"Say Goodbye to Hollywood"

In my opinion, the most beneficial aspect of this english class would have to be the freedom we had to choose an topic that we were interested in. Often time, I find it monotonous having to write about something that I am not particularly interested in. However, spending an entire semester writing about my favorite rapper was honestly an amazing experience. I loved researching and learning new topics to apply to my artist. Additionally, I enjoyed that this class also focused on pop musical culture as a whole. I feel like our class discussions about Miley Cyrus and her crazed media appearances were engrossing and quite hilarious.

My favorite assignment was the scholarly analysis. Although it was the longest and most stressful, I really enjoyed analyzing race relations and misogyny in terms of Eminem's music. Also, I had never before written a "scholarly" paper so it was beneficial to learn the conventions of this type of paper. I expect to be writing a lot more of these in my future.

From this class, I hope to take with me my newfound understanding of Eminem as an artist and also my ability to write in a variety of forms (liner notes, argument essays, scholarly analysis). I really enjoyed my time in this class and know I will use the topics we covered in my future college writing.

"And when I'm gone, just carry on..."

After a semester of focusing on my favorite artist, I surprisingly learned a lot of new information about Eminem. I already knew a lot about his personal life from reading biographies and watching some movies about his concerts and life; however, the assignments gave me the opportunity to analyze aspects of Eminem's musical style that I never thought about before. For example, I always knew that he spoke negatively about women and was considered a misogynist. The scholarly analysis gave me the opportunity to dig even deeper and find the underlying cause and effect of his women-hatred.

I have always been an Eminem fan, but after composing five writing pieces related to his artistry, I have a newfound respect for his talent. The liner notes allowed me to specifically analyze the conventions of rap music and determine how it can affect a specific audience. I loved synthesizing Eminem's lyrics because every time I listened to a song, I found something new and interesting about the wordplay. I never realized how much thought artists put into their songs and lyrics. In order to truly appreciate an artist's message, it is important for fans to not only understand the lyrics but also the musical conventions.

Don't worry Marshall, next album, I'll be back...

I plan on remediating my album review by writing a rap from the perspective of Slim Shady. In Encore, Eminem basically sheds off the vulgar, super-villain identity (Slim Shady) that made him famous. I plan to twist this idea around and have Slim Shady respond to the album's content. In my album review, I praised the album because of Eminem's ability to use his lyrics as a therapeutic force, relaying messages of confidence and perseverance. In my rap, Slim Shady is going to express his anger towards Eminem for leaving him behind by belittling the album's conventions.

Here is a rough sketch of my outline (I am definitely going to add/remove some ideas):
HOOK: Something about Eminem changing from a rapper to a "soft" parent-pleasing individual, loosing the hood image that shaped him. Eminem left behind the identity that made him famous.

Verse 1: Poking fun at "Not Afraid" for its psychological appeal
Verse 2: Eminem is no longer the strong figure he used to be. Giving up his title ("Talkin' 2 Myself- he accepts defeat by other artists)
Verse 3: "Love the Way You Lie" Eminem used to say girls were manipulative and include misogynistic lyrics. Now he is including a woman (Rihanna) in his own song. Hypocritical.
Verse 4: I want to make this a kind of guilt trip verse- Slim Shady is going to tell Eminem that he is worthless with his alter ego.

"Ha ha Em, you've fallen off track, get ready to be attacked, grabbed, ad slapped. but don't worry Marshall, next album I'll be back..."


The main reason I chose to revise my album review in the structure of a rap is because "rap battles" are a popular part of hip-hop culture. Eminem actually was introduced into the mainstream rap scene by attending underground rap battles in Detroit. In a rap battle, two individuals freestyle to a beat picked by the DJ- they are basically trying to belittle one another. The person who lyrically destroys the other is deemed the winner. I thought it would be cool to have Slim Shady be in a battle against Eminem and his album Recovery. To add to the parody theme, I think I am going to rap the lyrics to a song on Recovery.

I am a bit concerned about offending anyone with the topics and language that I use (Slim Shady was a very vulgar individual and in order to make this rap authentic, I want to stay close to his rap style). But if Eminem can do it, why can't I?

