell fail the Bechdel test. But he's writing about his life and his experiences in a real way, about his pain and the ways he doesn't live up to who he tries to be. And that kind of honesty and vulnerability gets me every time. I think I may be the only person on earth to compare these two artists, but it's the thing I like most about Tracy Chapman.
I dunno about the song where he wants to tie his girlfriend to the bed and light the house on fire, though.
I think I figured it out, though. It's two things: good writing and authenticity.
Take these lines, for example: "There's vomit on his sweater already / Mom's spaghetti." You just don't see that kind of strong, fresh image in the lyrics of most raps on the radio. I mean, in eight words, you find out a lot about this character (or about him, I suppose, depending on how autobiographical he's being): (1) he was really nervous trying to break in and success was not something that came naturally, (2) he was wearing a sweater, not something more fashionable like a hoody. So implied kind of awkwardness, financial strain, (3) he was either living with his mom still or at least she was still cooking for him, (4) even though he's not a child, they're eating spaghetti, not something more foodie; again with some class stuff. I wish I could write like that! I mean, maybe I do sometimes, but it's not easy for me, and he makes it look easy.
And I really like that he writes about stuff that other people would try to hide--the living in the trailer, the working 9 to 5 and still taking food stamps and *still* not being able to afford diapers. I mean, that shit is real. I'll take that any time over the tired old lines about panties dropping. I even like how he writes about getting really mad, and how hard it is to try to be a good dad but that it's super hard with his "prima donna baby mama." He's certainly not writing a well-developed, complex female character and his stories sure as hell fail the Bechdel test. But he's writing about his life and his experiences in a real way, about his pain and the ways he doesn't live up to who he tries to be. And that kind of honesty and vulnerability gets me every time. I think I may be the only person on earth to compare these two artists, but it's the thing I like most about Tracy Chapman.
I dunno about the song where he wants to tie his girlfriend to the bed and light the house on fire, though.
