Arin Thompson
Daily Egyptian
He's a solemn guy ... yeah right.
Eminem's new album, "The Eminem Show," was slated to be released later. However, when met with Internet downloadable tunes, he pushed up the date.
The cover shows a quiet, calm and collected Eminem - possibly he's reflecting on his day. But don't be fooled, he's still as hyper as ever.
The title track, "Without Me," is about the truest song to hit radio and television waves since "American Pie," by Don McLean. Eminem isn't exactly the poster boy America has been looking for, but regardless - he's the one we got and he's on a roll.
"Guess who's back/back again/Shady's back/tell a friend"
And believe me, every one took his advice. Eminem has this incredible gift to say all the things that pissed-off teenagers want to hear, and he does it with style. So much style, in fact, that he's gaining respect from rappers who have been playing the game much longer than he has. When Ice-T came to SIUC last year, he gave props to the disgruntled white rapper.
The funny thing about his albums, this one in particular, is that he uses how much people hate him to sell himself, and it works. On his first album it was homosexuals who got in an uproar, and in true Eminem style, he shows up and does a heartfelt duet with Elton John. No doubt the nation was holding its breath, just waiting for the angry Eminem to spark another controversial fire. But what does he do? Hug the rocket man wearing a pink and yellow polka-dot suit.
This album has the same poppy, rap grooves that can be heard on his previous albums, but they're a bit darker. He's growing up, and maybe he's realized that having a baby is a big deal and being sued by his mother wasn't such a cool thing.
"Sing For The Moment," samples Aerosmith's "Dream On." The song is a beautiful, sad look into the world behind rap music.
"They say music can alter moods and talk to you, well can it load a gun up for you, and cock it too? Well if it can, then the next time you assault a dude, just tell the judge it was my fault and I'll get sued," Eminem says in the song.
Eminem also includes a tribute song to his daughter, Hailie, called "Hailie's Song." The rapper inside Mr. Marshall Mathers took a back seat for this song. He loosened up his pipes and actually sang, not rapped. As touchingly as the song begins, it takes an ugly turn into the usual ex-wife bashing.
"My baby girl keeps getting older. I watch her grow up with pride. People make jokes cuz they don't understand me, they just don't see my real side."
From there the song eventually ends up rigid and hard-lined, railing against his ex-wife.
"I went to jail for this woman, I've been to bat for this woman. I've taken vats to people's backs, bent over backwards for this woman/Man, I should have seen it coming. What did I stick my penis up in?"
Somehow not touching anymore - somehow more like sort of gross. Is Hailie really going to listen tenderly to this when she's 20 and alone at college for the first time? Probably not, and if she does, she'll most likely just end up messed in the head. Honesty is so important, especially from parents, but the lyrics about his penis is just a bit much to have the title "Hailie's Song" attached to it. No thanks, daddy, how about just singing "You are my Sunshine."
The album also features songs with D12, Eminem's side project who released the popular single "Purple Pills" last year. The boys of D12 have brought a lot to Eminem's music. When Eminem partners up with other rappers, his songs gain more depth and dimension. Dr. Dre produced several songs on this album, adding his flavor to Eminem's spice.
Ken Kaniff makes another homoerotic appearance on "The Eminem Show," just in case anyone missed his labored breathing.
"The Eminem Show" is a progression from his earlier albums. This album shows how he has grown up. He's a little angrier, he's a little older and, thank God, he's a little more clever and closer to the truth.
"So the FCC won't let me be or let me be me so let me see/they tried to shut me down on MTV, but it feels so empty without me."
Truer words probably were spoken - but those are damn true as well.
Reporter Arin Thompson can be reached at athompson@dailyegyptian.com.
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
