Eminem Essay, Research Paper

Marshall Mathers, better known as Eminem, has had many achievements in his life, but life wasn’t always good. Growing up in a poor trailer park in Warren Mich. He failed out of ninth grade, which led to him dropping out of high school. He tried to go back but couldn’t do it, he just wanted to rap and to be a star one day. Over the years he freestyle in some local clubs and participated in some competitions. It wasn’t until 1997 that he was recognized, he won the Wake Up Show Freestyle Performer of the Year from L.A. Djs Sway and Tech and earned second place in Rap Sheet magazine’s “Rap Olympics,” an annual freestyle rap competition.

Then in 1998 he released The Slim Shady LP, his first known record. “Slim Shady is the evil side of me, the sarcastic foul-mouthed side of me,” Eminem says during and interview with the Source. In 2000 he released his second cd, The Marshall Mathers LP. Eminem has been known as one of the most provocative, controversial rappers in contemporary pop music. A lot of people think he can get away with this because he is the first “legitimate” white rapper. “I’m white in a music started by black people. I’m not ignorant to the culture and I’m not trying to take anything away from the culture,” he said in his defense. “But no one has a choice where they grew up or what color they are. If you’re a kid or a ghetto kid you have no control over your circumstance. The only control you have is to get out of your situation or stay in it.” There have been several attempts to keep Eminem from playing certain shows in his tour, because they think that his lyrics violate harassment categorically on the basis of sexual orientation and sex within the state or school. “Don’t take everything I say literally,” Eminem said shortly after the album’s debut, when furor over his lyrics mounted. “I might say some things that are kinda left field, but that doesn’t mean that every single thing I say, I mean. I may tend to push a lot of buttons and piss a lot of people off –a lot of critics, and a lot of people who don’t really know hip-hop. But that’s, basically, what I came to do is upset that balance of everything tha’s normal, of everyday things that people are used to hearin’.”

I admire Eminem because he doesn’t let a few people get him down. His music is great, yes there might be some that are uncalled for but he has said not to take him seriously during interviews and even in a few of his songs. For people to get upset, especially parents, over some simple lyrics is ridiculous. If you don’t like what he has to say then don’t listen to him. There have been other artists who say things that people don’t like but it never gets blown out of proportion like this. I think Eminem has great music, he’s a very talented person, and I think he will be around for a while longer. I also think he has a lot of guts, he went out on a limb to get himself into a type of music that is known for by black people, and to bring with him such controversial lyrics. Eminem is not afraid to speak his mind, no matter what it might be. And that is why I admire Eminem.