# Eminem **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 9, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123 "2010-09-09T01:02:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/21 "2010-09-10T09:18:20Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > I like The Streets but I’ve got to say Eminem is light-years ahead of him. Mr. Mathers’ delivery is second to none–there’s better lyricists out there ( **bramma23** mentioned my favorite, KRS-One), but the way he delivers them adds something unique. I agree his delivery is wonderfully aggressive and venomous, perfectly matched to the materiel. The Streets is much more more melancholy and world-weary (and very English) more prose than poetry perhaps, a storyteller rather than rapper. Thankfully the music business still has room for such people as these and it hasn’t all been consumed by pop idol. ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/22 "2010-09-10T09:26:15Z")
> [@bramma23](#): > > The Blueprint (Jay-Z), Be (Common), The College Dropout (Kanye), Stillmatic (Nas) and many others are all better lyrically than anything either Chuck D, Ice Cube or Eminem has put out in the last decade. I think _The Blueprint_ is the best rap album of the last decade, but stand by what I said about Eminem being the best lyricist, and perhaps the best rapper of the decade all things considered (albums, singles, production, lyrics, music videos, live performance). It’s all subjective of course. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/23 "2010-09-10T12:35:19Z")
Marshal Mathers has a vast lyrical range. When he raps as his more serious “Eminem” persona, his lyrics can range from very dark and personal (such as songs like Stan, Love the Way You Lie) to empowering and uplifting (Not Afraid, Lose Yourself). When he raps as his more whimsical “Slim Shady” persona, his songs can range from disturbingly over the top and violent (Guilty Conscious, 3 a.m.) to fun party songs (Without Me) to just plain ole retarded (Ass Like That). And I’m probably going to hell for finding his Christopher Reeves impression on the end of the song [Medicine Ball off his Recovery album so funny:](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyn7jKLDFI4) \*So one last time Mr Christopher Reeves! Won’t you break it down for me And just spit the verse, please! [Eminem As Christopher Reeves] Eminem, I’m coming to kill you _wheeze_ Always hated you and I still do You’ll never fill my shoes, my Superman costume _wheeze_ Doesn’t even fit you They don’t feel you You’re taking this shit too far _wheeze_ Who do you think you are Hang my suit up in the armoire Everyday I hate you more and more Throw down the cardboard Let’s breakdance if you think you’re hardcore\* ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/24 "2010-09-10T19:05:52Z")
Anyone who can throw in Antidisestablishmentarianism into a rap and make it a dick joke without breaking the flow of the song gets props from me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/25 "2010-09-10T19:53:26Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > And I’m probably going to hell for finding his Christopher Reeves impression on the end of the song [Medicine Ball off his Recovery album so funny:](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyn7jKLDFI4) I don’t see why you need a seat in hell for laughing at that. It’s almost a tribute, it its own acerbic way. I usually try to avoid commiting the following heresy when talking with other hip hop heads, but what the hell… I think Jay Z is wayyyyy over rated, and I think Eminem would murder him lyrically in any battle, any day. But since Jay Z doesn’t make my top 10 list of lyricists, that is faint praise. (I emphasize lyricists, because I will concede Jay is a great performer, has gone toe to toe with the greatest, has to get props for longevity, sheer volume of hits and lyrics put down and is not a bad lyricist to boot, so he makes my best top ten hip hop artists on those strengths). Eminem is a nice lyricist, but he can’t make my top 20 fave hip hop artists, just because there is more to hip hop than clever and funny wordplay. There is an art to flipping slang terms and creating and building on the slang language that too many other artists have mastered to give Slim any room in my top 20. There are artists whose slang is so intricate and fresh that someone not immersed in hip hop culture wouldn’t understand a thing they are saying. And they still keep the nice metaphores, word play and clever twists of phrase coming, all the while telling an interesting ass story that you swear you knew all the characters personally (Ghostface, I’m looking at you daddy!) But Eminem can drop lyrics. Nuff respect for that. No one can take that from him. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/26 "2010-09-10T21:03:41Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > There are artists whose slang is so intricate and fresh that someone not immersed in hip hop culture wouldn’t understand a thing they are saying. That’s one of the reasons Eminem gets a lot of credit for his lyrics. His rhymes are accessible to people outside the hip hop world. Try explaining the following to someone who doesn’t listen to hip hop: _… I used to have the tre` duce And the deuce deuce in my bubblegoose Now i got a mac in my knapsack Loungin’ black, smoking sacks up in acts …_ Yet almost anyone can understand what Eminem is talking about after hearing one of his songs. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/27 "2010-09-10T21:17:10Z")
One thing about him which has always bugged me: Is he named after the candy? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/28 "2010-09-10T21:22:19Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > One thing about him which has always bugged me: > > Is he named after the candy? His real name is **M** arshall **M** athers. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/29 "2010-09-10T21:35:06Z")
