After watching the documentary “Beyond Beats and Rhymes”, we discussed as a class how hip-hop artists could be portrayed as spectacles, as if bizarre objects of wonder used for our entertainment. We also highlighted the idea of a performative element in the industry, while noting that often it is our personal differences from these artists that attract us to them.
I want to expand on this idea by discussing an artist who is a spectacle in an industry of spectacles. Eminem, Marshall Mathers, Slim Shady, or whatever name he chooses to call himself these days, is definitely an individual who stands out amongst the typical hip-hop/rap genre. But is it because his lyrics are more profound? That depends on whom you are talking to. Or is it because of his troubled past? This too could be true, but it is most likely not the most significant factor. Well, is it because he is white? Bingo. Eminem, winner of numerous awards and accolades including 13 Grammy’s and the Rolling Stone title ‘King of Hip Hop’, is white. What is most astounding is how this very issue [his race] is able to transform the music industry.
In this article, author Ryan Ford discusses Eminem’s impact on rap music as well as on music industry’s economics. After briefly detailing some of Eminem’s difficult younger years, Ford explains how Eminem’s race directly affected the market for rap artists with his first studio album, The Slim Shady EP.
“The Slim Shady EP made major noise throughout the music industry, garnering as much attention for ‘Eminem’s exaggerated, nasal-voiced rapping style’ as it did for the fact that he was white. Record executives took immediate notice and in many quarters, Eminem began being dubbed the music’s next ‘great white hope.’ Although many black artists had become very successful in rap music by this point, it would follow logic that since more whites were buying rap music, a credible white MC (as opposed to Vanilla Ice) would provide even more sales.”
However, Eminem’s reach went beyond that of typical hip-hop artists. His music was even being played on rock radio stations. Additionally, before the debut of his first album, he was able to command ‘top billing over more established, veteran rap acts on a major rap tour’ as well as garner the cover of Rolling Stone after just one single from that album. Ford also points out that Eminem ‘became the first white person ever to be featured on the cover of The Source magazine…a magazine that is widely considered the bible of hip-hop music, culture and politics.’ The assumption that comes up then is that his massive achievement is owed partly to his race. Yet, simply being white did not make him a better rapper. Being white in a predominately black led market gained him a notorious career.
In the latter half of his article, Ford makes several arguments about the role of Eminem’s career. First, he argues that Eminem’s career allowed white fans of hip-hop to relate more to hip-hop’s culture. It ‘allows white, middle class America to look at hip-hop as something closer to home instead of novelty entertainment’. Furthermore, he contends Eminem’s career has afforded other white aspiring hip-hop artists the opportunity to thrive in the hip-hop culture.
I could write enough words to fill a book about Ford’s article, however, to keep it short for blog’s sake, I won’t. Even so, the connection I really wanted to make with his article and our class is one between Eminem’s career and the capitalization of hip hop. As we discussed, hip hop artists definitely play on certain characteristics to establish their own role and that these characteristics typically exploit the artists peculiarity as marvel. How Eminem unintentionally manipulated this capacity in propelling his career is the kicker. He did indeed play similar roles on stage like most other rap artists, but his race perpetuated the essence of hip hop artists’ anomaly beyond that of any other previous artist in time. Not only is it responsible for a significant portion of his success, but also it is a prime example of how the industry garners much profit from artist idiosyncrasy with their consumers.
-Side Note: The article touches on many other aspects not mentioned in my blog post. I highly recommend reading it.
I think one of the major reasons Eminem rose to fame so quickly lies in the fact the average white male that listens to rap could look this figure and see himself, similarly to the way many blacks have looked up to Barack Obama. I believe another reason is his authenticity. Eminem actually grew up in a rough neighborhood where crimes and drugs permeated, and his father left his mother at a very young age. His ex-wife ran away from home as a teenager, and he has been arrested for gun possessions. Since his actual personal life and not a fabricated story compose many of his lyrics, people are drawn to his a rap artist and are fascinated with his life story in relation to it.
ReplyDeleteI think that if you look at his timeline as an artist you see a true shift in his behavior and lyrics. His most recent two albums show that he has come from the violent and drug addicted past, to the person he was meant to be. Showing the importance of not feeling forced to confine to the definitions set upon musicians and specifically rappers. With the success of of these albums and the response that they are getting both critically and from the public, I wonder if this is the beginning of a shift in trends. A more honest and truthful form of hip-hop and not one that has been mass produced by American society.
ReplyDeleteI think the first thing that needs to be noted here is the difference between fiscal success and critical acclaim. Eminem's race obviously contributed to his massive fiscal success and his sudden rise to prominence, however this does not guarantee critical acclaim. Eminem has won 13 Grammy's because he is considered to be an immensely talented musician, not an immensely talented white musician (I know you touched on it, I just wanted to clarify a bit). I think Ford's argument that Eminem's career allowed white fans of hip-hop to relate more to hip-hop's culture quietly sheds light on an interesting idea. The idea that Eminem's race allowed white listeners to no longer see hip-hop as just a spectacle. As you mentioned, Eminem's personality and attitude establish him as quite a spectacle already, but does his race and background not make him a spectacle just the same as the black artists within the genre that surrounded him?
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