Marshall Mathers, more commonly known by his stage name “Eminem”, has made a name for himself as the one of the most successful rappers of all time. He has wowed millions of people with his incomparable lyrical ability, intense beats, and colorful persona. He has distanced himself from all other rappers, be it Jay-Z, 50 Cent, or Nas, over the past decade and the encouraging thing for rap fans is that Eminem’s career is far from over. His newest album, Relapse 2, is set for release in December.
So, what makes Eminem so great? And why is he my favorite rapper? Well, there are many answers to these questions, but I will narrow it down to three that I think best sum up my respect for the Eminem. These three are his musical versatility, overall attractiveness of his music, and his personal background that adds meaning to his rhymes.
His musical versatility, or range, is what makes Eminem so unique and separates him from other rappers, such as Jay-Z, who mostly rap in only one voice or style for the duration of a song. What I mean by musical range is the ability to change voices, which directly change the meaning or tone of the song. Having listened to the majority of Eminem’s songs, I have heard in his songs that his voice can be satirical and parodistic, serious and deliberate, or poetic and melodious. Or, his songs can contain a combination of all these different voices.
For example, Eminem’s satirical or parodistic voice is present in songs like “Just Lose It”, “A*s Like That”, “The Real Slim Shady”, and “My Name Is”. In all of these songs, he uses a very high-pitched, piercing voice. He also experiments with different accents, which are difficult to imitate, to appeal to the listener. In my mind, this creates a lighter tone, much different from his more serious songs, so the way I listen to the song is different. Instead of listening intently to the lyrics and trying to grasp the message of the song, I basically listen to the song and recite lyrics.
Some examples of Eminem’s more serious or deliberate tone include songs like “Cleaning Out My Closet”, “Soldier”, “Sing For The Moment”, and “Stan”. In all of these, Eminem uses his normal voice to get the message across to the listener instead of trying to ridicule something or simply trying to sing the lyrics. In my opinion, this is the voice that defines Eminem as a rapper because he is so well known for his deep content and this voice gets that across. The seriousness in this voice is one of Eminem’s trademarks as a rapper. When people think of Eminem, they usually think of this voice and the messages associated with it.
Lastly, Eminem can also switch to what I call a “pop voice”, one worthy of making a pop or R&B album. The funny thing is that his “pop voice” would actually sell albums (probably not as many as his rap albums) because it is quite poetic. For instance, songs like “Hailie’s Song”, “Mockingbird”, “When I’m Gone”, and “Beautiful” all contain very poetic verses and Eminem successfully switches to a higher-pitched, softer voice. This creates a much more optimistic tone, which is why the songs with Eminem’s “pop voice” are usually about his family and those he loves. In addition, this voice is very important for Eminem’s popularity because it directly contrasts his more serious voice and makes Marshall Mathers as a human being easier to relate to and admire.
What makes Eminem such a gifted singer is his ability to combine all of these different voices, which he has done throughout his musical career, and create different tones in his songs. Most, if not all, rappers cannot do this and instead sing in the same voice in all of their songs. In addition, the use of alternate voices contributes to Marshall Mathers’ multiple personas, such as Eminem, Slim Shady, and Ken Kaniff. All of these personas are used by Eminem to show different perspectives in his music. Eminem is the serious rapper singing about his background, Slim Shady is the satirist singing about the negative aspects of life, and Ken Kaniff is the unattractive pervert singing about the detestable people in society. All of these personas make Marshall Mathers a much more complex and layered individual.
The second thing that makes Eminem great is his ability to make his music attractive to the audience, with the combination of fluid lyrics as the foundation of his songs and riveting beats in the background. First off, many words can be used to describe Eminem’s lyrics. The words deep, poetic, fluid, touching, personal, relatable, and profound are all suitable. Eminem’s unique lyrical ability can be heard in so many songs that it is pointless to list them. “Stan”, “Mockingbird”, and “Beautiful” are just a few examples, but there are so many more, including “Infinite”, from Eminem’s underground days. However, Eminem’s uncanny ability to rhyme and make words flow is not the only part of the attractiveness of his songs. The second part of that is what Eminem rhymes about. There are countless messages in his music and these messages are so varied and diverse that it is safe to say that Eminem can be considered one of the most versatile rappers ever, not only of this decade. Some examples of themes or messages in his music are living in the fast lane, rising up from meager surroundings, breaking stereotypes, rebelling against the established order, being yourself, letting go of your family, loving those close to you, and, perhaps most importantly, expressing yourself. And, obviously, there are so many more that I have not named.
The part that makes Eminem’s music complete is the beats in the background. Thanks to Dr. Dre, Eminem has some of the most catchy and heart-pumping beats around. What makes his music special is that even if he is not at his lyrical best in a particular song, the beat in that song can more than make up for it and make the song a hit. There are so many songs of his that have such a beat and that is why I think he is the best rapper around in terms of combining words and rhythm. To make my point, just take songs like “Lose Yourself”, “‘Till I Collapse”, “Cleaning Out My Closet”, and “When The Music Stops”. In these songs, both the lyrics and the beat are a success. This powerful combination is what makes the overall song such a success.
The third and final part of Eminem’s greatness is his background story, or his path to becoming a famous rapper. This includes his father abandoning the family when Mathers was only an infant and living in poverty with only his mother, who was known to drink and resort to drugs frequently. With a dysfunctional mother-son relationship, Mathers was forced to survive in a gang-heavy, run-down 8 Mile, the poorest part of Detroit. What cannot be emphasized enough is that Marshall was a white child, who moved to Detroit from Missouri when he was an infant, in the middle of a predominantly African-American community. Consider his skin color as well while Eminem was making a name for himself in the underground rap community, which was dominated by black rappers. He was considered an outsider and had to work even harder than most to gain a reputation as one of the best rappers in Detroit. Now, you may ask why I give Eminem so much credit for overcoming a rough childhood when so many rappers do the same. My answer is that Eminem had to overcome the same obstacles placed in his way early on, but also had to overcome the “white obstacle”, as mentioned before. Because of his skin color, his path to fame was even more difficult than that of other rappers.
So, when Eminem raps about growing up with an irresponsible mother (listen to “Cleaning Out My Closet”) or rising up despite his skin color (hear “White America”), the fact that he actually had to go through that gives his words meaning and substance. His message in such songs is genuine because he is speaking the truth. So, once again, perhaps the most important reason why Eminem is so great is that his life story is one of the most inspiring around. It transcends the music world and applies to all spheres of life. Like that of the greatest athletes or the most successful businessmen, who succeeded in America with a rough childhood and meager beginnings, Eminem’s story ranks right up there at the top. Forget consideration within the musical community only. Marshall Mathers, or Eminem, serves as an example to all that you can truly become whatever you want if you set your mind to it.