"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.