Eminem has *always* been angry, so very righteously angry.

[sir pball]

Watching the aftermath of the SB Show - half of y'all are just realizing this?

Dre, just let it run
Ayo, turn the beat up a little bit
Ayo, this song is for anyone...
Fuck it, just shut up and listen, ayo
I sit back with this pack of Zig-Zags and this bag
Of this weed, it gives me the shit needed to be
The most meanest MC on this on this Earth
And since birth I've been cursed with this curse to just curse
And just blurt this berserk and bizarre shit that works
And it sells and it helps in itself to relieve all this tension
Dispensing these sentences, getting this stress
That's been eating me recently off of this chest
And I rest again peacefully
But at least have the decency in you
To leave me alone, when you freaks see me out
In the streets when I'm eating or feeding my daughter
To not come and speak to me
I don't know you, and no, I don't owe you a mothafuckin' thing
I'm not Mr. N'Sync, I'm not what your friends think
I'm not Mr. Friendly, I can be a prick if you tempt me
My tank is on empty, no patience is in me
And if you offend me, I'm lifting you ten feet in the air
I don't care who was there and who saw me just jaw you
Go call you a lawyer, file you a lawsuit
I'll smile in the courtroom and buy you a wardrobe
I'm tired of all you, I don't mean to be mean
But that's all I can be, it's just me
And I am whatever you say I am
If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?
In the paper, the news, every day I am
Radio won't even play my jam
'Cause I am whatever you say I am
If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?
In the paper, the news, every day I am, huh
I don't know, it's just the way I am
Sometimes I just feel like my father
I hate to be bothered with all of this nonsense, it's constant
And, oh, it's his lyrical content, the song Guilty Conscience
Has gotten such rotten responses
And all of this controversy circles me
And it seems like the media immediately points a finger at me
So I point one back at 'em, but not the index or pinkie
Or the ring or the thumb, it's the one you put up
When you don't give a fuck, when you won't just put up
With the bullshit they pull, 'cause they full of shit too
When a dude's getting bullied and shoots up his school
And they blame it on Marilyn and the heroin
Where were the parents at? And look where it's at!
Middle America, now it's a tragedy
Now it's so sad to see, an upper-class city
Havin' this happenin'
Then attack Eminem 'cause I rap this way
But I'm glad, 'cause they feed me the fuel that I need
For the fire to burn and it's burning, and I have returned
And I am whatever you say I am
If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?
In the paper, the news, every day I am
Radio won't even play my jam
'Cause I am whatever you say I am
If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?
In the paper, the news, every day I am
I don't know, it's just the way I am
I'm so sick and tired of being admired
That I wish that I would just die or get fired
And dropped from my label, let's stop with the fables
I'm not gonna be able to top on "My Name Is"
And pigeon-holed into some poppy sensation
To cop me rotation at rock-n-roll stations
And I just do not got the patience
To deal with these cocky Caucasians
Who think I'm some wigger who just tries to be black
'Cause I talk with an accent, and grab on my balls
So they always keep asking the same fucking questions
What school did I go to, what hood I grew up in
The why, the who, what, when, the where and the how
'Til I'm grabbing my hair and I'm tearin' it out
'Cause they driving me crazy, I can't take it
I'm racin', I'm pacin', I stand and I sit
And I'm thankful for every fan that I get
But I can't take a shit in the bathroom
Without someone standing by it
No, I won't sign you an autograph
You can call me an asshole, I'm glad, 'cause...
I am whatever you say I am
If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?
In the paper, the news, every day I am
Radio won't even play my jam
'Cause I am whatever you say I am
If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?
In the paper, the news, every day I am
I don't know, it's just the way I am

[tinrobot]

1. The halftime show was epic on so many levels

[sir pball]

5. TBH, as a 42-year old who remembers all the artists well...

It was a great reunion event, and objectively a wonderful concert - but it didn't have that certain je ne sais quoi each of the individual artists had in their prime.

It was a very good show but I wouldn't call it "epic"…it wasn't like Live Aid, but then again nothing really is.

[Demsrule86]

15. I thought it was wonderful myself.

[ChazII]

50. +1 n/t

[nolabear]

2. Back in the day I taught poetry in a children's prison.

Yeah, children’s prison. That was who introduced me to Eminem, and Stan, and Slim Shady. Those kids understood him and felt he understood them.

I was a therapist and poetry was how we communicated and talked. They were suspicious as hell of me til I fell in love with him. I’ll forever be grateful.

