Whatever happened to Eminem?

AIDS?

"literally"

Oh, dear.

Good. I’ve hated him for ever.

First off, he’s 52. To put it into perspective, he’s older than Madonna was when she released “Hard Candy” and the same age as Cher when she released “Believe”.

Second , he released an album last year that kicked Taylor Swift out of the number one spot after a long consecutive run so he can still top the albums charts.

Third - he remains the best-selling artist of the 2000s. No one has yet to surpass him despite him getting up there in age and his sales decline.

With all of that said, he’s a homebody who’s never been in the spotlight outside of his early controversies. He rarely tours, rarely performs on TV and keeps to himself.

So you don’t see him because he doesn’t put himself out there but he still has a fanbase and can still sell albums.

He has been much more successful than Jay-Z as an artist in the last decade. Jay-Z is practically retired.

And yes, I love Eminem.

He was my generation’s Madonna. I believe he was the successor to Madonna unlike the female artists who gained popularity by copying Madonna.

They were both generational disrupters and their image, music, music videos, controversies, messages, and popularity were parallel.

I had a middle school classroom full of boys with bleach blonde hair, including myself.

To continue, Eminem was incredible. Eminem made hip-hop feel like punk rock, comedy, drama, and pop all at once.

He forced the world to look at low-class white America without shame, just raw dysfunction, violence, addiction, and anger and made it mainstream.

This wasn’t just music, it was a cultural shift. Around the same time as South Park, Jerry Springer, and Jackass, Eminem helped end the era of sanitized whiteness.

And unlike Kurt Cobain and other outsiders before him, Eminem was universal. He had no problem “selling out” and mocking power and mocking himself.

He was really the last great rebellious artist. I give credit to Beyonce and she spent the 2010s disrupting sociocultural with blackness and feminism but she’s too polished compared to Madonna and Eminem.

I wanted to have his babies - and I wasn't a girl.

We could try.

It also helps that most of his controversies are directly aimed at his art and not to the artist itself.

You won't see him messed up in the type of scandals guys like Diddy, R. Kelly, Michael Jackson and Jay-Z have been into.

Are there no other Lions fans on DL? Eminem is alive, well, and has been front and center at Ford Field on game day.

Unrelated, he became a grandfather in April. No joke, I kinda love the guy now.

It's a joke among Marines how much Jim Mattis looked like an aging Eminem...

R9 The only “scandal” he was involved with was his relationship with Mariah Carey. He claims they dated for a couple of months, she denies it lol.

I think it happened but I think she had just broken up with Luis Miguel and was probably rebounding.

One of the greatest rappers ever? Oh, my sides! Eminem sucks and so does Dre for bringing him into our consciousness. We get it, your mom is a bitch, and so is your ex wife. Are we girlfriends here? Do I give a shit?

He is a 52 year old rapper. That is what happened to him.

And r13, you are wrong. Eminem is on just about every top 10 list of best rappers of all time. Just because you feel a certain way doesn't make it so.

He doesn’t seem like the type to enjoy fame despite his mega success.

He raised a daughter that graduated from college.

He’s at home, tending to his garden and needlepoint, as all aged white rappers do.

This song was a hit just last year:

Feminem

He was a skinny white boy that could rap which gave skinny white boys all over the country someone to look up to.

I always found him corny. I'm not a rap aficionado, but I feel like his 'talent' has been massively over hyped for decades. But you're going to have a hard time convincing me of the brilliance of any rapper - even Kendrick Lamar who seems to be the people's choice.

He's like the Elvis of rap - a good looking, non-threatening white boy making (what was traditionally) black music so that white people can feel good about singing / emulating a black medium.

The 1.0 version was Vanilla Ice. And he got taken down by the black community fast. This time, they needed Suge Knight and other legends support to make him authentic and real.

And I think he's a piece of shit person to boot.

I still like his rap from 2018 when he waisted his breath going after Machine Gun Kelly in a diss track. Boy was he a flash in the pan.

As far as rappers go, Eminem is insanely talented. That is recognized by the biggest names in rap music. You cannot find one black rapper of any note who will express the same opinion as R20. In the world or rappers he is always in the top 10, no matter who is compiling the list.

Most of his songs sound the same...bad. Houdini may have been successful but he had to use a famous sample.

These are other rappers talking about Eminem. He is an amazing lyricist. And the cadence and word play are so unique to him and like no other rapper.

Love Eminem.

Oscar winner!