> [@Lakai](#): > > > [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > > > There are artists whose slang is so intricate and fresh that someone not immersed in hip hop culture wouldn’t understand a thing they are saying. > > That’s one of the reasons Eminem gets a lot of credit for his lyrics. His rhymes are accessible to people outside the hip hop world. > > Try explaining the following to someone who doesn’t listen to hip hop: > > _… I used to have the tre` duce > And the deuce deuce in my bubblegoose > Now i got a mac in my knapsack > Loungin’ black, smoking sacks up in acts …_ > > Yet almost anyone can understand what Eminem is talking about after hearing one of his songs. Well, if they believe what they say about all hip hop being about the same things, they should already know he is talking about guns, booze and weed. Ha. No, but I get your point. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/30 "2010-09-11T19:00:36Z")
I was with you \*\*Nzinga \*\*until you got to the \*\*Ghostface \*\*part. 😃 For some reason, I just can’t get into Ghost, he’s just a bit too inaccessible/shaky for me. Give me \*\*GZA \*\* and Em, any day over him. But as for the JayZ/Eminem part- I totally agree with you there. One of the best songs out there for Jay is “[Renegades](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OVNXTkV414)” featuring Eminem on the Blueprint album, and on it, Em KILLS Jay-Z in terms of the lyrics. I’d love to see more featuring the two of them. And another one where Eminem steps up, is his verse on “[Forever](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A66LmUwXnGA)” featuring Drake, Weezy, and Kanye West. All three of them go before Em, and choose to slow rhyme over the beats, but Em actually steps up and switches things around basically outshining them on that track. ---
**Author:** ![Proudest\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/proudest_monkey/32/13257_2.png) [@Proudest\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Proudest_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/31 "2010-09-12T00:21:26Z")
I am in no way a hip hop/rap afficionado, and artists of those genres usually only ping my radar when they intersect with more mainstream pop. That said, I love Eminem. I love his voice (both literally and metaphorically), his passion, and his attitude. Did I mention his voice? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/32 "2010-09-12T00:56:57Z")
> [@ToeJam](#): > > Anyone who can throw in Antidisestablishmentarianism into a rap and make it a dick joke without breaking the flow of the song gets props from me. 😃 Now **that** is awesome - what song is that in? ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/33 "2010-09-12T22:12:03Z")
It’s from “[Almost Famous](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfRiUuJ0xNM)” off his new Recovery Album. ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/34 "2010-09-12T23:31:42Z")
Who is the female voice on Almost Famous? ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/35 "2010-09-13T00:03:16Z")
> [@Astral\_Rejection](#): > > Who is the female voice on Almost Famous? He’s never released that information. Really. ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/36 "2010-09-13T00:04:26Z")
That’s a shame. There’s a real unique quality about her voice, and I was gonna look up what else she’s done. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/37 "2010-09-13T01:19:19Z")
According to a few Yahoo-Answers-type sources and the [eminem.com](http://eminem.com) forums, it’s Liz Rodrigues (the [allmusic entry](http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:h9fuxzwdldse~T2) for this album does list her as contributing vocals, if that helps). She’s also apparently sings on “25 to Life” and “Spacebound” (uncredited). ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/38 "2010-09-13T02:09:25Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > That said, I’m not too fond of the subject matter of many of the tunes. I’ve only been listening to the first two albums, so I don’t know if he’s matured in his more recent stuff…but driving with your wife in the trunk and explaining to your young kid why Mommy’s gonna go for a swim is a bit over-the-top for me. You know, \*Kim \*often pops up in “rap is so evil” discussions, and I really don’t get it. I find that song extremely powerful - sure, it’s dark and depressing, but the way he seamlessly switches from pleading to barking to threatening back to desperate heartbreak to completely off his rocker just clicks with me. Love fucks you up like that, and that’s a fact. I find myself liking songs where he goes off the deep end like that more interesting and “send shivers down your spine” material than more peppy, inspirational material like _Lose Yourself or Sing For The Moment_ ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/39 "2010-09-13T02:16:35Z")
‘Kim’ is one of the most incredible pieces of music I’ve ever heard. ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123/40 "2010-09-13T10:16:14Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > > [@Astral\_Rejection](#): > > > > Who is the female voice on Almost Famous? > > He’s never released that information. Really. > [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > According to a few Yahoo-Answers-type sources and the [eminem.com](http://eminem.com) forums, it’s Liz Rodrigues (the [allmusic entry](http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:h9fuxzwdldse~T2) for this album does list her as contributing vocals, if that helps). She’s also apparently sings on “25 to Life” and “Spacebound” (uncredited). She’s right there in the album booklet under ‘Almost Famous’ and ‘25 To Life’: “Additional vocals: Liz Rodrigues” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminem/553123.md?page=3)