[Fresh Album] Wu-Tang Clan -The Saga Continues - HipHop | HipHop Channel

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[Fresh Album] Wu-Tang Clan -The Saga Continues - HipHop

[Fresh Album] Wu-Tang Clan -The Saga Continues - HipHop

[Fresh Album] Wu-Tang Clan -The Saga Continues

Posted: 12 Oct 2017 03:28 PM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] Gucci Mane - Mr. Davis

Posted: 12 Oct 2017 08:05 PM PDT

Offset spent so much money on Gucci that they gave him 30% off for life

Posted: 12 Oct 2017 06:06 PM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] dvsn - Morning After

Posted: 12 Oct 2017 08:07 PM PDT

[Discussion] I believe Eminem's Stan and Bad Guy together are a thesis for Eminem's outlook on his entire career

Posted: 12 Oct 2017 07:39 PM PDT

Hey everyone, I've been wanting to do a write up that parallels Eminem's career with his story of Stan. I had this on my mind for a while in the past, but it came back up when another user recently posted the song Bad Guy from Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP 2. I believe both Stan and Bad Guy together can act as a thesis for Eminem's outlook on his entire career.

In 2000, Eminem released his second major studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP. This album was a direct response to the fame and over all reaction of the general public to The Slim Shady LP (1999), which is Eminem's studio debut and the album that shaped the public's opinion of Eminem as a controversial figure. The SSLP was an instant success that launched Eminem into fame, but it also instantly led to Eminem being critiqued and hated by many for promoting violence and corrupting the children. Parents across the country were speaking out against Eminem and boycotting stores where his cd was sold. This was long before people accepted "that's just Eminem spitting shock value lyrics". This wasn't just another controversial artist in the way that we see now. There's even an interesting Jay-Z interview floating around somewhere on the internet where Jay-Z discusses meeting Eminem, and while hugging him realizing he had a bullet proof vest on under his clothes. Anyway, I could ramble for another couple of paragraphs about how controversial he was during this time, but that would be unnecessary. I just wanted to give a little bit of context to some of the younger heads who may not realize how controversial he was before getting into my argument.

Back to what I was saying earlier, The MMLP was a cd that has two major narratives in my opinion. It is Eminem grappling with being famous, and it is Eminem defensively responding to media and the general public accusing him of being a villain. The MMLP has a 28 year old Eminem rapping louder, more aggressive, and more proudly offensive than ever before. He no longer had the laid back, cartoony delivery that defined the SSLP. It's almost as if he was going into the MMLP with the mindset, "If you think I'm a monster up, I'll show you a monster". But at the same time, he did try to defend himself and point out that he wasn't fully at fault for what his fans are doing with lines such as, "Get aware, wake up, get a sense of humor Quit tryin' to censor music, this is for you kid's amusement. But don't blame me when lil' Eric jumps off of the terrace. You should have been watchin' him, apparently you ain't parents". There are definitely moments when he responds to the criticism directly throughout the entire album, but much of MMLP is Eminem becoming exactly what people have come to define him as, a monster. However, on the song Stan, Eminem lets his wall down and delivers his most articulate, and sympathetic response to the media's depiction of him on the MMLP.

The song Stan details an obsessed fan who writes Eminem three letters depicted in the first three verses. Each letter has Stan getting more aggressive, and for the listener it becomes more apparent that this fan's love for Eminem is unhealthy. The first three verses are about an unstable fan, Stan, whose unhealthy obsession with Eminem leads Stan to killing himself and his wife. During the fourth verse, which is Eminem responding to Stan, Eminem sounds calm and concerned. Eminem states "What's this shit you said about you like to cut your wrist too? I say that shit just clowning, dawg come on, how fucked up is you? You got some issues, Stan, I think you need some counselin'" Look at this verse as Eminem not just responding to Stan, but to all critics who put his lyrics under a microscope. This is Eminem directly telling fans that his music is not real. It is nothing more than him expressing himself, and shouldn't be taken as truth. Eminem's response to Stan ends when he realizes he is writing a letter to the same fan who he saw on the news for taking his and his wife's life. After this revelation Eminem states, "damn". Eminem clearly has some sympathy for what happened, but is not taking full responsibility. His main statement during this entire verse is that this is just music and anyone who takes it more seriously than that needs help.

Now lets move on to the first track on his 2013 sequel album MMLP 2. The track Bad Guy tells the story of Matthew, Stan's little brother, getting revenge on Eminem. He sneaks into Eminem's house, chloroforms Eminem, and drives over a bridge with Eminem in the trunk. This album came out thirteen years after MMLP, Eminem was 41 when it was released. It is important to acknowledge that the perception of Eminem had changed way before this cd's release. He was no longer a controversial figure, and because of this, he no longer had to defend himself or convince any one of anything. His harsh, vulgar lyricism was, and currently is, an accepted component of his music. I believe this, along with the thirteen years he had to mature, led Eminem to genuinely question the impact his lyrics have had on the world.

After Matthew drives over the bridge with Eminem in the trunk there is a beat change. As the beat changes in Bad Guy, Eminem is no longer rapping from Matthew's perspective. His life/career is now flashing in front of his eyes as he drowns. There is a couple bars in particular that I want to examine, "But in my head there's a voice in the back and it hollers, After the track is demolished, I am your lack of a conscience, I am the ringing in your ears, I'm the polyps on the back of your tonsils, Eatin' at your vocal cords after your concerts, I'm the time that's almost up that you haven't acknowledged"

Eminem is well aware that his career is coming to a close, and now he is wondering what kind of mark he has left on the world. Eminem was such a controversial figure when he wrote Stan, and so busy defending himself, that he did not have time to adequately ponder the effects of his lyrics. But, as he got older and his lyrics became more accepted, he no longer had to defend himself. As I mentioned earlier, Eminem was 41 years old when he released Bad Guy. Eric Erikson's psychoanalytic theory states that age 40-64 is a time in adulthood that is characterized by the existential debate of generativity vs. stagnation: Did I adequately make a mark on the world that was worth making, or did I waste my time?"

This existential crisis is very clear in the refrain of Bad Guy, "Oh, you had me pegged the first time, You can see the truth, but it's easier to justify what's bad is good, and I hate to be the bad guy". The media may have been right. In some ways, Eminem was a villain. Not only was he rapping about violent topics, but was actively promoting violence. But, because of what he had been through, and given his success, it was easy to justify what he rapped about. When Eminem wrote Stan, he was concerned with defending himself and responding to how he was affecting his fans. But, when he wrote Bad Guy, Eminem was more concerned with how his fans reaction to his music is affecting him.

Thanks for reading everyone. I haven't written a paper in a while, so it was nice trying to organize my thoughts and write this up. This really is an amazing sub and I appreciate everyone who is involved on it.

submitted by /u/RadioactiveCrawfish
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[VIDEO] Geto Boys - My Mind Playin Tricks On Me

Posted: 12 Oct 2017 07:10 AM PDT

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Freddie Gibbs and D.R.A.M. Are Collaborating on New Music

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Posted: 12 Oct 2017 01:45 PM PDT

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Posted: 12 Oct 2017 02:37 PM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] dvsn - Morning After

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