R20 - this is what AI gave me as examples of his great lyrics:

"You're all aware/I don't got it all upstairs/I guess that's why I'm an addict (Attic) and it's so small up there." - "Evil Twin" (2013) "Seize the moment, try to freeze it and own it, squeeze it and hold it. 'Cause we consider these minutes golden." "But then of course everything always happens for a reason. I guess it was never meant to be. But it's just something we have no control over and that's what destiny is." - "Mockingbird" "Just as soon as I walk in. It's like all eyes on me, so I try to avoid any eye contact." - "Beautiful" "My thoughts are sporadic I act like I'm an addict I rap like I'm addicted to smack like I'm Kim Mathers."

I fail to see the genius in any of these lyrics - but the bar isn't exactly high in the rap world. I stand by what I said. Provide some other examples - honestly - I'm willing to give it a try.

And it feels so empty without him.

I never understood why he was sometimes accused of cultural appropiation just for being a white rapper.

If there was actually a white male solo artist who definitely made his carreer acting truly like a "wigger", that was Justin Timberlake.

He campaigned for Kamala so all is forgiven

R29 - watch what you're saying - JanBot may be watching and the word "Justin Timberlake" will trigger him to a complete online meltdown, requiring oxygen and a defibrillator.

R29, I have never met a single black person who has accused Eminem of culturally appropriation.

He had a great ass back in the day, which he loved to flash, but I'm sure it's gone now.

One of the best

Well, one thing I know is that he melts in your mouth, not in your hand.

He teaches a class at the Learning Annex.

R34 - I only wish you the grace of developing discernment and taste as you age. You're in dire need of it.

What scandals has Jay Z had?

R38 - He KNOWS - but I'm not allowed to talk about it. In public at least.

He's fine, he sends his love. Hailie just got had a kid. Em comes out & makes appearances & does albums when he wants to. He is enjoying working and being at his own pace.

A great rapper? I’ll just leave this here.

r37 and all your other posts - are you doing ok? You seem strangely invested in this thread.

No one ever says the exact same things about death metal or punk music. That can have zero musicality about it as well. not even a beat. But no one goes on and on for decades about how that's not music. Because it's not. but again. that's not the point. I wonder what it is about rap that people need to constantly minimize or denigrate it. I wonder... Hmmm...

R41, I don't get the point of that. Shakespeare wasn't a musician either. Wordsworth, Milton, Frost weren't musicians either. You can go down a long list of very accomplished, talented people who aren't musicians. But that really isn't saying much. The thing about rap that most people don't get is the word play, like the people mentioned above - in some cases extreme word play, the turn of a phrase that will make you see the most common word or phrase in a new way. The double, sometimes triple word play that comes with a turn of a phrase. That paired with someone's natural cadence or the way they deliver a line, or the tone and timber of their voice (DMX WAS his voice).. All of those things come into play. It's really about how the words sound coming out of someone's mouth to the beat, and how they can take you on a ride with that. Sometimes the words don't even matter. It's like listening to Sigur Rós or Thom Yorke, it's not always about what's is being said, it's about how it makes you feel on a visceral level.

Jerry was obviously a racist.

I think my dad went crazy.

[quote] He forced the world to look at low-class white America without shame, just raw dysfunction, violence, addiction, and anger and made it mainstream.

🙄

I could never stand his voice. Ugh

R42 - yes - because calling this scrawny average white guy a genius is offensive to most people with a brain and their five senses.

Why do you care? This forum is supposedly about pointless bitchery - I'll say my stance is not pointless. Eminem being held aloft as some musical genius is a new low in American culture.

He's fine! He sends his love!

I'm not a huge fan of Em, but I can recognize that in the rap genre, the way he raps, with his cadence, and yes, his lyrics, are genius. He also is one of the few rappers who has no problems making fun of himself.

For instance, here is Kayne, another "genius" lyrics:

I can never think of him without thinking of the time Triumph the Insult Comic Dog made fun of him at an awards show and he responded as if he thought Triumph was real and not a puppet.

Later even Eminem made fun of himself for his reaction (he said he had been so burned out at the time from working long hours on an album he was pretty loopy that night).

R50 - I think you're confusing "creative" and "clever" for "genius". Otherwise, please provide some "genius" Eminem lyrics.

Moms spaghetti

r48 " Eminem being held aloft as some musical genius is a new low in American culture. "

Jesus, go touch grass this weekend, sweetheart.

R1, what year is it where you live? 1985?

R43 Are you being serious right now? Death metal and punk are not fucking mainstream, the average Joe would have nothing to say about them because he wouldn't even be aware of them, it's not like shitty Deicide or Dead Kennedys are being thrust upon us like rap music is. But yeah, it's cause everyone is racist. This fucker was forced on us, punk and metal bands are not.

