Blogocentric Formulations

Getting along with the voices inside my head with Eminem

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Song: "The Monster"
Artist: Eminem (feat. Rihanna)
Album: The Marshall Mathers LP 2

I'll admit it; I like Eminem. I think he's a ridiculously talented rapper, and when he teams up with other dynamic artists he creates a really unique sound to his rap songs. Teaming up with Rihanna was one of the best things he ever did... "Love the Way You Lie" started their collaboration (which continued with "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" and "Numb"), and while I think "Love the Way You Lie" is perhaps the more powerful song since it deals with a distressed interpersonal relationship, "The Monster" (in addition to having the catchier lyrics, IMO) deals with a just-as-distressed intrapersonal relationship. The hook for the song was actually written by a different musician (Bebe Rexha), but Eminem loved it so much he bought it, stripped out the rest of the lyrics and inserted his own, then had Rihanna re-record the hook so that it could be combined with slightly different instrumentation. The result is a song that's been well received by critics and the public alike. It won the 2015 Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

When Eminem first hit the scene, I remember loving his bizarre music videos on MTV (anyone remember TRL???) and thinking that his lyrics were kind of amusing. "The Real Slim Shady" and "Without Me" were amusing and kinda fun. But it wasn't until he did "Lose Yourself" for the 8 Mile soundtrack and acted in that movie that I started to think there was a little more to him than just a gimmicky rapper. And even then, I didn't really follow his music too much until 2012 when "Love the Way You Lie" was released and I finally appreciated him as a maturing artists who moved beyond the gimmicks and the humor to create some really moving rap compositions. I still can't say that I'll go out and buy anything he does on the day of release, but he's an artist I definitely keep my eye on, since he always seems to surprise people with what he does next.