...Let's WRAP it up with a RAP

After spending several months analyzing the musical choices of rapper Eminem, I might decide to take a position against Eminem (I am used to agreeing and supporting his work). However, I think it would be interesting for me to argue that Eminem's decision to shed off the Slim Shady persona and his recent step towards more socially acceptable songs/themes is just a marketing strategy. Although it might be hard, I think it would be a rewarding experience to try to look at Eminem from the view of a critic. 
My album review was on Recovery (2010)-- the album where Eminem completely rid of his Slim Shady idealisms and adopted a much more socially comfortable style of rap. I would love to try and create my own rap verse or song that attacks Eminem on his choices in Recovery. Eminem actually emerged into the mainstream hip-hop stream through his rap-battles. For this assignment, I plan to place myself in the shoes of an Eminem opposer. I will act as a critique; however, instead of writing a review in a newspaper, I will create my own rap.  I am looking forward to beginning this assignment now :) 

Central Argument

Eminem is targeted for his misogynistic tendencies more than other rap artists because of his race (whiteness).

This central argument is important because it takes into consideration two controversial aspects of Eminem: his misogyny and his race. Although Eminem is a rap artist, he is placed on a different pedestal compared to other black rappers because of the racial implication of being "white." I think it would be interesting to look at songs from black hip-hop artists that have the same level of misogyny as Eminem's tracks and show how because he is a white rapper, Eminem's songs created more controversy. Also, I would like to explain my central argument from a historical perspective, looking into the "white man's burden" idea that states white men are more civilized than blacks, latinos, etc.
Within the organization of my paper, I plan to connect all my evidence to this underlying argument of race. All of my introductory information about Eminem's past relationships with women will be tied to his misogynistic tendencies in music and the racial implications of such behavior.

Methods of Argumentation

After reading about the different methods of organizing an argument, I think that I am going to adhere to the classical arrangement (with some traces of deductive reasoning). Since my topic is complex, I feel like this type of arrangement will help me, as the writer, organize my argument effectively while also guiding my audience through my evidence. 

I know that I want to argue that Eminem is heavily targeted for his misogynistic lyrics (compared to other rap/hip-hop artists) because of his position as a "white" rapper. I plan to prove my claim by utilizing the following main, logical points:

1. Background information about the general misogynistic conventions in hip-hop: I want my audience to understand where this "women-hate" characteristic arose from in rap-music. This way, they will understand why misogyny is such a popular convention in the rap industry.
2. Comparison of Eminem vs other black artists: I think it would be interesting to compare Eminem's lyrics to that of black hip-hop artist and show how they both exemplify misogynistic tendencies. Then, I want to research information about the songs' receptions and show how Eminem received much more negative responses. 
3. Specific Feminist Group Responses: By looking at feminist groups and their opinions towards Eminem, I can maybe understand their side of the argument and even look for racial implications.
4. White Man's Burden: I can support my argument from a historical perspective by explaining how in the past, those who were not European were considered to be uncivilized. Although this belief is not practiced in modern day society, it may be a reason why Blacks are not targeted as much for their misogynistic tendencies compared to Eminem. 

"Shut up bitch, I'm trying to talk": Eminem as a Misogynist

I have decided to address women-hatred (misogyny) within Eminem's music and lifestyle. Eminem is the rap artist most often attacked for his lyrical puns against females. However, I do not think that Eminem is specifically to blame for his expressions of misogyny. The rapper is simply aligning himself along the one of the general conventions of hip-hop music: the degradation of women.

Three questions I want to address in my scholarly analysis include:

1. From where did the male degradation of women stem from in hip-hop culture?
2. Is Eminem being "white" one of the reasons why he is attacked for his misogynistic lyrics more often than other rap/hip-hop artists? If so, why is it that the degradation of women in white culture receives a different response from society than the degradation of women in black or hispanic culture?
3. How is Eminem's past relationships with women reflected in his music? (More specifically, look into the track "Cleaning Out My Closet" where Eminem raps about burying his own mother, and "Kim" where he lyrically illustrates the killing of his wife.)

I have found several articles on the JSTOR database that go into depth about Black culture and the degradation of women (I can tie this into the fact that rap/hip-hop is a predominantly African American art form). I also know of a study that decodes Eminem's lyrics and records the amount of references Eminem has made against specific women or females in general.