Rap is a young person’s game. You’re not going to find that many people doing it into their 40s and 50s. You make your money and you get out.

R56 the discussion wasn’t about mainstream music. It was about rap in general. Jerry Garcia wasn’t talking about Rap IN mainstream music. He was making a commentary about the genre as a whole. I guess you can change the conversation to suit your narrative - but at least say as much.

R58 Jerry Garcia? What are you talking about?

Em didn’t go no nowhere. He just ain’t bout that tabloid life. Eminem is the most successful rapper of all time with hit albums and songs even in the past decade.

He's the most succesful rapper ever? When fucking Chuck D, Ice Cube, and even that hack Tupac are rappers? Wow, that's pretty fucking sad.

R59, my original post at R43 was in response to R41 who posted a link to Jerry Garcia's opinion of rap music.

My response to R58 in my post at R59 was to this:

[quote][R43] Are you being serious right now? Death metal and punk are not fucking mainstream, the average Joe would have nothing to say about them because he wouldn't even be aware of them, it's not like shitty Deicide or Dead Kennedys are being thrust upon us like rap music is. But yeah, it's cause everyone is racist. This fucker was forced on us, punk and metal bands are not.

Can you follow? Is it even worth it?

R62 No, it's not worth it. I would never deign to respond to anything said by Jerry Garcia.

He played at the Austin F1 racetrack last October and I think it was close to sold out, if not completely. I wanted to go but got lazy then the tickets were around $400 day of, so nah.

Anyway, here is the show. Seems like he still has a few fans.

He’s very famous still, I think you don’t pay much attention. Rap God was a big hit and so was the MGK feud. But yeah, everyone agrees he hasn’t had a good album since The Eminem Show forever ago.

[quote] I'm not a huge fan of Em, but I can recognize that in the rap genre, the way he raps, with his cadence, and yes, his lyrics, are genius.

Jonas Salk was a genius. Rappers are not geniuses.

Yeah, that’s where I was going with that.

R41 Jerry Garcia is stupid. Spoken-word, scat singing, chant, and even certain folk traditions all blend speech with music and they’ve long been considered part of the musical canon.

You belong in the “when did you realize you were old through music”. No one under 70 would post this lol.

He even had a number one song last year that’s how I know OP don’t be following these commercial streets. And not on a component chart, but Billboard proper— The Hot 100.

Op, get some friends under 50.

I like how he proudly embraces his high functioning autism and neurodivergence nowadays.

You know it’s funny to hear racist Jerry Garcia badmouthing rap. I think that’s the only time I’ve ever heard him say anything negative. Somebody must have pissed in his coffee that morning.

R71 is up here calling Jerry Garcia a racist because he said rap isn't music? Riiigght. Participating in concerts to benefit the Black Panthers and preaching peace, inclusion and acceptance is racist I guess.

Jerry was down with the spades?

I think he set Rihanna on fire and watched her burn.

R74 - Well, that's alright, because I like the way it hurts

^said every bottom everywhere.

R71= Kecia Lewis.

He still releases albums, but his audience has mostly moved on.

Much of his crossover appeal had to do with the fact that rap fans admired his lyrics and wit, alienated white boys embraced his angry persona, and young women (and gay men) found him sexually attractive. But he's well into middle age now, and he can't appeal to young people the way he used to.

R78 Young people still like Eminem but they listen to his earlier albums. Gen Z loves the 90s and early 2000s.

It was always hard to get past the blatant misogynistic and homophobic lyrics.

He was as big as Michael Jackson during his peak.

What???

[quote] He was as big as Michael Jackson during his peak.

No. He wasn’t.

[quote]You literally never hear about him anymore.

OP, did you somehow miss the most-watched event on TV three years ago? Eminem performed at the 2022 Super Bowl. Nbd, only 110 million viewers. 🙄

He hasn't disappeared. The problem is mainly that his last 4-5 albums have sucked. OTOH I'd say the same for pretty much any rapper who originally hit it big in the '90s: he still has a much more successful musical career than, say, Ice Cube or Public Enemy. Also, rap's simply changed. Teenagers & Gen Z have no interest in music from middle-aged men. Kendrick Lamar's about as hot as it gets these days, but he's a full generation younger. (As it so happens, he was born in South Central L.A. only two months after N.W.A's first performance.)

He also reportedly remarried earlier this year, or at least that's the word on the street in Detroit, and it's usually correct.