[Demsrule86]

17. You continue to amaze me...I fell in love with Eminem too.

[nolabear]

26. Thanks. That prison's been in the news lately.

I suspect they’re going to close it soon. It’s got a big, wooded “campus” with cottages—secure and staffed—but there was a pretty big escape recently. I hate to say it but I fear they’ll sacrifice the place for something far less pleasant (relatively) and more concrete.

The kids taught me Eminem and I taught them Pete Townsend’s Behind Blue Eyes. I’ve never seen so many tears. 😢

[Demsrule86]

38. We have more people imprisoned than almost any other country. sigh...

More concrete...ugly but effective.

[nolabear]

40. The most telling thing about this particular one

was that (and I’ll admit it was a girls’ unit so might not have been totally representational) many of the girls were there for doing harm to those they claim were abusing them or their loved ones. And you needed to be aware when they’d recently talked to a parent, because those conversations triggered terrible things.

This was a long time ago, around 2000. But I doubt it’s any better.

[Demsrule86]

41. So many women fight back and end up in jail. Sad ...

[Dial H For Hero]

3. As lyricists go, he's not exactly John Lennon, is he?

[sir pball]

7. He wasn't trying to be Lennon now, was he?

Poor urban kid with real talent, pissed off at the industry that was trivializing and commercializing him...how do you feel he should have expressed himself?

[Dial H For Hero]

12. If that was his goal, he succeeded admirably.

Lennon was also a poor kid with real talent, I would point out.

how do you feel he should have expressed himself?

Writing something of beauty rather than a vulgar screed about how angry he is would be a nice start. But I suppose that wouldn't sell.

[Autumn]

31. How about this from John Lennon? Good song but mostly nonsense

even I who adored John wouldn't call it a thing of beauty. No anger in it even though it was a song requested to be written for a campaign against Ronald Reagan when he ran for Governor.

Here come old flat top
He come grooving up slowly
He got joo joo eyeball
He one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker he just do what he please

He wear no shoe shine
He got toe jam football
He got monkey finger
He shoot Coca-Cola
He say I know you, you know me
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Come together, right now, over me

He bag production
He got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard
He one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease

Come together, right now, over me

He roller coaster
He got early warning
He got muddy water
He one mojo filter
He say, "one and one and one is three"
Got to be good looking 'cause he's so hard to see

Come together, right now, over me

Oh

Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah

Oh

Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah

[inthewind21]

34. Probably wouldn't sell to you

And it doesn't matter

220 million Albums sold
ten # 1 albums
15 Grammys
8 AMA's
17 Billboards
Artist of the decade
And more. So yeah, he gets plenty of sales.

[BlackSkimmer]

45. Whatever you do, don't listen to his song "Stan."

The original, not the one with Dido.

[Dial H For Hero]

52. I'm not familiar with it.

Mind you, I couldn't have named a single song by the man prior to participating in this thread if my life depended on it.

[msongs]

13. so in protest he refused all the money they were giving him lol nt

[RobinA]

16. No, He Was A

2 year old having a tantrum. But I'm a Boomer, so don't listen to me.

[Demsrule86]

18. I think his lyrics are amazing personally.

[Act_of_Reparation]

24. As far as composers go, John Lennon was was no Mozart, was he?

Can we stop this nonsense now, please?

[sir pball]

43. At least Em admitted he was abusive, bro.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/ypa9b5/you-dont-have-to-imagine-john-lennon-beat-women-and-childrenits-just-a-fact

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20201207-how-john-lennon-was-made-into-a-myth

Sorry dude

[Dial H For Hero]

51. What does admitting that he abused someone have to do with

the quality (or lack thereof) of his lyrics?

[Calista241]

4. I'm a little confused by it all.

Eminem, the only white performer in the halftime show, is the only one who knelt. Dre and Snoop didn't kneel, and both of them can be considered more of an activist than Eminem. If the NFL couldn't prevent Eminem from kneeling, they certainly couldn't do it to Snoop Dogg or Dr. Dre, 50cent, Mary J Blidge, or Kendrick Lamar.

I mean, Dre is pretty much a kingmaker on the music business. He, arguably, has more power than the NFL.

[sir pball]

6. Because a black person kneeling isn't attention-grabbing.

It may not be right but it is what it is - a black guy taking a knee is "predictable" and "the usual". A white guy doing it gets more attention, for better or worse.

And I will give Marshall Mathers credit - he's a *lot* more legitimate than that other "Detroit" guy Robert James Ritchie, aka Kid Rock.

