Eminem is known for his hate speach against homosexuals and minorities. However, he got up stage with Elton John (gay) and is going to celebrate with Michael Jackson very soon. What I want to know is if he is truly a bigot and hater or if it is only done as a shock tactic following the great tradition of Andy Kaufman, Marilyn Manson, and Howard Stern? I get the feeling that he is just playing an obnoxious character to get fame and money rather than just being himself. Do you have any feedback on this guess?
It’s probably a little of both. Marshall Mathers IS a jerk, and is being used by his label for that very reason; he’s a marketable jerk. But some of it is put on.
I think Eminem is scum, personally, but apparently somewhere in the area of 20,000,000 people in the US disagree with me 'cause they’ve bought his records.
I think he has serious and major issues as regards homosexuality and women.
I recall seeing an MTVspecial on him a year or so ago, and Kyrt loder wasasking him about Em’s use of the word faggot. Em’s reply was something along the lines of, “Well, like, faggot doesn;t neccessarily mean gay person, youknowwhuatImsayin? Like if yous wit your firends and you be callin’ each other faggot, it’s nothin’ personal or nothin, knowwhutImsayin?”
What the fuck are you talking about?
I just adore the way that he dances around and won’t answer the question that wasasked of him, but instead answers another question that wasn’t even asked.
Neat trick, that.
He’s a homophobe and a bigot and he’s a one trick pony—all he has going for him is controversy. Of course, being a homophobe and a bigot lends itself quite well to controversy so I can see him milking it for another 2 albums.
But in 15 years will you ever hear any of his songs on the radio?
Fuck no.
I’m not a fan of Eminem. I don’t dislike him, either. He performs in a genre of music that doesn’t appeal to me, so I don’t feel qualified to judge the worth of his music on its own terms. I do know the Eminem claims not to be homophobic or misogynistic himself, but rather it is the characters in his songs who have those views. Is he telling the truth? Like I said, I’m not sufficently familiar with his work to say one way or another. and, of course, the counter argument can be made that even if he doesn’t believe it, many of his fans can’t or won’t make that distinction, and will take his songs as supportive of bigotry.
But, here’s the thing. I like Johnny Cash. But it seems like every other song he wrote was about him killing his wife/girlfriend. Again, he’s singing “in character,” and his lyrics almost certainly don’t reflect his personal views. And yet, if you listen to Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, you can hear all these prisoners whooping it up for him. And I’m sure a lot of them were in prison for crimes not too different from the ones Cash is singing about. Should he be condemned for his songs, like Eminem is so often condemned? Maybe, I don’t know. But I do know that Cocaine Blues is a fucking amazing song.
Of course, there was the recent nonsense at the MTV music awards, where he got all pissed off when Triumph the Insult Comic Dog asked Moby, “Why would Eminem call you a ‘36-year-old baldheaded fag?’ I mean, first of all, you’re 35, right?” Eminem then proceeded to go up on stage to accept an award, and when the audience booed him (having just seen him and his “posse” take away the Triumph puppeteers notes and throw them into the audience), he threatened Moby, calling him a “pussy” and a “little girl,” and told him, “I will hit someone with glasses on.”
All this despite the fact that Moby and Eminem had never met before; Moby had said at the Grammys that he thought Eminem was really talented but wished his lyrics weren’t so misogynistic and homophobic. So, of course, Eminem responds by talking about him in the first single from his latest album, indeed calling him a “baldheaded 36-year-old faggot.” But he’s not a homophobe. :rolleyes:
I’ve decided that, no matter how many acclaims his new movie 8 Mile receives, I’m not going to see it unless I can see it for free, because I don’t intend to give money to anyone who gives money to him.
Ever since I read the lyrics to Kim, and then actually heard the song, the man gives me the serious creeps.
Moby went quite a bit further, including stating outright that only a twelve year old would listen to Eminem. As someone much older than twelve, I’d rather listen to the serious songs (not necessarily the singles) from Eminem’s albums than Moby’s formless pseudo-intellectual music which (IMHO) would never sell if it weren’t for wannabe hipsters who don’t know John Bonham from Johannes Brahms buying it because they think it’s what everyone else is doing.
He’s the ultimate one-trick-pony. I was flipping through radio stations and came across one of his latest the other night – he was still singing about how he hates his wife. Didn’t that get resolved 2 albums ago or something?
Judging by what’s been playing on the radio at work for the last few weeks, he’s progressed as an artist somewhat. Now he hates his mother, but he loves his daughter.
