| Eminem And His Popularity Essay, Research Paper
Rap singles are all over the music charts, the hip hop subculture has hit mainstream big time. Rap has always been associated with the black community, rap was known as their music; this has changed because more and more Caucasian are entering the industry. Emerging and standing out from the crowd these hip hop artist have acquired tremendous popularity and recognition. One rapper that has made it big his Eminem, his rise to stardom is due to 2 main reasons; his association with rap legend Dr Dre and because he is the first Caucasian gangster rapper with obvious rapping skills.
Eminem s story all started when rap legend Dr Dre heard him free styling on local radio show. Dre saw something special in Eminem, right after the show was over he reached Eminem to offer him a contract and a chance to get his record produced by the man Dre himself, from that point on Eminem and Dre had become a team. This affiliation with Dre was a blessing in the sky for Eminem, it was a gift from above, what is better than having your first album produced by the number one man in the business. Being endorsed by Dre gave Eminem instant credibility within the industry, and gave him instant exposure and air play on local radio and TV stations. Eminem also known as Slim Shady was anything but a sure thing on his own but with Dre he was an instant lock; his success was assured. Not only did Dre give him instant recognition in the public eye, he also gave him the guidance and professionalism that can only be gained with experience, Eminem wasn t a lost man in the sea he was swimming and swimming well with Dre watching on as his lifeguard.
Gangster rap was big in the 80 s then during the first years of the next decade it suffered a decrease in popularity but right now its more popular than ever. Gangster rap is a rap which is crude and violent; it contains tons of profanities and his it s characterized by it s extreme portrayal of violent behaviours. Eminem fits right in that category, his lyrics often we could even say always contain profanities and violence. The following are some examples of his lyrics:
I strangled you to death then I choked you again
Then break your fucking legs till your bones poke through your skin
You beef wit me, I’m a even the score equally
Take you on Jerry Springer, and beat your ass legally.
As you can see this is pretty explicit and that is exactly what makes Eminem popular. As we read in the essay entitled The Rap on Rap , white suburban had to go towards the black artists to get their dose of violence and gang atmosphere but now they can get that same thing in one of them a white kid. What makes Eminem even more appealing is that he is only exaggerating his reality because to the contrary of what many may think Eminem isn t any white middle class kid who decided to start rapping, he has obvious skills and a special talent to lyrically express his feelings. Another thing that makes him special is that he always says exactly what he is thinking for example he clearly says that kids should not consider him as a role model because he isn t a good one. His opinion can be heard in a song titled Role Model, here are some extracts:
Follow me and do exactly what the song says:
smoke weed, take pills, drop outta school, kill people and drink
And jump behind the wheel like it was still legal
I’m dumb enough to walk in a store and steal
So I’m dumb enough to ask for a date with Lauryn Hill
Some people only see that I’m white, ignorin skill.
All the characteristics that I stated above make Eminem a complete rapper he his the complete package. Eminem is the first real white gangster rapper with true talent and potential.
In conclusion Eminem s partnership with Dr Dre and his obvious skills are the reasons for his tremendous popularity. Let s just hope that Eminem will inspire other artist whether it s in hip hop or not to brake the prejudices and make it big.
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