Rap With A Capital 'C'

Eminem has lost it. His grip, his mind, his hard edge and ability. I don't know what... like Brett Favre, it'd be nice if he came back full force like the Eminem of old, but at the same time, it's probably better if he stays retired. Why do I say this? Well, a couple of days ago, I heard his newest single 'We Made You' on the radio and was honestly surprised how god-awful it was.

Don't get me wrong-- I was never a huge fan of Eminem. I thought he personified the worst parts of rap in the 90s: the misogyny, the virulent anti-gay lyrics, the objectification of women... yet at the same time, there was a deep anger to his work that I could appreciate. You really felt, despite the lyrics of some of his songs that this was a genuine artist at work. A man with, well, some issues that were expressed through his chosen art form, namely rap. Despite the fact I found a lot of his lyrics very objectionable, I respected that.

His latest effort is just bad. Controversy is not something that should be avoided in art, I think- but at the same time, there is a fine line between being controversial and deliberately trying to be controversial. Eminem was at his best when was just being controversial-- 'We Made You' is deliberately trying to controversial- and doing so in a particularly un-intelligent way, which makes it even more annoying.



Then, to be fair- I watched the video. Which is another mess-- I'm honestly confused now, having seen it. I don't know what he's trying to say. Is this a commentary on the cheapness of Hollywood culture and how celebrities are largely given their celebrity through an adoring public, which makes a lot of what they throw down with (the arrogance, etc) total bullshit? I'm stretching for meaning here, because I think that's what he's trying to say. But the video doesn't come across as a spoof or satire of Hollywood culture- it comes across as something Weird Al would probably do.

Not very gangsta.

There's room for improvement is all I'm saying. This is the first single off the album- I'm sure Eminem's pissed off about something worth rapping about. I just expected something a little more hardcore from his reappearance, you know? Not something so... pop.