November 2004

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Battling is and will certainly remain one of Eminem’s biggest passions. You can feel a certain nostalgy in his words when he recalls Rap Olympics in 1997:

“I remember right as I started peaking, before I got signed, like getting a name, doing the [1997] Rap Olympics-that was the fun of it. The battling, the competition, the going back and forth with friends and new people I’d meet and new M.C.’s and trading rhymes with each other.”

Being myself engaged in some amateurish freestyle battles, I perfectly know that the greatest beauty of emceeing is in matching words and similar syllables and playing with them. Also, using words as strong weapons in order to make your adversary look weak or ridiculous will reveal your hidden power as an emcee.
The beauty of rapping mainly lies in the beauty of rhyming: words are like clay that you will shape the way you want to. Once your words are shaped, you are ready to disarm your enemy.

The flame Marshall felt for rhyming at the time he wrote Infinite is still present: his most powerful songs like Mosh reflect his impressing gift in handling the English language.

Paul Rosenberg summarizes the way I feel about Eminem’s sophisticated rhyming style:

« When I used to get these songs from him, the thing I really loved and knew people were going to love about him was that he would write a song and you would say, “I can’t wait to see what he’s going to say next.” Like two seconds later-”Oh my God, did he just say that?” I would just hang on every word. That, combined with the amount of syllables he would rhyme in conjunction with each other, and carry it over to the next line, it was just crazy. That’s when you really fall in love with him. »

(Paul Rosenberg)
Step into Marshall’s rhyming universe and you will see that Paul Rosenberg’s statements are

Just a short note before MiJack fans get mad at me: I do respect your idol’s artistry. I just can’t stand his attitude towards Eminem.

Michael Jackson, come on make some more noise
You can even use a claxon,
Pulling out against Em the race card
When we all know you�re not even as black as Tony Braxton
Starting with Benzino some friendship (haha!), the kind of comradship I�d rather qualify a cowardship
You�re mad at the Just Lose It clip? This was just another rip in your pants�
Man your attitude is so gay, maybe you need some Madonna silicone implants
It�s been said in the news, you�ve been accused of child abuse
Presumption of innocence? OK�Then why so much ambivalence?
You seem to be a good money handler trying to hide what happened to Jordan Chandler
What else could I say? $ 25 Million dollars to dissimulate the victim�s pain
Controversy, controversy plus acclaim and the high price of fame
Now you can mourn and dance a blues
About the many people who deny your innocence
Mad because you lost your nose plus your panty hose?
A little bit more cider? What? Did you just complain about a spider?
Man you might be a good dancer and frankly I do respect your artistry
You have a great name, you have all the fame, then why so much exhibition game?
You are the only one to blame when people defame your name
Proclaiming one�s innocence is a child�s game�you raise some doubts in people�s mind
Makes me remind that you never said: � I didn�t do it �, just admit it.
Check it out�Just Lose It is not your only parody
It is just another rhapsody, I can hear its funny melody
Don�t want people to make fun of you?
What about your plastic surgery, it is like a perjury towards your black race
You didn�t want a black man�s nose, everybody perfectly knows
Since Thriller, you made yourself look like a monster, a lady killer
Jacko , just shut up, you�re a wacko

The press has spilled a lot of ink about Eminem�s so called � misogyny �. A further examination of his life and statements will make people understand that those allegations are totally unjustified. Like many other rappers, Marshall Mathers may have talked about � bitches and hoes � that should be � raped � and � murdered � in his lyrics. Matter of fact: Marshall is different in real life.

He doesn�t seem to like it very much when women dress in an offensive way in order to seduce him:

“I’ve seen groupies on the road and women just throwing themselves at you just because you’re famous, and I hate that�”

In fact, Eminem is very conscious that women should respect themselves and not consider themselves as � sexual objects �:

� It takes your opinion of women and lowers it. How can these girls dress like this? (I’m) not saying I’m not attracted to it, but how can these girls portray themselves in this way and then get mad if we call them a ‘bitch’ or a ‘ho,’ or whatever the case being? �

Ladies, what about showing some brain instead of showing your breasts?

