evenflow

Best.joke.ever.

RaZorBlade

Eminem is talented lyrically, no dispute.

But in reference to your comment, there are MANY lyricists that are better than Eminem in hip hop (both in wordplay, political consciousness, and their ability to not only speak about the same 4 things on each of their albums), and the only reason he goes platinum in 3 days and they don't is because he's white - he says it himself ("Let's do the math/If I was black/I would have sold half"), and that's also the reason he gets so much publicity.

Another thing: your album won't sell unless the white population is buying it, simply because that's the majority is. White teens (who are also making Britney and NSync #1) associate more with Eminem than Rakim. That's why he's cleaning up, not necessarily raw talent.

Basically what I'm saying is it's easier for a talented white guy to get notice in a generally black genre than the reverse, because white people are buying the records - even if there are black people that are better.

The same happened with Elvis when he first came out - rock & roll was primarily black (especially his style), and it was fairly well established, but once he came, everyone opened their eyes like he was something new and he ended up outraging the parents and making the girls swoon - Ms. Smith down the road probably never new that Bone Thugs loved the 1st of the Month, or that LL Cool J's Mama Said Knock You Out, or that Big Daddy Kane was Young, Gifted and Black. But once a white guy comes out controversial, he's EVERYWHERE.

MCs clearly better than eminem:
Chino XL
Rakim
Big L
Kweli (so nicely blends wordplay with a strong message)
Andre 3000
Canibus when he's on

Debatable, but imo better:
Pac
Biggie
Nas
Redman
Jadakiss

dek

Eminem and Pac aren't even in the top 5 MCs of all time. I also love how everyone convienantly forgets Tupac used to be in Digital Underground, pimpin his righteous clothing in their video, then busts out Thug Life after his 2nd album.

Top 5

Big
Rakim
KRS-One
Kool G Rap
Nas

Hell, I'd put any of these MCs over Pac or Em:
O.C.
Pharoah Monch
Sadat X
Raekwon
Cube
Guru
Trugoy from De La
Del
Kool Keith
Boots from the Coup
CL Smooth
GZA
Saafir
Ras Kass
Chuck D
Puba
Buckshot
Kane
Paris

lesterlong

Primo was Benicio Del Toro's character in The Fan with Robert DeNiro.

costanza187

I guess because of his sound and the words are funny too in a lot of his songs.

Thrush

Here is an interesting article listing the Top 50 MCs of 2002 . I would have put Del the funky homosapien a lot higher myself (like #1).

Pants

I'm comming into this thread really late but here is my 2 cents.

I think Eminem's songs are catchy as all hell. I'm not a big fan, but if I hear one of his songs on the radio--THAT'S IT!!! It's stuck in there for at least 12 hours, it will not leave.

Saying that, I think his music is popular for the same reason that all top 40 hit music is popular, it has hooks that make you want to listen again and again. You can go on and on about his "flow" (whatever the hell THAT is), but when it comes down to it, his music is popular the same way Blues Traveler, Whitney Houson, Britney Spears, Rod Stewert, or any other crap band you may not want to compare to Eminem. But nevertheless his records sell not because of the controversy or the lyrics or the flow, but because of the #1 thing all corporate record execs are looking for--hooks!!!

I also think there are a lot of people who get a huge boner when they hear Eminem speak his mind and/or have an attitude about the things he sees in society. This is old hat $hit that artists have done for years. It is not original, nor shocking. I find nothing shocking in what this guy does. He is shocking the way Madonna was shocking, that is in the most coldly calculating way possible. Every shock feels like a business decission that he sat down and discussed with his agent, lawyers, and stylist.

isamu

LoL!! Thank you RaZorBlape and Dek!

Anyway I'm gonna stay out of this whole thing and just wondered... whatever happened to that bio pic on Em's life with Kim Basinger playing his mom? Did it ever come out in theaters or has it been canned indefinitely?

dek

What a great way to debate the posts!

Get down to the nitty gritty, if Em/Beastie Boys/House of Pain were black, they'd get hardly any pub whatsoever. Seeings how they are white, its more of a novelty act. 10 years from now Eminem will be doing his rock thing like Everlast is doing now.

isamu

???

Umm, I was agreeing with you man, I wasn't being sarcastic. My lol was aimed at the the people who found Em to be in their top 5 of all time

dek

Ah, my bad, it's the cold medicine f'ing with my head

seeyouauntie

Pants:

Well put! It's like up until the MTV Awards he has come off as more calm and cool, concerned with being a parent, etc. It seems all fake and pre-planned. The thing that bothers me is how many people think he is a genious anytime he speaks.