Kanye West: Yeezus season approachin'...

Mister Jake Bogart's analytical review of Yeezus reveals several of Kanye West's artistic choices while also objectively describing its controversial aspects. Bogart cleverly predicts the album's reception to be either "a hit or miss" because of its creative yet risqué techniques. For one, West has chosen to be risky in the sense that he includes a variety of genres. Bogart points fingers at the auto-tune techno feel of "Blood On The Leaves" in contrast with the real genre-fitting hip-hop song "Hold My Liquor." Interestingly, Yeezus includes a variety of different themes, ranging from drunken ballads to love songs, taking listeners on a roller coaster of varying emotions. Bogart's credibility in the rap music genre is clearly exemplified through his album review, as he makes references to the general conventions of hip-hop and previous Kanye West albums, such as 808's and Heartbreak. He goes into depth about Kanye's "god" complex as being an arrogant yet interesting title that the artist is now forced to live up too. A round of applause should go to Bogart for his innate ability to write an engaging album review for both rap music fans and Kanye West fanatics.

"I guess I keep talking to myself..." A U D I E N C E

        I have decided to frame my album review around an audience that has grown up listening to Eminem and is accustomed to his Slim Shady persona. Because I want to focus my writing on the artist's transition from his fanatic, crazed alter-ego image to a sober and self-reflective rapper, it would make sense that my audience understands the roots of Eminem's dominance in the music industry. Recovery can be viewed as the "conclusion" to Eminem's story- his climax being The Slim Shady LP, where Slim Shady was alive and well. Recovery personifies Eminem as a figure that has killed off his alter ego- Eminem is now attempting to express his true self and is finally ready to get out from under his Slim Shady disguise, whether his fans will like it or not.
          Obviously, the audience reading my review will enjoy rap music. More specifically, I visualize them having an affinity towards lyrical wordplay and the clever rhymes that Eminem is known for. By reading my review, I want my audience to understand why Recovery is so different from what was expected. I can see my review being published in a scholar musical journal or magazine (maybe even The Rolling Stone). After reading my review, I hope my audience understands the difference between Slim Shady and Eminem. I hope they gain a newfound respect for the 40 year old King of Hip-Hop, despite his failures within Recovery. 

"Encore I was on drugs, Relapse I was flushing them out"- "Talkin' To Myself" Eminem 2010 Recovery

Recovery unearths a new Eminem, post-Rehab. Therapeutic. 

RECOVERY

For the album review, I have decided to focus on Eminem's Recovery (2010). Throughout his career, the King of Hip-Hop has had numerous successful records but I feel like Recovery captures the transition from Eminem as Slim Shady to Eminem as himself. In other words, we become acquainted with his sentimental and realistic side. In comparison to his other albums, Eminem shows a greater level of respect towards his audience members and explicitly states that he is trying to help anyone who is in a dark place. Recovery also illustrates Eminem as a fighter in his battle against drug abuse. He was reported to have said that this album characterizes his "sober" essence and the new feeling of empowerment that has emerged.

I guess I have chosen Recovery to critique because I like the message that it sends to the public and how it characterizes Eminem as an artist. We see a phenomenal growth, not only through his mature lyrical diction, but also through the themes in this album.

Eminem is a fighter- although he may not be completely healed from the treachery of his past, he is well on his road to recovery.

Cleanin' Out My Closet

Date of Release: September 17, 2002
Producer: Eminem, Jeff Bass
Album: The Eminem Show 
Writers: M. Mathers, J. Bass
Label: Shady, Aftermath, Interscope

"Cleanin' Out My Closet" is an excellent ballad of frightening lyrical images mixed with harsh musical beats. Throughout the song, Eminem denounces his mother as a criminal and makes allusions to killing and burying her. The purpose of the song (to reveal all the abuses his mother has inflicted upon him) unifies with the "rebellious" theme common in rap music. The timbre of the background music is raspy, directly contrasting with Eminem's clear lyrical pronunciations. By including an alternating snare beat and bass guitar cords, the viewer almost feels like he or she is experiencing the fight between Eminem and his mother. More specifically, the short snare beats act as his mother's constant abuse, while the slow, dreary bass cords resemble Eminem's struggle to persevere. An emotion of anger is relayed through the tone of Eminem's voice as he raps--at some points in the song, he yelling and screaming.