Emenem is an example of what happens if you raise your kids in a black neighborhood 
Gosh, thanks so much for insulting me, personally, because you don’t like some other guy’s music. You’re doing wonders for the image of Eminem fans everywhere.
It’s entirely possible Eminem’s no more a homophobe than Anthony Hopkins is a very resourceful gourmet.
In an industry where image comes first and talent a distant second, Em was probably giving an interview, said something nasty and realized “Hey! They’re eating it up! Suddenly I’m in the news!” That’s all it takes, really, and to keep himself in the news, he may as well cater (or pander) to a fan base that will latch onto anyone they percieve as a rebel who can get nonfans (i.e. parents) act all outraged and upset. Were the baby boomer parents casually indifferent to this clown, I expect his star would have faded already.
He’s rich, you’re not, he’s obviously doing something right.
WSLer, do you ever answer posts without using the word “fuck”?
I’ll field this one, WS.
Fuck, no.
I’m not so sure as many of you seem to be that he is “a one-trick pony”. His lyrics have a power and wit behind them that few performers match nowadays. I don’t know if he is angry, hateful, or if he just wants attention. But I do know his music has a passion sorely lacking in the “pop” music today.
They may not play any of his songs from today on the radio in 15 years, but then, that genre moes rather fast anyway. I loved MC Hammer’s music way back when, but I don’t hear it anymore. Doesn’t mean it was bad music, either.
I never really paid attention to him until this last album, which I bought and have enjoyed.
I humbly submit that he’s doing nothing differently than any other rapper, and that is pandering to an audience. If you listen to his stuff, he occasionally has flashes of wit and humor that seem to go beyond the ‘thug’ image he portrays. I believe he is talented, and I also believe that he could pull off a hell of a rant in the Pit. This is a person that knows exactly what he’s doing.
My take on it all in general is that how can these rappers tell me they’re such gangstas and thugs, when it’s obvious they probably spent all last night looking for a new sample for the next record on which they tell me they’re such gangstas and thugs? Logistically speaking, there’s just no way these guys are still out on the streets when there’s appearances to make, record promo stuff to do, concerts to perform, and studio time to get in.
Incubus, sarcasm or not, smiley or not, this was a shitty sentiment to express. As a young black man from a majority ‘black’ neighborhood with plenty of white/hispanic people in it, fuck you.
I’m not much of a fan of the boy, but let’s give credit where credit is due. For instance:
Let us not ignore the fact that the kid can rap. He might have some stupid rhymes, but his flow and sense of rhythm is masterful, and when Eminem does something right, it’s a wonder to listen to. His main problem (musically) is that he’s lazy. Apparently not at everything - from interviews I’ve read he appear to treat his music very seriously and is somewhat a perfectionist at getting the sound right. Which leads me to wonder just how he manages to screw up so often.
He has an awful lot of terrible songs. His hooks are too easy and hence become annoying far too quickly, and his lead singles are unimaginative pop, just as boring and formulaic as the boy bands he loves to dis.
Again, for an artist whose lyrics are so renowned, he lets himself down with his childish feuds. His insults are not funny and extremely poorly constructed. “Moby, you can get stomped by Obi/ You’re too old, just let go, nobody listens to techno”.
All this is a shame really, because when he’s good, he’s really good.
And is he a homophobe or a publicity whore? Well, a little from column A and a little from column B. He admits to sodomising Dre on his latest album (he’s a lot funnier when he’s being self-deprecating), so maybe he ain’t as homophobic as he likes to make out.
My guess is that he hasn’t had much to do with gay people, so while he may not have been particularly homophobic, he just had the feeling of “that’s weird” that many people who haven’t had anything to do with it do. He probably used words like faggot and gay without connecting them in his mind to homosexuality. When people started calling him on the use of these words, he played it up to sell records.
Both him and Dre have said in interviews statements to the effect of “we don’t really care about those people [gays]” - supporting my belief that his problem is more ignorance than hatred.
And after the MTV thing, Eminem claimed that he “didn’t know Elton John was gay.”
WSLer are there any hip hop songs that, in your opinion, will be played on the radio in 15 years time, or do you expect the whole genre to disappear between now and 2017?
Okay, I’m not doubting this happened, because I recall various news outlets carrying the quote and hearing it bandied about, but I think I was so dumbstruck at the possibility that anyone near my age group didn’t know Elton John was gay I missed it. Is there a cite around?
I like Moby’s music.
Who the heck is Johannes Brahms? Didn’t he play drums for the Doors or something like that?
All always think of Eminem as the dolt whose fan base is so weak he had to invent an imaginary stalker for one of his songs.