[quote]He doesn’t seem like the type to enjoy fame despite his mega success.

True, though he's hardly alone. My dad's best friend has lived on the same street as him for over a decade. He's seen Eminem exactly twice. (Meaning the man: he apparently has a driver and an Escalade with limo tint.

[quote]These are other rappers talking about Eminem. He is an amazing lyricist. And the cadence and word play are so unique to him and like no other rapper.

Sure, until he started cheating. It started about a decade ago, but all of a sudden Em was "magically" an even faster rapper than before, and he was already one of the fastest in the game. Ask a music producer to listen to a few of his tunes, and they can tell you how many times the tracks are spliced. (Meaning he doesn't actually rap that fast, and as has been the case with plenty of artists, producers simply cut it to make it "feel" quicker.) I did exactly that a few years back, and DAMN did that producer know his shit! (It's hard to explain onscreen, but the "tells" are when he goes for too long without taking a breath.)

R84 You have an active imagination

[quote]Eminem is the most successful rapper of all time with hit albums and songs even in the past decade.

True, but "most successful" doesn't mean "the best." He simply outlasted everyone else. Snoop's still producing albums, but he hasn't had one that sold more than 100,000 units in 12 years (and has only sold 35 million total). Ice Cube mainly acts nowadays, and has made all of two albums in the past 15 years. But yes, Eminem's sold 224 million albums total (including equivalent downloads), and no other rapper is at all close.

That said, Jay-Z's the most *financially* successful, but that's because he has so many things going on (as does his wife, obviously). And Dre's definitely #2, but also not due to his music: he became a billionaire when he sold Beats by Dre to Apple. (But now he's no longer a billionaire: Mrs. Dre found out he was catting around and dumped his ass, and she did NOT have a prenup, so she got half.) And sorry, but Dre's the best producer ever, and he's done a mere two solo albums. (But his best rap is "Forgot About Dre," which strongly features Eminem, and a still-never-topped unique beat to it.)

All that said, I'd argue Kendrick's the best in terms of talent, and I think his Pulitzer for "DAMN." agrees with me.

[quote]He played at the Austin F1 racetrack last October and I think it was close to sold out, if not completely.

I'm sorry, but no: Eminem was the *secondary* entertainment, but the reason 100,000 people were out there in the first place was for the annual F1 race there. (Its annual F1 show sells out by default, thanks to all the insanely wealthy F1 fans who fly in for it.)

[quote]Young women (and gay men) found him sexually attractive. But he's well into middle age now, and he can't appeal to young people the way he used to.

Agreed about his lack of appeal to Gen Z, but he looks extremely fucking good for a 50something dude. (I'm assuming he's had a fair amount of cosmetic work, given his complete lack of wrinkles.) I'd still hit it.

[quote]He campaigned for Kamala so all is forgiven

R30, I assume you're trolling, but I sure AF did NOT have Snoop & Ice Cube down as future Republican sellouts, and white-trash icon Eminem would be leading the charge with anti-Trump raps. Cube used to be one of THE most political, along with Chuck D, but many of them are just as pussified as Lil Wayne was, back when he was sucking Trump's dick in exchange for a pardon in 2020. Unfortunately musicians don't seem to be moving the needle for pols nowadays: Taylor & Beyoncé's endorsements didn't help Kamala.

R86 I didn't say best but he is the most commercially successful rapper by any metric.

[quote] You literally never hear about him anymore.

As opposed to figuratively?

Go directly to grammar jail.

R80 That’s why GLAAD made this commercial before his Grammy performance.

Eminem was one of the most talented rappers ever. He also had a lot of pain and struggle throughout his life. Despite that, he had a good heart, which is hard to encounter in Hollywood. At a time when gay people were oppressed beyond belief, they identified with his struggles and he theirs.

r23, that's what rap and hip hop is based upon- samples.

R91 Ironically though nearly all of Em’s signature songs ARE NOT samples.

He’s swell, he gives his best regards.

R68 How dare you, sir! As if everyone on the Love Boat isn't an important voice!

R86 What?! Cube is pretty political still, despite his sellout, kids, movies. He's still hating Jews, just like in No Vaseline. I remember a twitter post about how the (jew) game ends if they (the blacks) stand up and stop playing. Fucking Chuck D is besties with Janeane Garofalo, so I'm sure he's still into politics. I'm just fucking floored that the man who wrote Fear of a Black Planet and Welcome to the Terrordome was outsold by the guy who sings about how faggy Moby is and how mean his mom was. Jfc, I'm disgusted.