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A look at some classic music by Laura del Rio
CLASSIC ROCK EMINEM
EMINEM - Misogyny and Homophobia
Warning: you may find Eminem and/or his songs offensive.
No one’s really sure what to think of Eminem. He’s one of the
top-selling rap artists and he’s managed to create a new genre
of music: hardcore, white hip-hop. But he’s also got his contro-
versial side. His songs are homophobic and misogynist, and
contain references to death, rape and violence. Eminem’s mother
is suing him for calling her a drug addict; and he’s been charged
with assault - Eminem got into a fight after seeing his wife,
Kimberly Mathers, kissing a barman. Read on and find out about
one of the the most controversial rappers in the US.
A Difficult Childhood
“I tried to go back to school five years ago”, he said, “but I
couldn’t do it. I just wanted to be a star.” Eminem was born in
Kansas City in 1972, and he got his name “Eminem” by pro-
nouncing his initials (M&M from Marshall Mathers). As a child,
Eminem and his mother kept moving between Kansas City and
Detroit, switching schools every two or three months, which
made it difficult for him to make friends and to stay out of trou-
ble. Eminem dropped out of high school as a teenager.
Rap
Eminem started rapping in groups such as Basement Produc-
tions or the New Jacks but finally he decided to start his own
career. In 1996 he released his first album, Infinite. “Infinite was
me trying to figure out how I wanted my rap style to be,” ex-
plains Eminem, “how I wanted to sound on the mic and present
myself”.
The following year, in 1997, he put out the Slim Shady EP. “Slim
Shady is the evil side of me, the sarcastic, foul-mouthed side
of me”, said Eminem.
At this point his career took off. Eminem made his radio debut
on the famous “Wake Up Show” after winning the second place
at the 1997 Rap Olympics in Los Angeles, and in Eminem’s words:
“I felt like it was my time to shine”.
Glory
His next album, The Slim Shady LP reached the number 2