In Defense of Eminem

I would like to start with a quote:

And last week, I seen a Schwarzaneggar movie
Where he's shootin all sorts of these motherfuckers with a Uzi.
I sees three little kids, up in the front row
Screamin "Go," with their 17-year-old Uncle.
I'm like, "Guidance - ain't they got the same moms and dads
Who got mad when I asked if they liked violence?"

Those are lyrics to the Eminem song "Who Knew" from his 2000 album The Marshall Mathers LP.

For years Eminem has been a lightning rod for controversy with his violent lyrics being one aspect of said controversy.

The very first words on his major-label debut, The Slim Shady LP were "Hi, kids, do you like violence?" on the opening track, which also happened to be his first single, "My Name Is." That is what the above quote from "Who Knew" is referencing.

Eminem has violent lyrics; there is no debating that point. Songs like "Stan" and "Kim" from The Marshall Mathers LP as well as "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" and "Guilty Conscience" from The Slim Shady LP contain tremendously violent lyrics.

Does that mean that Eminem should shoulder any of the blame for violence in our society?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

If you look at a lot of his lyrics following the "My Name Is" controversy you will see what his stance is.

First we have this from "If I Get Locked Up Tonight" which is not from one of his albums, but from the Funkmaster Flex-Big Kap compilation album The Tunnel (Side note: Every hip-hop fan should do themselves a favour and grab this underrated album if they haven't already. It's great!). In the song, Eminem says:

Psych I'm just joking, for Christ's sake
Don't get so bent out of shape
'Cause I went out and raped six girlfriends
Some people just don't get it, but I won't let it upset me
Cause they don't know better

This was the first instance I could find where Eminem admits that people should not take his words so seriously.

His sophomore album, The Marshall Mathers LP, is littered with tracks that have him telling people to calm down and stop taking what he says so literally. But one line from one song best exemplifies his feelings on the matter:

From "Criminal":

Shit, half the shit I say, I just make it up
To make you mad so kiss my white naked ass

This is about as blunt as Eminem can be when trying to defend himself. But while many dismissed, or simply did not hear this explanation, Eminem went one step further on 2002's The Eminem Show

From "Sing for the Moment":

It's all political, if my music is literal, and I'm a criminal
how the fuck can I raise a little girl?
I couldn't, I wouldn't be fit to

Does he need to spell it out any more plainly than that? His point is if he was the violent sociopath that he portrays in some of his songs, he would clearly be unfit to raise his child.

Many have tried to come up with a reason that Eminem is attacked more than most for his violent content. Two songs, "The Way I Am" from The Marshall Mathers LP and "White America" from The Eminem Show, display lyrics that give Eminem's opinion on why he is so frequently the target.

From "The Way I Am":

Sometimes I just feel like my father, I hate to be bothered
With all of this nonsense it's constant
And "Oh, it's just lyrical content!"
The song "Guilty Conscience" has gotten such rotten responses
And all of this controversy circles me
And it seems like the media immediately points a finger at me
So I point one back at 'em
But not the index or pinky or the ring or the thumb
It's the one you put up when you don't give a fuck
When you won't just put up with the bullshit they pull
Cause they full of shit too
When a dude's gettin' bullied and shoots up your school
And they blame it on Marilyn - and the heroin
Where were the parents at?
And look at where it's at
Middle America
Now it's a tragedy
Now it's so sad to see
An upper class city having this happening
Then attack Eminem cause I rap this way
But I'm glad cause they feed me the fuel
That I need for the fire to burn and it's burnin' and I have returned

From "White America":

See the problem is, I speak to suburban kids
who otherwise woulda never knew these words exist
Whose moms probably woulda never gave two squirts of piss
'til I created so much motherfuckin' turbulence!
Straight out the tube, right into your living rooms I came
And kids flipped, when they knew I was produced by Dre
That's all it took, and they were instantly hooked right in
And they connected with me too because I looked like them
That's why they put my lyrics up under this microscope
Searchin' with a fine tooth comb, it's like this rope
waitin' to choke; tightenin' around my throat
Watchin' me while I write this, like I don't like this (Nope!)
All I hear is: lyrics, lyrics, constant controversy, sponsors working
round the clock to try to stop my concerts early, surely
Hip-Hop was never a problem in Harlem only in Boston
After it bothered the fathers of daughters startin' to blossom
So now I'm catchin' the flack from these activists when they raggin'
Actin' like I'm the first rapper to smack a bitch or say faggot, shit!
Just look at me like I'm your closest pal
The poster child, the motherfuckin' spokesman now

The entire second verse from "The Way I Am" is a scathing retort to people taking him too seriously, and the reason for it is because his music hits the ears of white teens in middle-class homes. What he is clearly saying is that if he was one of any number of black hip-hop artists who talk about the same subject matter and reached a predominantly black audience, no one would care.

The entire third verse from "White America" tackles the same subject matter as "The Way I Am" did. It seems like Eminem is forced to tread the same waters because no one listens the first time around.

It is interesting to note that following The Eminem Show and his smash-hit movie 8 Mile the controversy around his lyrics seemed to die down. The semi-autobiographical tale of 8 Mile seem to give Eminem a little sympathy, especially among older people. I can't count how many times I caught people who ridiculed me for listening to Eminem suddenly bopping along as "Lose Yourself" (the lead single from the soundtrack to 8 Mile) was played on the radio. Eminem has became acceptable. He was no longer the Boogeyman that needed to be feared.

In 2009, Eminem made a comeback, and it is funny to note that no controversy arose upon his return. Yet, in 2009, he released probably his most violent record to date in Relapse.

Songs like "3 AM," "Same Song and Dance," and "Stay Wide Awake" are littered with violent lyrics much more explicit than anything from The Slim Shady LP or The Marshall Mathers LP. As a fan, I am glad the same inane arguments did not arise again in 2009 like they did in 1999 and 2000, but it does make me wonder why it didn't happen considering the lyrical content of Relapse.

Back when Eminem came on the scene, he was an easy scapegoat for all those people who hold media effects studies to be unimpeachable. He was the Marilyn Manson of rap.

But Eminem is no more to blame for causing violence as the writers of horror movies are. Musicians, like any other entertainer, peddle in make believe. While Eminem may have used his real life as a basis for his songs, he is no more at fault for causing people to act violently than those who make movies or TV shows that are "based on a true story" are.

If we are truly worried about violence in our society, we need to get over blaming musicians like Eminem. What someone like Eminem makes music about does not cause people to be violent. Eminem is simply an artist making art.

P.S. I know this is an extremely long post, but my I am very passionate about this subject – both Eminem and studies linking violent entertainment to violent behaviour. So I apologize for going way over the allotted word limit. Sometimes you have to bend a few rules for the greater good.