Infinite is Eminem’s first album and also his introduction to the world. Marshall Mathers had placed a lot of hope in the release of his debut album, that, unfortunately sold only 1000 copies.

Infinite was produced by Eminem’s fellow D12 member Denaun Porter aka Kon Artis
The major flop of his album nearly lead to Marshall’s suicide in 1997.

A further examination will make the attentive listener understand that the flop of the Infinite album is certainly not due to a lack of lyrical skills: Eminem’s lyrical ability in Infinite is impressing.
The Infinite song is a good example of the great poetic words that came out of this album.

The reasons of Infinite lie elsewhere and if you ask me I’d tell you that the major problem of the album is the lack of technical means and maybe also the lack of good promotion.

Infinite represents Eminem the way he was in his younger years: a young man in search of true love as the song « Searchin» fully reveals it. A young man facing a lot of financial problems and trying to feed his family. When you have been yourself through similar difficulties, you will be able to relate to songs like « It’s ok ».

“313″ gives us the taste of a « sweet emcee from the 313 ».
« Maxine » also belongs to the well written songs of the album.
Marshall’s sincerity all over Infinite is so touching. But it seems that it wasn’t enough. Despite the huge efforts, he had put into his album, people reproached him to sound like Nas.

The public wanted something else, something biting that Eminem gave them with the Slim Shady EP and the Slim Shady LP.

Although people won’t unanimously agree on Infinite, I’d advice any true Eminem fan to check the album if he hasn’t done it yet- at least for the great lyrics written by Marshall Mathers.

London, Nov 20 : After enraging Madonna and Michael Jackson, Eminem gave some anxious moments to the French security services by planning to stage his show near Jacques Chirac’s gunship.

According to The Sun, the rapper reportedly wanted to stage a gig on HMS Belfast, which is docked on the Thames just yards from the gunship, which is being used by the French president, who is currently on a state visit to UK, as an emergency bolthole in the event of a terrorist scare

Have you ever watched Obie�s video � Don�t Come Down �?

Parents, moms in particular will get Obie�s touching message towards Eleanor Trice. When I saw Obie�s video, it immediately made me think about my 14 years old son and the many conflicts that have opposed us as he entered his adolescence. You might be the coolest mom in the world and even have a liberal point of view on education, share the same musical tastes, have a lot in common with your progeny , there will always be conflicts.

The words that come out of Obie�s mouths are the words of a matured man who fully understands his former mistakes. The song is an open apology towards his mom, who obviously suffered from his foolish teenage years behavior:
�I could write a book on Obie. Obie was a mess. Yes, he was.� (Eleanor Trice)

Picture Obie in front of his house in Northwest Detroit in the middle of the winter. The whole lanscape is surrounded with snow.

Obie is very conscious that he didn�t take his mom�s advice seriously when he was younger. Typical teenage behavior. Teenagers always think they know better. Now that he�s a grown man, he is perfectly conscious of it:

� As a child i was fowl
(uh) Ma, I couldn’t understand them things that came out ya mouth (daddy�s ain’t shit)
You would cuss, fuss till your blood pressure went up, then give up and slouch on the couch and drink ya liquor (fuck you dog)
A hard headed nigga I was quick temper short attention span not attending class (no) what a dummy
I would run over you honey
You confront me and say Obie you no longer have a mommy
Don’t use my phone don’t even eat my food
Matter a fact, Dont speak
It was just me and you in that house with that mouse and them traps and they gat, waitin on the day when you gon pull the
trigger back �

When our children don�t act the right way, we often reject them out of anger. That�s exactly what happens in this song. Picture Obie and Eleanor�s arguments�

Eleanor knew that her son was involved in some drug deals and it literally broke her heart:

� You tryin to kill me boy (no)
Is that what you wanna do, kill me? You wanna kill me (kill me)
Your not feelin me the beepers not that drastic
Its the B blasted, bastard
Your lyin (your lyin)
You took plastic freezer bags with dope inside of em
She knew, damn but she hated that it was true �

Sometimes as a responsible parent, you have to be your own son�s enemy in order to protect him from himself:

� I done raised two boys I can do away with you
The locks changed and the nights got colder
Im slinging bolders lookin like the bolda tolka
Fuck it im the osta
Im down for mounds ride by my corner
Like Im not gone cry (no)
Not reek the pain of watchin my youngest man (no no no)
On the corners slangin cane
Im callin the cops� �

Picture Obie being caught by the cops, probably mad at his mom.
But after all those years, after so many misunderstanding, so many hurtful situations, a son�s love for his mom will remain for ever. And that�s the wonderful part of Obie�s song and video.

Take some time to watch this moving video that is also an ode to Eleanor Trice, Obie�s one and only mom.

Evil Deeds is a major track of Encore. It is well written and meaningful. Marshall shares very personal memories and all day sorrows with his audience. No wonder this very emotional song managed to move me deep inside. � Evil Deeds � also looks like the prayer of a tormented soul that is longing for some peace, as the introduction clearly reveals it:

� Lord please forgive me for what I do� For I know not what I�ve done� �

Marshall is asking God for forgiveness about his sins. Marshall sometimes wishes he could erase some episodes of his past, but he can�t. Old memories about Debbie always come to his mind and Marshall recalls his painful past with his shady mom. Maybe Eminem also addresses to Marshall Mathers II at the same time he talks to God, because Debbie wouldn�t let him the chance to meet his dad:

� Father please forgive me for I know not what I do.
I just never had the chance to ever meet you.
Therefore I did not know that I would grow to be
my mother�s evil seed and do these evil deeds.
I said father please forgive me for I know not what I do.
I just never had the chance to ever meet you.
Therefore I did not know that I would grow to be
my mother�s evil seed and do these evil deeds. (*Echo*) �

As I have stated it in a preceding article, Marshall didn�t really spend his early childhood years with his mom. The person who really witnessed Marshall�s early years and who raised him as a little baby is great aunt Edna Swartz from Missouri.

(At the time I wrote my article about Eminem�s hidden childhood, I didn�t know that aunt Edna had passed away 6 months ago.)

Edna Swartz and her husband Edmond Charles (who died around 1992) offered Marshall some stability and love in their home:

� My Aunt Edna, which would be my great-aunt Edna, and my Uncle Charles, my great-uncle Charles. This was in Missouri. They’re from my dad’s side. They took care of me a lot. My Uncle Charles passed in ‘92 or ‘93, and Aunt Edna passed away just six months ago. She was, like, eighty-six. They were older, but they did things with me; they let me stay the weekends there, took me to school, bought me things, let me stay and watch TV, let me cut the grass to get five dollars, took me to the mall. Between them and my Uncle Ronnie, they were my solidity. �

Debbie�s character clearly appears in the song and her sick behavior towards her son is still very hurtful:

� In elementary the came to me and sang this song. (*Echo*)
It went a little something like this. �Marry had a little lamb. (*Echo*)
Debbie had a Satan spawn. (*Echo*)�
Momma, why do they keep saying this? I just don�t understand. �

The absence of his dad has deeply wounded Marshall:

� And by the way, where�s my dad? �

As the song goes on, other memories from the past will come to the surface. Marshall�s life across 8 Mile, the way he experienced racism from the black side. But there is certainly an important message to understand at the beginning of the second verse: Eminem feels as he has been caught in the middle of two different communities. He doesn�t want to be pictured as total part of the white nor of the black Detroit community. Why? Simply because he belongs to both:

� Predominantly. Predominantly. Everything�s always predominantly.
Predominantly white. Predominantly black.
But what about me? Where does that leave me?
I guess I�m in between predominantly both of �em.
I think if I hear that fucking word again I�mma scream.
Wild projectile, vomiting. What do I look like, a comedian to you?
Do you think I�m kidding? Do I look like some kind of idi-
Wait a minute, shit, don�t answer that. Why am I so misunderstood?
Why do I go through so much bullshit, it�s such bullshit, touch this bitch. �

Marshall has often been misinterpreted about his intentions, particularly as a rapper. The white community hasn�t stopped asking about his � whiteness � as a hip hop artist, while some components of the black community considered him as a � culture stealer �. It is a matter of fact that Eminem is often very misunderstood and it is also due to the fact people don�t bother to have an attentive look at his cultural past in the particular Detroit contest. Anybody who knows Marshall won�t doubt his will to embrace black culture and to be a contributor of it.

Today Marshall is rich. He has fulfilled his dream to become a rapper. A dream that didn�t go without pain and hard struggles. A dream that went true, but that also increased his pain.
Marshall didn�t intend to get that big. All he wanted was to allow his family a comfortable life and give his daughter the life he never had. Some people keep telling me:

� Now that Eminem is rich, he should just should up and quit whining about his past, his mom and his ex wife �

I wish the same people had walked a mile into Eminem�s shoes. I wish they had only experienced half of the dramas he went through. Honestly, if you ask me, I think that after what he experienced during his childhood, you can consider Marshall breathing and being alive as a miracle in itself.
The experiences we had in our childhood- particularly if you�re been wounded physically or psychologically can haunt you for life. That�s what Eminem is telling us: � I�m still wounded�this is how I feel inside and wealth won�t change anything. �:

� There goes poor Marshall again,
whining about his millions and his fortune and
his sorrow he�s always drowning in
and the dad that he never had and how his childhood was so bad
and how mom was a dope addict and his ex how they go at it.
Man, I�d hate to have it as bad as that Mr. Mathers claims he had it.
Man, I can�t imagine it. That little rich poor white bastard needs to
take some of that cash out of the bank and take a bath in it. �

And you don�t know Marshall�s complete story and he sometimes wishes he had less money and would feel happier:

� Man, if I only had half of it�You only knew the half of it� �

People have judged Eminem the wrong way because of his arguments with Debbie. But they need to realize that those arguments are due to his mom�s sickness.
In Evil Deeds, Marshall is also trying to do a public apology to Debbie. It is his way to say: � I�m sorry Mama �:

� Evil deeds, while I plant these evil seeds.
Please release me from these evil demons
I never had any of this shit planned, mom, please believe.
I don�t wanna be Satan�s spawn.
Never got the chance to say I�m sorry.
Now look at all the pain I caused.
Santa Clause, why you not comin this year again?
What did I do that was so bad to deserve this?
Everything coulda been so perfect, like life in a fairy tail
I�m bout to be hoist up in the air. �

After all those years, Eminem has matured. As an artist and as an individual. His mom is gravely ill and I think he realized about the shortness of life. Those few lines are his olive branch aimed at Debbie.

The greatest pain Eminem has currently to face with is the abnormality of his life: there is no place for privacy. People surround him from everywhere. All he wants is a peaceful moment with Hailie.
His life is a never ending show. The curtain never falls, and Marshall is caught up in the middle of a never ending and infernal circle.

Evil Deeds is a very good song that people should listen to carefully. I�ve been objected that this song is so selfish and so personal many times. Think twice: Eminem talks about himself, but how many monoparental families are there in this world? How many mishandled kids? How many people wounded by a hurtful past? The more personal Marshall gets, the more universal his message becomes.

Like Toy Soldiers is one of Encore’s masterpieces of work.. The chorus is a sample of Martika, a Cuban American artist and actress. You will learn more about Martika on the following website.

