• Send us Mail
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Join our Facebook Group
  • Subscribe to our RSS Feed
  • Search Site

Polari Magazine

  • Home
  • Up Front
    • Editorial
    • Clementine: The Living Fashion Doll
    • Polari Safari
    • WTF? Friday
    • Bulletin Board
    • Polari Facts
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • Features
    • Gallery
    • Opinion
    • Heroes & Villains
  • Community
    • Oral Histories
    • Coming Out Stories
    • Relationships
    • IDAHO
    • LGBT History Month
    • Blogs
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Film and Television
    • Music
    • Stage
    • Visual Arts
    • Classics: Books
    • Classics: Film and Television
    • Classics: Music
  • About
    • About Polari Magazine
    • Contributors
    • Contact

You are here: Polari Magazine / Music / The Marshall Mathers LP2 • Eminem

Eminem

Bad Guy – Eminem

The Marshall Mathers LP2

★★★★★
Eminem
78.13 min • Aftermath Records • November 5, 2013
Little Bastard reviews
…………………………………………………………………………………………

I recently had a conversation with a friend who is a massive hip-hop fan (and fellow music journalist) about hip-hop outfit Odd Future (OFWGKTA) who, with their side projects, have spawned some of the best urban music of the past twenty years. “I don’t like Odd Future, they’re too homophobic,” he said, to which I responded, “but two of them are gay”. And it’s true, Odd Future has the two most openly gay people in hip-hop, in the form of Frank Ocean and Syd The Kyd, and if they can understand the language used by Tyler The Creator & Co then why can’t the rest of us? Eminem often gets referred to as homophobic, and the Eminem vs LGBTQ battle all really began with a misunderstanding. In his debut single, ‘My Name Is’, one of the lines,

My English teacher wanted to have sex in junior high,
The only problem was my teacher was a guy –

got Eminem in hot water the lyric was perceived as homophobic. On his second album, as a reaction to the negative press and picketing he had received about the lyrics on The Slim Shady LP, Eminem became a parody of media’s perception of himself. “I am whatever you say I am,” became his mantra, and the lyrics on the The Marshall Mathers LP were some of the most artistic and offensive ever heard on a mainstream rap record. And to this day it’s still the best rap album I have ever heard.

The song ‘Criminal’ in particular is one of the most offensive things ever committed to a record, but it’s also an artistic triumph by a man who has been a big part of the rap revolution, having more in common with a twisted beat poet than your average gangsta rapper. Over the years, the supposed hate speech in his music has provoked outrage from not only the LGBTQ community, but also groups for women’s rights and racial equality, all citing Eminem as a bad influence on youth and impressionable adults alike. I’ve always had mixed feelings about his homophobic lyrics, as I’ve never seen Eminem as a rapper. For me, he’s always been a misunderstood artist who may not be totally understood until his career is looked at in retrospect, and people can truly see the artistic value of his work.

Opening an album by killing yourself isn’t standard chart fodder, but then Eminem is not a conventional rapper and this self referencing rap intentionally echoes the end of his hit ‘Stan’, as he is chased by police, screaming, “Eminem killed by Eminem”. Opener ‘Bad Guy’ is a 7 minute epic, with the ‘moral’ Eminem losing control, stalking and killing his darker and ‘immoral’ counterpart, saying that this is for,

Frank Ocean…
Now say you hate homo’s again!!!!

as he plunges his car off a bridge. It’s impeccably produced, with almost Drake-esque backing, and a delectable chorus sung by the brilliant, and strangely uncredited, Sarah Jaffe. The track spirals into darkness, as Eminem’s voice distorts and he spits the disturbed rhetoric of a man on the edge, demonically saying he has committed the crime for,

Every faggot you slaughtered coming back on you…
Every woman you insult…
I represent everything you take for granted –

turning Eminem’s own offensive vernacular on himself as he drowns.

‘Rhyme Or Reason’ is a brilliantly catchy rant at his non-present father, ‘So Much Better’ is a typically genius and catchy jaunt through a break up, which will have you singing along to its chorus of,

My life would be so much better,
If you would drop dead.

Second single and testosterone stomping ‘Survival’, originally available to people who preordered the video game Call Of Duty: Ghosts, is all fighting lyrics and an energizing chorus from Liz Rodrigues. The gorgeously personal “it gets better” style anthem ‘Legacy’ deals with Eminem’s childhood and is an inspirational track that switches from being a meditation on his history being his legacy to a “fuck you” rant to his enemies. The amazing Skylar Gray provides chorus vocals on ‘Asshole’, and 1st single ‘Bezerk’, is the most fun we’ll have on here, sampling the Beastie Boys and channeling them via Joan Jett.

‘Rap God’ is the track that has, this time, caused all the controversy, but from the opening lines we can tell we’re fully in Slim Shady territory, and as what feels like one side of a rap battle, where rappers historically insult each other, anything in this ludicrously fast rap that causes offence is intentional in that way and nothing more.

