Marshall Bruce Mathers III is brilliant. I don't care who you are or what kind of music you like or don't like, but Eminem deserves recognition. Eminem is brilliant. He is talented. He is devoted. An artist doesn't win 13 Grammy Awards, rank in the list of best-selling artists in America (or anywhere, for that matter), get voted "The Best Rapper Alive", or earn a place in the list of best-selling singles worldwide by being mediocre and fluffy. By the word "fluffy", I mean sugar-coated and unrealistic.
Eminem is one of the most realistic artists you will encounter. His lyrics are genuine and down to earth. Teenagers can feel the rebellion in his work and they can relate to it. This is why he is noted for "keeping it real". He reaches out with an attitude that his listeners can identify with. For some, this reality and genuine spirit is key to their taste in music.
As for myself, I respect the reality. Although it can be depressing and somewhat graphic at times, it is in turn quite ironically refreshing. I have used Eminem in my previous writings as an example and I thoroughly enjoy listening to his work. However, there are times when lyrics need to be somewhat unrealistic. Sometimes I listen to music purely for the purpose of ESCAPING reality. Listening to the troubles and heartache of it are not always my definition of escape. Often enough, I enjoy listening to lyrics that are full of fantasy and unrealistic love stories. It gets my mind wandering to a pretty peaceful place and there are times when that is exactly what I need. Of course, it's still a huge slap in the face when those fantasies are demolished and I return to the real world, but it has it's place and that place is still wonderful.
For those who always need to listen to reality, I applaud you. It can be a tough listen. When you crave to hear lyrics about the truth constantly, you must have some sort of strength. The truth and reality are not always pretty. I enjoy it. I do. Like I said before, it can be somewhat refreshing. However, I could not handle it every time I wanted to listen to music. Sometimes listening to a sappy Taylor Swift love song is what I need to hear. While her lyrics can sometimes seem very unrealistic (although she claims that most of them are written from experiences), they provide this cute little fantasy world to escape into on occasion. It is quite lovely.
Enjoy the reality, but it's ok to escape every now and then.
I have to say Lauren, knowing you I didn't expect you to write about Eminem but I love it! I love that you started off talking about everything he has accomplished so that there is no arguing about whether or not he is a worthy subject for this blog. People can make fun of him for being a white rapper but his voice and words are so in-your-face real that there is nothing you can do to despute his realism. He is graphic and crazy at times but at least he is not bullshitting you (for lack of a better term). I agree that you have to have a balance of realism and escapism. Sometimes I just want to escape my life into la-la lands like the one that Taylor Swift creates but sometimes I need a dose of reality and Eminem will glady deliver that. One of my favorite lines from him is "I don't give a f***, God sent me to piss the world off." To an extent, I see this as being true. Maybe it's not to piss us off, but just to point out the things that a lot of other people won't point out! Awesome blog! And thanks for the back up on my blog!
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