[Withywindle]

36. This. It was about solidarity

There are things white people can get away with that Black people can't. This is why white moms formed a human chain to protect Black protestors during the Black Lives Matter protests. A white ally doing this is showing solidarity.

Basically a white person taking the knee is demonstrating that black people aren't the only ones who care about this issue.

[hlthe2b]

11. Maybe, but though rap isn't a favorite genre for me, Eminem has a way of captivating the audience

I have seen that when he was appearing with other well-known rappers and I saw it as the network scanned the faces of the crowd during the performance. Dr. Dre may be the mega-producer and kingmaker, Mary J. Blige an icon among female performers of her genre, but I have to admit that Eminem had that crowd. Snoop dog certainly has his fans, but it appeared to me that Eminem had the entire audience.

[Demsrule86]

20. I completely agree.

[BannonsLiver]

8. Given DU's median age is probably 70+ it's not a surprise

[MLAA]

9. I think he is an excellent lyricist.

Rap came around a bit late for me to broadly enjoy it, but occasionally a rap song sticks with me. If you ever have a chance to see Hamilton, go for it. I didn’t think it could live up to all the hype then I had a chance to see it and was blown away.

[Dial H For Hero]

14. I saw Hamilton myself. While I enjoyed a couple of numbers it, on the whole I have to give it

a thumbs down.

[Demsrule86]

21. Seriously...you don't seem to enjoy much diverse music...by diverse I mean all different. I like

all music from Country to rap...But hip hop and rap is truly American music.

[Dial H For Hero]

23. I enjoy classical, operetta, jazz, swing, rock & roll, show music, rock. Country I can take or

leave.

That isn't diverse and different?

[Act_of_Reparation]

25. Not really, no.

I mean, shit... you listed rock twice.

[Dial H For Hero]

27. Bit of a difference between Buddy Holly and Aerosmith.

[Act_of_Reparation]

33. I understand how nested hierarchies work.

There's also quite a bit of difference between, say, Tupac Shakur and the Beastie Boys, and here we both are.

[AZProgressive]

44. There are also regional styles

West coast tap is very different than Southern rap or east coast.

[inthewind21]

35. Not even close

[Demsrule86]

39. It could be I suppose...but to not like any rap or hip hop... I don't know it feels like you never

really gave it a chance which is of course your choice.

[Dial H For Hero]

42. I've been hearing it since it first became popular.

One can't help but come across it on tv, radio, films, etc. At its best I'm indifferent to it, and I find the expletive-ridden, misogynistic variety revolting.

[BGBD]

10. I generally like Ems music...

But we shouldn't overlook some serious problems in it that keep coming up.

You can rap without having to continue to use homophobic language and glorify abuse of women. These are two themes that he has used throughout his career, mostly for shock value.

[milestogo]

19. Thank you.

I have zero attention span for "artists" who use those themes.

[Demsrule86]

22. I guess you never heard of a song called 'Love the way you Lie' with both Rihanna and eminem.

It is a song about domestic abuse...quite famous.

[BGBD]

29. Sure....but one song

Doesn't fix the 100 other songs and it's not like he stopped doing it when he released that one either.

[Demsrule86]

37. Ok...and Rock never had songs that were not particularly pro-women I suppose.

[sir pball]

47. John Lennon, by his own admission, was an abuser

No, he didn't write songs like "Kim" or "97 Bonny and Clyde"...but at least Em is upfront about it.

[sir pball]

49. My wife won't listen to Eminem because of "97 Bonnie and Clyde"

She's a music geek and she'll readily admit Em is one of the best rappers ever - but she simply won't listen to him because of 97BaC and Kim. And that's fair. They are pretty awful songs.

[RandiFan1290]

28. This video really hit me hard in 2004

[wiggs]

30. Yes, impactful for me too. brave. nt

[radius777]

46. Eminem is one of the best rappers of all time, full stop.

He wrote his own songs which are mainly about his life growing up as poor white kid who liked hip hop. His music and life story resonated with the kids of gen-x and millennials of all colors. That wasn't easy considering he had to fight the 'Vanilla Ice' stereotype.

One of my favorite, Stan (has 500m views on Youtube) that he did with English singer Dido, a very musical yet haunting song:

[sir pball]

48. Have you seen the outtakes from 8 Mile?

He spits some of the most epic raps I have ever seen, and that's all I have to say.

[ARPad95]

53. The Story of Eminem documentary

Left-handed artist.