Always one to try new things when in full creative mode, Eminem even sings through the majority of ballad ‘Stronger Than I Was’, and the singalong commercial highlight of the album comes on the Rihanna duet ‘The Monster’ in which Eminem says, “I’m not much of a poet,” which cements the self-doubt he has in himself, whilst talking about his friendship with the monsters inside his head. The song erupts into a stadium rock drum break that seems designed for the purpose of when he performs it live and singing along makes your night. Basically, it’s a bit of a tune.

One of the most interesting things about Eminem is his work manages to be completely personal and at the same time totally conceptual. Slim Shady, his violent alter ego, is not only the mouth piece for Eminem’s own frustration and anger, but also a mirror to society. Slim Shady is completely Eminem, whilst being the worst in all of us at the same time. Yes, when he’s at his worst his music can be very sub-standard, but when he’s at his best, he creates some of the most affecting music I have ever heard, and this album has that in spades.

Saying that the supposed “hate speech” in his songs promotes violence towards gay people is like saying that the French film Irreversible is pro rape. Art is there to reflect life and provoke conversation, and Eminem has certainly done that. I also think his work has always spoken for itself, and its obvious artistry negates the common belief held by casual fans (or people reading the lyrics out of context) that he is homophobic. Marshall Mathers LP 2 is not just a series of misplaced bigoted comments, it’s a sonic journey through the mind of one of the most troubled artists the world has ever seen, but also one of the most incredible wordsmiths of his generation. Eminem is not the problem – society is the problem and in his work he is exposing and reflecting that society. Those easily offended should probably stay away from this darker output, but if you can get past the overt brutality of this album, it is an incredible sonic work, like watching a Quentin Tarantino film, or a ghetto version of Hostel. But it’s certainly not for the fainthearted. Eminem’s venom, like South Park‘s satire, is completely indiscriminate, and like South Park he holds a mirror up to American society in a way that is both valid and important. Could he do it and be less homophobic and misogynistic? When society is more tolerant, probably. All he’s doing now is spitting back what we put out, and I will always applaud him for it, regardless of how unpopular it makes me.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest

Search Polari

Latest Posts

  • Polari Magazine 2008-2014December 3, 2014 - 6:16 pm
  • Tearing Up Their Map: An Interview with LambDecember 2, 2014 - 2:45 pm
  • Future Islands • GigDecember 2, 2014 - 1:41 pm
  • Puppets with Attitude (at Christmas)December 1, 2014 - 6:30 pm
  • The Aesthetic of Voyeurism: Interview with Antonio Da SilvaDecember 1, 2014 - 1:25 pm
  • Broke With Expensive Taste • Azealia BanksNovember 28, 2014 - 3:59 pm
  • Royalty Strutting on an American College Stage: Miss and Mr. Gay ISU 2014November 27, 2014 - 2:59 pm
  • Bright Light Bright Light: Everything I Ever WantedNovember 26, 2014 - 11:15 am
  • Jaime Nanci And The Blueboys: ‘Toy’ TalkNovember 25, 2014 - 4:09 pm

About Polari Magazine

Polari Magazine is an LGBT arts and culture magazine that explores the subculture by looking at what is important to the people who are in it. It’s about the lives we lead, not the lifestyles we’re supposed to lead.

Its content is informed & insightful, and features a diverse range of writers from every section of the community. Its intent is to help LGBT readers learn about their own heritage and to sustain a link between the present and the past.

Polari is designed to nurture the idea of community, whether that be social and political, or artistic and creative. It is your magazine, whether you want to read it, or whether you want to get involved in it, if you're gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, or queer.

Polari Magazine is all these: it's a gay online magazine; it's a gay and lesbian online magazine; it's an LGBT arts and culture magazine. Ultimately, it is a queer magazine.

Latest Posts

  • Polari Magazine 2008-2014December 3, 2014 - 6:16 pm
  • Tearing Up Their Map: An Interview with LambDecember 2, 2014 - 2:45 pm
  • Future Islands • GigDecember 2, 2014 - 1:41 pm
  • Puppets with Attitude (at Christmas)December 1, 2014 - 6:30 pm
  • The Aesthetic of Voyeurism: Interview with Antonio Da SilvaDecember 1, 2014 - 1:25 pm
  • Broke With Expensive Taste • Azealia BanksNovember 28, 2014 - 3:59 pm
  • Royalty Strutting on an American College Stage: Miss and Mr. Gay ISU 2014November 27, 2014 - 2:59 pm
  • Bright Light Bright Light: Everything I Ever WantedNovember 26, 2014 - 11:15 am
  • Jaime Nanci And The Blueboys: ‘Toy’ TalkNovember 25, 2014 - 4:09 pm

Twitter

Tweets by @PolariMagazine

Archive

  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • July 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • May 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
© Copyright - Polari Magazine - Wordpress Theme by Kriesi.at
  • scroll to top
  • Send us Mail
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Join our Facebook Group
  • Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Website Privacy & Cookies