Like Toy Soldiers fully exposes us the dangerous character of hip hop beefs and how easy it is to get involved in a war most of the rappers would prefer to avoid if they could.
Hip hop wars made us lose Tupac and Biggie in 1996 and 1997. Many beefs can end in bloody wars and that’s exactly what Eminem would like to avoid:

« I’m supposed to be the soldier who never blows his composure
Even though I hold the weight of the whole world on my shoulders
I am never supposed to show it, my crew ain’t supposed to know it
Even if it means goin’ toe to toe with a Benzino it don’t matter
I’d never drag them in battles that I can handle unless I absolutely have to
I’m supposed to set an example
I need to be the leader, my crew looks for me to guide ‘em
If some shit ever just pop off, I’m supposed to be beside ‘em… »

Eminem is a like a courageous soldier and he is never afraid of his enemies. People who have followed the great emcee’s battles with Benzino had the pleasure to listen to Benzino’s lyrical murder.
Marshall is also supposed to set an example for his crew and to show loyalty to them by sticking up for them in case of trouble.

Because he signed 50 Cent to Shady Records, Eminem got involved in a huge beef with Ja Rule, Irv Gotti and the whole Murder Inc crew.

Attentive spectators of the Eminem/ Ja Rule have noticed how personal this beef became in no time.
Ja Rule dared attacking Hailie in his song, which is certainly the attitude of a coward. I will never understand why people dare going that far. In Eminem’s case, most of his enemies are not that well weaponed lyrically to drop their bomb against him. Attacking an innocent child is easier. It is also a sure way to get a reaction from Eminem- and some more publicity:

« ow Ja said ‘I tried to squash it, it was too late to stop it’
There’s a certain line you just don’t cross and he crossed it
I heard him say Hailie’s name on a song and I just lost it
It was crazy, this shit be way beyond some Jay-z and Nas shit
And even though the battle was won, I feel like we lost it… »

Marshall has put so much energy in a lyrical beef that the Shady camp has eventually won. But this hard war has left him exhausted. Now Marshall is tired of those beefs. He clearly addresses to his enemies and shows his determination to squash them.

He makes you understand how much he is fed up with those useless beefs. Eminem also reminds us that he never got involved in the beef opposing Dr Dre to Suge Knight.
Eminem is a huge contributor to hip hop culture, he doesn’t want to be an annihilator of what he helped build :

« spent too much energy on it, honestly I’m exhausted
And I’m so caught in it I almost feel I’m the one who caused it
This ain’t what I’m in hip-hop for, it’s not why I got in it
That was never my object for someone to get killed
Why would I wanna destroy something I help build
It wasn’t my intentions, my intentions was good
I went through my whole career without ever mentionin’ Suge
Now it’s just out of respect for not runnin’ my mouth
And talkin’ about something that I knew nothing about
Plus Dre told me stay out, this just wasn’t my beef
So I did, I just fell back, watched and gritted my teeth
While he’s all over t.v. down talkin’ a man who literally saved my life
Like fuck it i understand this is business
And this shit just isn’t none of my business
But still knowin’ this shit could pop off at any minute cuz … »

Marshall is conscious to have a lot of true and loyal soldiers within his Shady camp, but also among the numerous persons who support him:

“We still have soldiers that’s on the front line
That’s willing to die for us as soon as we give the orders
Never to extort us, strictly to show they support us
We’ll maybe shout ‘em out in a rap or up in a chorus
To show them we love ‘em back and let ‘em know how important it is
To have run ya nav and who sulked us up in our corners
Their loyalty to us is worth more than any award is
But I ain’t tryna have none of my people hurt and murdered …”

He’s so right about it: this kind of loyalty is worth more than an award. But Eminem doesn’t want anybody to get killed because of worthless bloody wars.
He also recalls a time the emcees only role were to spit some hot rhymes in a battle.
The message towards his enemies is clear: «� let’s end a war in which we are acting like little toy soldiers.� »

No more blood for hip hop rivalries. Eminem’s sincerity is touching. No contest Like Toy Soldiers is one of the best songs of the album.