Quote:
Originally posted by RougeUnderoos@Nov 13 2004, 08:26 PM
Eminem is an actor playing a character -- he says so himself. Like him or not (and I happen to hate him) what he does qualifies as "art". If Eminem glorifies rape then Arnold Schwarzenegger glorifies killing police officers, since a character he played once killed 17 of them in a West Highland Police Station in 1984. Ironically enough, the last line he uttered in that scene - "I'll be back" -- has been around for 20 years and has been used as a slogan in political campaigns. I don't think anything Eminem says will be part of the vernacular in 2028. He'll be long forgotten. He certainly won't be a conservative governor of the most poplous state in the union.
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Clap clap clap. Clap. Very well said.
And it's true. Plenty (hell, the majority of his rhymes are so unbelievably over the top it's absurd. You think anyone in their right mind would let this guy raise a daughter after reading a couple sheets of his lyrics, similar to the one posted above? Nope. But the guy is apparently a perfectly fit father. Imagine that.
He's just a convienient target. For all sorts of critics. "Know-it-all," elitist music snobs. The right-wing media. Anyone who equates hip hop with trash. And of course it doesn't help that strikes many white parents with fear, seeing as he's a white rapper bringing an unknown culture to the surburban masses.
For the record, he could say whatever the crap he wants on his LPs, and I'll still be a big fan. I don't believe everything the guy says, and I don't for a second believe that
he believes everything he says. I suppose that is one valid argument against Eminem and others of the same ilk- those unfortunate enough not to know the difference may think he's popularizing gay-bashing, or murder, or whatever. Still, I think that speaks more directly to a deeper societal problem, as well parenting and education, rather than simply classifying Em a virus.
As I outlined in a previous post defending hip hop, one of the main reasons I love it is because of the complex rhyme structure and multi-layered rhyming schemes the best emcees use. And Eminem is on top in that department. Just because I listen to his music doesn't mean I endorse violence against minorities or rape.
And for the record, in my post above, I meant to say that "The Eminem Show" was a classic album, not "The MM LP." And also I sounded a little harsh at the end there. If you have valid reasons for not liking his music, fine. I'll respect that. And I suppose you can be a fan of hip hop music and not like Eminem for whatever reason, although you'd be contradiciting yourself a little in there somewhere. I guess I have a problem with people telling me that I'm an ignorant fool for being a fan of his. because that couldn't be further from reality. If it offends you, don't support it. But don't judge me, and don't go out of your way telling people it's wrong.