Eminem’s Life Story: The Way He Is

For many years people have been associating young adult’s violent behavior to rap music. Artists such as Eminem, Jay Z, 2 Pac, and many others are being blamed for the acts that teenagers commit, but why do these artists have such an influential impact on us? In our research of Eminem, our group is studying three main controversies; his upbringing, his attacks against family members and other artists, and his political views, in hopes to understand why his words influence millions of children and young adults. As Eminem said in an interview, “They portrayed me as a vicious, vile, evil person, but I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere in this business if I was just a complete a**hole” (“Eminem on His”). (Good)

He is a man who revolutionizes the hip-hop and the pop culture eternally, he epitomizes cultural interbreed, he rules the rap world and creates a bizarre perception, and his name is Eminem, otherwise known as Marshal Bruce Mathers III (Eminem: Biographical) (maybe introduce the source at the start of the information). He changed his name to one of the most well known rap stars in 1996. Eminem was born on October 17, 1972 in Missouri (“Eminem:mm52”). He moved to a town named Warren and grew up there as a poor child with no real guidance. He was constantly staying with his relatives while his mom was jobless or too into her pill habits to take care of him. When Eminem was twelve, his mother finally settled down in Detroit, Michigan. As a teenager, Eminem mainly found himself on streets by his high school, Osburne High, listening to rap music by LL Cool J and Run DMC. At school he would start fighting with other school mates, and he quickly received the reputation of a witty free styled writer who came up with lyrics that astounded his friends. He turned his free styling from a hobby to an underground career and battled other local rappers for money. He rapped about growing up poor, having a drug addict for a mother, a rocky relationship with his soon-to-be wife Kim, and being accepted as a rapper in a predominantly black rapper society. Eminem manages to inculcate depth subtly and painfully into lyrics which have been chiefly prejudiced by his own life, a true reflection of the many troubled children today. (And is there a source for the above information?)

(According to Kim Krichbaum ..??)In December of 1995, the love of Eminem’s life was born, Hallie Mathers. He spent a great deal of time with his daughter and his wife, while trying to pick up side jobs to support his family. His passion for rap and swift lyrics did not fade, and he began entering himself into contests and promoting his work on radio stations, and also local shows. In 1997, Mathers was picked up by a record company and despite criticism, released his first album Infinite (Krichbaum again, it’s helpful to introduce the source where their information starts ). Eminem was very much disappointed with the success of this album. He didn’t let that question his own ability to rap and he continued to write more lyrics. He knew one day these lyrics would be well known. His next album The Slim Shady LP made it into the hands of a famous rapper and producer, Dr. Dre who turned the album into a sure hit. In 1999 Eminem took the world by storm with his first released single, “My Name Is.” Since his first single, there was no turning back. Today, Eminem is considered by some, a modern day poet. To others, he is a homophobic, disgraceful and insensitive man who does not deserve a second on the air.

(Needs a transition here)

Eminem has also battled not only through poverty and abandonment of family, but his race as well. Marshall has been accused many different times of almost “stealing” black music. Eminem is compared to Elvis Presley because when Elvis came out, no white person could sing or move the way he did, however the black people could. Marshal grew up listening to rap and hip-hop which became his life. That was his culture and his religion. In “Without Me,” Eminem writes, “Being black, white, Asian does not matter to a blind person who why should it matter to the world or hip-hop? I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley, do black music so selfishly, and used it to get myself wealthy…..”(Esling introduce before the parenthetical). Eminem never was conditioned by the media’s praise or the people’s negative comments, but what actually lies within him.

Eminem has grown up into the man he is today under extraneous circumstances. Not only do his lyrics consist of violent, vulgar material, but his life as well. Eminem’s life consists of being married, arrested, divorced, and being involved in family lawsuits. A lot of this frustration in his life can directly be portrayed in the lyrics he writes.

Eminem was married to his wife, Kim, for several years. During those years of marriage, the couple struggled to have a happy life. His wife, on the eve of July 10, 2000 at the couple’s house in Sterling Heights, Michigan, slit her wrists in an attempt to commit suicide (“Eminem’s Wife’s Suicide”). Once officers arrived at the home, it was reported in a 911 tape recording that Kim said, “There has got to be a better place than this” (“911 Tape”). This just goes to show that Eminem did not have a life which his wife enjoyed. After this incident, Kim was transferred to a psychiatric ward for further testing (“Eminem’s Wife’s Suicide”).

