Hindsight is an odd thing.
It would surprise many to learn that William Shakespeare, today unanimously recognised
as a brilliant and even ingenious poet and playwright, did not always possess
the highly respected reputation that he does today. Renowned French Enlightenment
philosopher Voltaire famously referred to Shakespeare as “a drunken savage with
some imagination whose plays please only in London and Canada”.[1]
That Stratford’s most famous son drew such ire from a figure of such esteem is
astonishing, but there is truth to the old cliché that artists are rarely properly
appreciated during their lifetime.
One artist who has lived to
enjoy critical acclaim but has also attracted his fair share of vitriolic
detractors is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known to the world as Eminem.
The rapper, songwriter and record producer has sold nearly 90 million albums
worldwide, making him the best selling recording artist of the 2000s and one of
the best selling artists of all time. In spite, or perhaps because, of this
success, Eminem has been subject to substantial criticism concerning the
content of his lyrics. Like
Shakespeare, his work is populist and appealing to the masses, but it is also
defined by a strong sense of craftsmanship and artistry. Is it possible that
Eminem is to our era what Shakespeare was to his?
Much like Shakespeare,
Eminem is a man of humble beginnings. Born in 1972 in Detroit, the young
Marshall Mathers grew up with an alcoholic mother and an absent father. The
hardships he encountered while growing up proved to be effective fuel for his
music and before long, his demo tape found its way to Dr. Dre, founding member
of N.W.A. and one of the most respected record producers in the business. That
he was impressed enough by a white rapper’s work to give him a record deal is
testament to Eminem’s talent; hip hop culture at the time was largely
celebrated by black audiences, and it has been noted that Dr. Dre seriously
risked his reputation and credibility by going against the grain in the way he
did. However, since his 1999 breakthrough with The Slim Shady LP, Eminem has not only conquered the hip-hop world but
also broken into the mainstream, becoming a figure as ubiquitous in popular
culture as Shakespeare himself. Eminem’s lyrics are even beginning to be
studied
Critics of hip-hop are
numerous and wide-ranging, with many focusing on the attitudes of misogyny and
homophobia that pervade the work of many rappers. Eminem is no exception; the
words “bitch”, “hoe” and “faggot” are commonly found in his songs. In a piece
for The New York Times entitled In
America; A Musical Betrayal, Bob Herbert opines, with a choice of words not
unlike that of Voltaire, that “in Eminem’s world all women are “whores” and he
is eager to rape and murder them”.[2]
Such criticisms are not entirely unfounded, but they ignore the thematic
resonance of Eminem’s lyrical matter. Just as works by Shakesepeare such as Macbeth explore themes of murder and
sexuality in a highly vivid manner, Eminem aims to remove his audiences from
their comfort zone with his harsh criticism of society. Though his ironic
appropriation of hip-hop culture behaviour was harder to distinguish from
actual bigotry earlier in his career, Eminem has become more mature and visibly
thoughtful in recent years.
No song better displays
Eminem’s linguistic dexterity and lyrical mastery than his 2000 single Stan. The song was included on his album
The Marshall Mathers LP and samples
British singer Dido’s hit single “Thank You”, with the lyrics being written and
performed from the point of view of an obsessive fan writing increasingly
personal and frustrated letters to Eminem but receiving no reply. In the final
verse, Eminem finally finds the time to write a letter back, but realises his
fan Stan has killed himself and his pregnant girlfriend in an intoxicated rage.
The song is a chilling account of mental illness, celebrity worship and the
tragedy that can occur when the two collide:
“I can relate to what you’re saying in your songs
So when I have a shitty day, I drift away and put ‘em on
Cause I don’t really got shit else so that shit helps when I’m
depressed
I even got a tattoo of your name across my chest
Sometimes I even cut myself to see how much it bleeds
It’s like adrenaline; the pain is such a sudden rush for me
See everything you say is real and I respect you ‘cause you tell it
My girlfriend’s jealous because I talk about you 24/7”[3]
In just eight lines, Eminem
paints an amazingly three-dimensional portrait of the character Stan, hinting
at undiagnosed mental and emotional problems and suppressed homoerotic desires.
Not only are the lyrics rich in thematic content, but Eminem displays an impressive
skill in rhythm and rhyming; not only do the last words of lines rhyme with
each other as in most rap music, but Eminem also includes multiple rhyming
words within individual lines such as, “So when I have a shitty day, I drift
away and put ‘em on”. Despite his fame and multiple awards, I feel Eminem is
underrated in terms of his linguistic prowess; his use of metaphor and wordplay
is extremely similat to that of Shakespeare himself.
Whatever one’s personal
stance on Eminem and the content of his music, it is undeniable that he is
extremely talented. I believe it is entirely possible that hundreds of years
from now, future generations will hold Eminem in the same regard as William
Shakespeare. Even if this does not transpire, I believe the mere possibility to
be extremely exciting and worth discussion. Indeed, the very fact that one can
raise such a possibility without it seeming wholly ridiculous is testament to
the possibility that Eminem’s future legacy will eclipse his current fame.
Bibliography
Armstrong,
Dido, Herman, Paul and Mathers, Marshall. Stan
Aftermath Entertainment: Interscope Records, 2000.
Herbert, Bob. “In America; A Musical Betrayal” The New York
Times,
Voltaire. The Shakespeare Book of Lists, edited by
Michael LoMonico, 34. U.S.A.:
Book-mart Press, 2001.
[1] Voltaire, “The Shakespeare Book of Lists”, ed. Michael LoMonico (U.S.A.:
Book-mart Press, 2001) 34.
[2] Bob Herbert,
“In America; A Musical Betrayal,” The New York Times,
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/29/opinion/in-america-a-musical-betrayal.html
(accessed on April 25, 2012).
[3] Dido Armstrong, Paul Herman and Marshall Mathers, Stan (Aftermath
Entertainment: Interscope Records, 2000).
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