Eminem's Upcoming Album - A Standing Ovation For King Mathers?

This article purposely combines both highly speculatedindustry , but it resulted from brothers (RIP Proof is the
titles for Eminem's upcoming album. An album thatmain founder of the group) who shared the same
Marshall Mathers recently announced on NYC radiopassion for the vibe.
Hot'97.Third, one should also recall that Eminem does not
After a few years break , Slim Shady's return seemsconform with the usual artistic stereotype.
to be imminent, which constitutes an event in itself.His down to earth attitude, his self hatred, his honesty
After the rumors of his early retirement that go backin exposing ugly facts and situations, his modest origins,
to 2005, despite a strong denial from the artist himself,his approachability in terms of sharing his life story
many listeners, fans and maybe even close friendsdetails soon made a very likable person of Eminem in
kept asking themselves if Eminem had decided tohip hop fans' eyes.
work more in the field of producing or if he simplyEminem soon became the example of somebody
buried his evil character for good.people could relate to. His acclaim is totally justified in
But maybe Eminem's return will not be musicallythat way, because he managed to break the distance
written in the same terms as expected. Maybebetween artist and listener, creating an unprecedented
Eminem intends to come up with a brand new style. Ifcloseness and complicity with the fan.
he doesn't, he might resurrect Slim Shady from hisMaybe Eminem is also the prototype of a walking
grave, who knows?contradiction: his generosity in exposing quantity of
At the time I am writing those lines, those are onlydetails from his life story soon became the boomerang
empty suppositions. All we can do is wait and see.that would hit him hard in terms of the liberty he was
Eminem is truly a phenomenon in rap history. Hislonging for. Stalkers of all kind would soon make his
detractors pretend that he used his skin color to reachprivate life a living nightmare.
the top more easily.Since he was catapult to the top to now, Eminem has
Matter of fact: among all white rapping artists (pardonoffered his listeners a prolific work with very various
me, I really hate talking about an artist's skin color, butartistic collaborations.
this element is necessary, if I want to prove my point),His second album, the Marshall Mathers LP, probably
Eminem is the only one with a worldwide mainstreamtops any other of his albums, because it is a subtle
appeal in the world of hip hop.combination of poetry, creativity, social commentary,
Actually, Eminem is one of the most talked aboutshock value, an invaluable sense of humor-at least in
contemporary rap artists.my eyes. Moreover, Marshall Mathers is an artist who
Many people tried to imitate his style, but all of themmanaged to create specific atmosphere thanks to his
failed before they achieved anything consistent.subtle mastery of the English language.
So, why did Eminem, also known to the public asA song like Stan has the depth of Rimbaud's poem Le
Marshall Mathers, have such an impact in hip hop?Dormeur Du Val. Like the French poet, Eminem draws
The first reason is undeniably Eminem's brilliance. Thea picture that is getting more dramatic and darker as
more I got in depth in studying his music through thetimes goes by.
years, the more his intelligence in handling compoundFurther on, the 8 Mile Road song, for instance, is built
syllables, his subtle sense of humor, his ability to use hison similar [i] sounds that imply a constant struggle. A
own weaknesses to his greatest advantage, hissimilar structure can also be found in Yellow Brick
honesty in describing true life situations he wentRoad, a subtle syllabic word construction that will
through, impressed me.remain an attentive ear of the monotonous sound of a
Some people always objected that Eminem owestrain on the rails.
everything to Dr Dre. If it is true that brilliance isn'tVery few songs surpass Drug Ballad, a beautiful
everything in the merciless world of the music industry,instrumental and word combination that allows the
Eminem's early work is the full expression of a musicallistener to enter into the forbidden world of a drug
genius.addict, making him feel the sensation of drowning into
A song like Biterphobia is a subtle musical composition,the alcohol. The instrumentals truly make you feel the
lyrically and instrumentally as well. It was released ininfernal spiral in which the addict is caught with no way
1994. One could barely object that the young Marshallto escape.
Mathers had the means to pay a ghostwriter at timeEncore is probably the worst of his albums. Despite a
he was struggling to survive, which means the youngfew well written songs like Mosh, it indicated some
man was a true (undiscovered) lyrical genius. Otherartistic fatigue and some of its themes need to be
songs from the Slim Shady EP do carry the samerenewed. The commercial dimension of some songs in
brilliance in the writing; one has to admit that the earlyEncore really disappointed me.
Eminem excels in storytelling.By stating this a while, I raised some controversy. But I
Second handedly, and whether his detractors like it orreally don't care.
not, Eminem is credible as a white man in a blackI'm not here to praise Eminem in any case. As a music
man's world.journalist, I am here to offer an honest and objective
As he stated it in a former interview that goes back toperception of the artist from a professional point of
1999, Marshall Mathers used to live across the blackview. I owe my readers the truth.
side of 8 Mile, because his mom couldn't afford to payEminem's force also lies in the fact that he manages
the rent on the white side.to use the darkest life situations he went through in
Totally immersed into hip hop culture since his uncleorder to transform them into artistic creativity.
Ronnie introduced him into Ice T's Breaking CD,Since 2005, Eminem has been through very painful
Eminem also grew up into the harsh world of 8 Mileevents. His best friend Proof's death is probably one of
where had to fight for his dream to come true, despitethe worst sorrows a human being can go through. I
the racial tension that was prevailing in the early 90's.trust Eminem's will to honor his friend s memory will
Also and despite climate of hatred and suspicionallow him to dig out of his heart the most beautiful and
between black and white communities, Marshallcreative lyrical treasures.
Mathers built some true friendships with his blackThen the world will be truly be his for the taking
fellows. D 12 isn't a group that was born bybecause the crowd of listeners will be touched and
professional interest like it often happens in the musiccrown its king of the mic for a standing ovation.