Eminem was also allegedly arrested and charged with two felonies after an incident at a Detroit Nightclub. Here, Eminem pulled a gun, and attempted to fight with a man who had allegedly kissed his wife, Kim. Witnesses that were at the scene claimed Eminem “pointed the gun at the other man and shouted, “I’m going to kill you.”” However, the gun was unloaded (“Eminem Arraigned”). This is relevant in Eminem’s song, “Cleaning out My Closet,” where he raps, “What I did was stupid, no doubt it was dumb, but the smartest sh** I did was pull the bullets out of that gun. Cuz id’a killed’em, sh** I would have shot Kim an’him both” (“Lyrics”). (Okay, good. Shows the relevance). As scary as this may sound, it connects to this incident with Kim, and the man she apparently kissed. Instances keep occurring in Eminem’s life, proving he is a very vulgar man, who takes his frustrations with people (other stars), and his family members, within his lyrics. Just recently in the news, Eminem’s uncle who was his father figure committed suicide. Eminem never really had a father growing up, as his very own father abandoned him at a young age (“Eminem’s Father figure”). Also in the song “Cleaning Out My Closet,” Eminem refers to his father, “I was a baby; maybe I was just a couple of months. My faggot father must have had his panties up in a bunch, cuz he split. I wonder if he even kissed me goodbye. No, I don't on second thought, I just f*****' wished he would die” (“Lyrics”). Eminem’s uncle, Todd Nelson, shot himself in the head in late October of 2004 (“Eminem’s Father’s figure”).

(Needs transition)There is a lot of bad blood between Eminem and his mother. Eminem’s mother, Debbie Mather’s sued Eminem in 1999 for comments he made in several interviews. The lyrics in the song “Cleaning Out My Closet,” portrayed Eminem’s true feeling regarding his mother, and the whole chorus is based on her. It goes like, “I’m sorry mamma. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to make you cry, but tonight I’m cleanin’ out my closet” (“Lyrics”). In this song, he means he is ridding himself of her. It is very clear that with all the lawsuits between his mother and himself, that they are each battling each other, to the very bitter end. Eminem told the Detroit Free Press italicize titles in an interview that a lot of his “comical rhymes” come from his rough childhood. Apparently, his mother believed these accusations to be false, and sued him for 10 million dollars (“Rapper”).

During Eminem’s career, people have been listening to his lyrics that criticize means the same thing many different artists, such as Limp Bizkit, Mariah Carey, Moby, and Michael Jackson. Many of these instances have occurred when an artist has caused havoc with Eminem, and he retaliates within his lyrics.  Eminem does not seem to have a problem with attacking other fellow singers, but when the attacks are against him, he becomes infuriated. 

The most famous attack against Eminem was at the Grammy awards.  Moby harassed Eminem by calling him “a misogynist, homophobe, racist and anti Semite” (Esling).  When Eminem heard this, he responded with what he knows; his music. He knows that listeners from everywhere hear what he has to say.  Eminem called Moby a “36 year-old bald-headed fag” in one of his songs(Esling).  Once the 2002 Video Music Awards came along, millions of people watched as Eminem brushed away Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, a puppet, as the dog tried to talk to him.  The dog would later state on Late Night with Conan O’Brien that Eminem just needs to learn to lighten up.

Eminem’s most current stunt has turned to Michael Jackson.  In his recent video, “Just Lose It,” Eminem pretended to be Michael in his video.  He portrayed Michael as if he was a child molester. In the video, Eminem was sitting, while little boys were jumping on the bed, thus portraying Michael as a child molester. During this scene he says, “Come here, little kiddie, on my lap.  Guess who’s coming back to rap” (“Eminem Video”). In another scene he portrayed the speculation of Michael’s nose not being real, and used an incident in Michael’s life where his hair caught on fire.  Michael Jackson responded to Eminem’s video saying, “I am angry at Eminem’s depiction of me in this video.  I feel that it is outrageous and disrespectful.  It is one thing to spoof, but it is another to be demeaning and insensitive” (“Eminem Video” ). Michael has asked for cable music stations to remove the video.  Only one station truly has and that is Black Entertainment Television.  The president of the station claimed it was inappropriate to disparage a celebrity (“Eminem Video”).

Of all the public and documented direct attacks Eminem has made, none have created such a media buzz as his latest with the President, George W. Bush. It’s not hard to find out what issues are important to Eminem and what things he disapproves of. His lyrics and actions have always placed blame and responsibility directly on the shoulders of the President. His harsh disapproval stems from what he calls the use of American troops to conquer oil in other countries, his constant battle with the FCC over censorship issues, and his overall lack of leadership. Good intro to quote In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine,italicize magazine titles Eminem says of George Bush, “He’s been painted to be this hero, and he’s got our troops over there dying for no reason. I haven’t heard an explanation yet that I can understand. Explain to us why we have troops over there dying” (Toure 5).