The chorus of the song bring forth an emotional connection with the audience. Eminem raps the words "I'm sorry Mama/I never meant to hurt you/ I never mean to make you cry/But tonight/I'm cleaning out my closet."  Through these words, the audience realizes that Eminem is not just denouncing his mother as a way to gain popularity, but in essence, he is trying to cope with the destructive pain of feeling unloved his entire childhood. Eminem metaphorically says "cleaning out my closet" as a way of letting his mother know that he is going to reveal all the pain and agony that has been locked up inside of him for the past 20 years. The end of the song is characterized by 10 seconds of the snare beat alternated by the bass chord, leaving the audience with the realization that the battle between Eminem and his mother has still not ended.

General Conventions of EMINEM

Due to the fact that all of Eminem's songs are inherently unique, it is hard to come up with a general list of characteristics that define his music. However, there are definitely some commonalities among his songs and within rap as a genre.

1. Rebelling/attacking against authority or an individual: Rap is often used as a mechanism to attack or criticize someone or something, whether it be an ex-Wife (as it often is when Eminem) or political ideas (such as President Bush sending troops to Iraq). 
2. Jokes/playfulness: Eminem often writes comical rhymes or pokes fun at people in order to make a specific statement. He makes a lot of voice impersonations as a way to joke around and add lightheartedness to a genre that is usually thought to be serious.
3. Sexual objectivity of women: This is common in the genre of rap as well as specifically in Eminem's songs. He often includes sexual references in his rhymes, whether they be positive or negative.
4. Loud/fast-paced beat/jumble words together: Hip-hop music is defined by its fast paced tempo and boisterous, echoing sounds. Eminem is skilled in the art of raping fast, making it seem as if his lyrics are a constant string of never ending thoughts and ideas. 

"Palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy..."- Critical Analysis Concerns

Overall, I am content with how my rough draft has turned out; there are some concerns I do have about the organization and structure of my paper. For one, I am not sure if I responded appropriately to one of the scholarly article. I agreed with a majority of the claims made in the article, but I am not sure that I "agreed but with a difference" in my paper. I tried my best to not use first person in my rough draft (I just think essays sound more professional and scholarly that way) and this may have been the reason why I found it hard to convey my own opinions on the subject. In my first few paragraphs, it kind of just seems like I am summarizing the argument of the scholarly article instead of responding to it. 

Additionally, I feel like the topics I focused each of my paragraphs on vary greatly. Because of this, I found it hard to create effective transition sentences between each paragraph. However, this is something that can be easily fixed by synthesizing my arguments and coming up with connections amongst them.

I do not like having a three-prong thesis (a statement that lists each of my claims), but I feel like it may be necessary at this stage in the writing process. Once my paper is much more concise and fully developed, I might decide to revamp my thesis a bit more.

How do you fit a 12 sided object into a four sided box?

My scholarly article from the Journal of the Society for American Music outlined Eminem's emergence into the African American musical style of rap. Do not let the fancy title bore you- this article was creatively detailed and inherently easy to understand. By focusing on racial relations and the history of black versus white music, the article brings forth the argument that Eminem used his view of "white society" to find his niche in rap. More specifically, the article outlines certain instances in his songs and music videos where Eminem pokes fun at stereotypical "white" characteristics. The authors of the journal also discuss how this artist has proven that racial boundaries are continually changing. First the Beastie Boys, now Eminem...who is going to be next? I agree with the authors' main argument that Eminem found his place in African American rap not by conforming to the "black" style, but by focusing on class identity and the unflattering stereotypes of whiteness.

The article about Eminem in The New Yorker basically made me want to rip my hair out. The journalist blatantly bashes Eminem as being an overrated artist that continually attacks the same two people (his mother and ex-wife Kim) in his music. His rhymes are deemed to be "perfectly pitched" and listening to his songs makes people feel like they are "...being hit in the arm by someone's little brother 45 times in a row." Harsh much? The only semi-postive comment the journalist says about Eminem has to do with his song "Mosh," where the artist shares his political views on Bush sending U.S. troops to war in Iraq. Immediately after complimenting Eminem on the song, the journalist turns right around and says that such a topic is clever but "not Eminem's style." I disagree with a majority of the claims made in this article but plan to use them to support my thesis :)

Both articles mention something about Eminem being "rebellious" and "breaking the rules." I used this idea to form my thesis:

 By poking fun at the stereotypical "white society" he is expected to adhere to, Eminem expresses confidence in his rebellious nature that inherently breaks the rigid rules of white culture.  

It is impossible to fit someone like Eminem into a four sided box (as my title relays). In my essay, I plan to argue that Eminem shows confidence in his ability to break the rules of stereotypical "white America" by making fun of the structured culture.