December 2005

I think that Moby should have deserved to get shot twice or even trice on stage while Eminem was performing Without Me.

In a recent statement, Moby literally called Eminem out for « murder ».

Christopher Duncan, a mad Eminem fan who -obviously- sought his inspiration in the Stan video- murdered his girlfriend an horrible way.

After he heard about the news, Moby wrote “Maybe there’s no connection. Maybe there is” on his website (Moby.com).

During his Mojo In the Morning, being asked about the crazy Stan who was making the headlines, Eminem said in his own words and with his typical sense of humor that he was innocent. Which is true. Why should Eminem be held responsible for any nutcase imitating Stan’s behavior, a behavior Eminem wants to prevent fools from acting in a similar way?

Since you’re an adult and in possession of your means, you are fully responsible of your acts. It is stupid and worthless to blame Eminem for some crazed fans’ actions.

Moby went that far to accuse people who helped promoting Eminem’s music to « have blood on their hands »:

“Any employee of a record company or journalist or radio programmer or mtv employee who has promoted and celebrated misogynistic or homophobic music should be ashamed. You have blood on your hands, and you should be deeply, deeply troubled at the culture that you’ve helped to create.”

Now tell me, Moby, how much are you aware of hip hop culture? Talking about misogyny and homophobia, it is simply inherent to hip hop culture. Years before Eminem, hip hop legend Eazy E wrote Eazy Duz It. The lyrics are as misogynistic sounding as Eminem’s:

Well I’m Eazy-E, I got bitches galore
You may have a lot of bitches but I got much more
Wit my super duper group coming out to shoot
Eazy-E, muthafukas cold knocking the boots
‘Cause I’m a hip-hop thugster, I used to be a mugster
If you heard Compton, you think I own a drugstore
Getting stupid because I know how
And if a sucker talks shit, I give him a (POW)
8 ball sipping, the bitches are flipping
Slow down, I hit a dipping, continue my tripping
Hitting my switches, collect from my bitches
The money that I make so I can add to my riches
Fill my stash box and start rubbing my gat
Feeling good as hell because my pockets are fat
A hardcore villian cold roaming the streets
And wit a homie like Dre just supplying the beats

(Chorus)
Because I’m a gansta having fun
Never leave the pad without packing a gun
Hitting hard as fuk, I make you ask what was it
Boy you should have known by now, Eazy duz it

I was knocking muthafukas out
What’s your name boy
Funky, fresh Eazy-E
Kick, kick that shit
Where you from fool, Compton, yea

Rolling through the hood, cold tearing shit up
Stick my head out the window and I say what’s up
To the niggaz on the corner cold bumping the box
But you know that’s an alibi for slanging the rocks
A dice game started so I said what the fuk
So I put my shit in park and had to try my luck
Hard to roll wit my bitch jocking 24-7
Rolled them muthafukas, ate ‘em up, hit 11
Got another point, I made a ten a fo’
Was taking niggaz money and was itching for mo’
Laughing in their faces and said you’re all making me rich
Till one punk got jealous, cold slap my bitch
He pulled out his gat, I knew he wouldn’t last
So I said to myself, homeboy, you better think fast
He shot (gunshots), I shot (gunshots)
As you can see, I cold broke his ass (ha ha)

Chorus

(Wait a minute, wait a minute, who does it)
Muthafuking Eazy duz it
But how does he do it
Eazy duz it do it eazy
That’s what I’m doing
STOP
Man whatcha gonna do now

Now I’m a break it down just to tell a little story
Straight out the box from the gangsta category
About a sucker, a sucker muthafuka
He’s addicted, he’s a smoker but in Compton called a clucker
he used to have a house car and golden rings
But the cooky cooky crack took all those things
he must of been starving ’cause he broke in my house
Caught the nigga on the street and straight took his ass out
Now I wanted for a murder that I had to commit
Yea I went to jail but that wasn’t shit
Got to the station about a quarter of nine
Call my bitch to get me out ’cause I was down for mine
The bitch was a trip cold hung up the phone
Now my only phone call was in the ganking zone
All the things I did for her like keeping her rich
I swear when I get out, I’m gonna kill the bitch
Well by now you should know it was just my luck
The baliff of the station was a neighborhood cluck
I looked him straight in the eye and said what’s up
And said let’s make a deal, you know I’ll do you up
Now back on the streets and my records are clean
I creeped on my bitch wit my uzi machine
Went to the house and kicked down the do’
Unloaded like hell, cold smoked the ho

Chorus

From around the way, born in ’73
Harcore B-boy named Eazy-E
It’s ’88 now, ’73′s obselete
A nigga wit a serious ass attitude and 100 treet
And if you all wanna hear some more
In one way or the other, I’m a bad brother
Word to the muthafuka

You will find misogynic and homophobic lyrics in hip hop from the good old school raps to the most recent new school songs. It is inherent to hip hop culture. Should I also remind you that female rappers can go very hardcore too and diss men as well? It is part of the game.

I have been listening to rap music for years. As an adult female listener, I never felt offended by terms like « bitch », « slut » or « hoe ». Why?

Simply because I do consider that there are two categories of women: the slutty ones and the ones who are respected by men. I place myself in the right category. Women have to respect themselves in their way of acting if they want to own men’s respect. It is that simple.

First, regarding « homophobia », the common term « fag » is used by Eminem and many other rappers with the following meaning « coward » or « sissy ». Eminem is not the only rapper to use those words. But since he is a white rapper, people are very sensitive to his words.

Most of them people who are shocked by his words have never taken time to listen to rap music, but they are very judgmental about what they hear.

Second, Eminem has to be read between the lines, with a solid sense of humor. If you take each of his words literally, you will have all reasons to hate him or to think he is mad.

The beauty of Eminem’s music lies in his subtle rhymes and wordplays. If you don’t get his sense of humor, give it up and go listen to something else.

Yes, I listen to his song Criminal and I happen to enjoy its content.

I don’t discriminate against gays and lesbians because I listen to Eminem. I never felt like that. Some of my friends are gays and lesbians. I don’t care about their sexual orientation and don’t criticize it. A friend is a friend regardless of his/ her sexual orientation.

How much hypocritical are you, Moby?

It looks like you really want some attention from Marshall. First you praise his Mosh video and advice your fans to watch it and now you draw the dark picture of a monster when talking about him.

Moby, let me tell you something: you don’t understand Eminem’s lyrics. It really looks like Eminem is much more subtle than you will ever be.

Now you also go that far to accuse the journalists who promote Eminem’s music to have « bloods on their hands ».

Yes, Moby, I do promote Marshall Mathers’ music and I do it proudly. He is an amazing lyricist and I happen to admire his talent very much.

Yes I get every inch of Slim Shady’s sarcastic humor and I do consider that promoting Eminem’s music is also a good way for people not to misinterpret it. I have reviewed many of his underground and mainstream songs. I have expressed about some crazy fans too.

However , I don’t feel responsible for each groupie jumping off the bridge nor do I feel guilty for each murderous fan of his.

Eminem has 9 million fans in this world. Why would he babysit and watch all of us? He is doing his job and let me do mine.