(Needs transition here) If one were to step back and take a closer look at Eminem’s progression, they would notice a distinct pattern. His early albums focused mainly on other rappers at his level, his wife, and his mom. Later, as his popularity grew, so did the size of the figures he started attacking (Good,Nice analysis). Big time musicians from out of his genre started to feel what it was like to be on Eminem’s bad side. Moby, Michael Jackson, and many others were specific targets in his videos and lyrics. At the height of Eminem’s stardom, he started to take on his biggest opponent yet, the President. It started with his 2 nd to last album, The Eminem Show, in a song entitled “White America” This was the first time Eminem had dedicated a whole song to his political beliefs and views. In it he mocks the Constitution and Bill of Rights saying that we do not actually have those rights (freedom of speech and right to assemble peacefully) due to the censorship the Government tries to put on him.

The impact Eminem has on youth today is immeasurable. His last 3 albums (not including Encore which is still on sale) sold over 8 million copies each. An artist of this generation let alone a rapper has never reached these types of figures. Eminem’s following has become more or less a cult to some. They take his words and lyrics as gospel, and a poll recently taken at election time states that 53% of Eminem’s listeners trust his words over those of the President’s (Younge 1). Those kinds of numbers speak volumes as to the impact this man has on the youth of today. Of course it is impossible to measure directly how many votes were cast due to Eminem’s lyrics and actions, but if nothing else, he at least got his message across.

Eminem expresses his political views mainly trough his lyrics and according to an interview with slim-shady.org, (nicely done) he writes about things that affect him personally and those that he can use to get reactions from the people (Jesse). His feelings to this political system are mainly expressed in his “White America” video where he talks about the government’s promise to uphold its laws but many people haven’t been able to exercise them. He also talks about the congress and his dislike for it is evident when he says “…march right up to the steps of congress and piss on the laws of the White House, to burn the flag and replace it with the parental advisory sticker” (“White America”).

Eminem elaborates on his political views through his latest video, “Mosh” which he released just before the elections. The new animated video tackles many domestic problems facing the country including poverty, racial profiling blames the government for all this, focusing on President Bush. The video begins with a commercial air liner flying over a school then explodes off screen. A suited Eminem is then shown reading a book entitled “My Pet Bush” to a room full of children. As the video goes on, Eminem suggests “let the president answer on higher anarchy. strap him with an AK-47 , let him go fight his own war/ lit him impress daddy that way, …no more blood for oil” (“Mosh”). He also urges the government to bring the troops home.

Eminem’s life can best be described as a rocky rollercoaster. His childhood was that of struggle, especially with both his mother and father proving to never really be there for him. Eminem also struggled to become a successful rapper, because he was white, trying to make it in the rapping society that was made up of predominately black people. When Eminem found himself to be a success, he took it upon himself, and his lyrics to express his opinions of the world. He chose to take out frustrations of other stars, especially those of Michael Jackson and Moby, and also his complications with his marriage, and even his mother. Although Eminem thought he had a rough childhood, he became a very successful man because of it, giving himself something to rap about. As Eminem raps about his experiences and feelings, his influence on teenagers and young adults is solely based on these expressions. Young adults can relate to Eminem’s emotions, and older adults find themselves complaining about Eminem’s lyrics, and the vulgarity that they contain. On an ending note, Eminem’s song, “The Way I Am,” best describes his feelings toward life, and the fact that he continues to be fed with “fuel” to come up with his lyrics. In it he states, “When a dude’s getting bullied and shoots up his school and they blame it on Marilyn…and the heroin. Where were these parents at? And look where it’s at Middle America, now it’s a tragedy. Now it’s sad to see, an upper class city havin’ this happenin’ to them. 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 burnin’ and I have returned (see how to quote poetry and lyrics in the handbook)(“Lyrics”).

Works Cited

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Esling, Isabella. Title ?4 April. 2004. 23 Nov. 2004 <http:// www.Gavinsblog.com>.

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Krichbaum, Kim. “ 8 Mile”. 2003 Northern Starunderline. 23 Nov. 2004 <http://www.star.niu.edu/weekender/040303/dvd/index.asp>

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"Mosh." Lyrics A-Z Universe. 18 Nov. 2004. Enimem.
< http://azlyrics.com/lyrics/eminem/mosh.html>.

“Rapper Eminem’s Mother Sues Over His Stories of Rough Childhood.” Associated Press. 19 Sept., 1999. 3 Nov. 2004. < http://www.freep.com/news/locmac/quemin19.htm>.

Toure. “The Serious Side of Eminem.” The Rolling Stone. 14 Oct. 2004 < http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6593164 >.

"White America." Lyrics A-Z Universe. 18 Nov. 2004. Eminem.
< http://azlyrics.com/lyrics/eminem/whiteamerica.html>.

Younge, Gary “Youth Find More Truth In Eminem Than Bush.” Common Dreams Newscenter. 19 July 2004 < http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0718-01.htm>.

Zebra Publications. 23 Nov. 2004 < http://www.starsontop.com>. (not cited in text)