Romanticism, Relapse, and the Real Slim Shady.

Recently, I encountered a very unique and fascinating example of Romanticism in an article from The Independent concerning rap star Eminem. Although generally a subject of great controversy and criticism, Eminem is gloried in this article, titled Eminem: The Fall and Rise of a Superstar. While I found this article to be incredibly interesting and informative, it made many claims that I found rather questionable. In its lead-in statement, the article states:
“In 2006, after the murder of his closest friend, hip-hop's most talented star became its most notorious recluse. As he returns with a new album, Guy Adams travels to Detroit to find the truth behind the tales of breakdown, paranoia and tortured genius.”
While Eminem is unarguably one of the most famous rappers of all time, the claim that he is “hip-hop’s most talented star” could certainly be argued. More provocative is the claim of “tortured genius,” a label that might one would apply to Beethoven and the like… but rapper Eminem?

The article goes on to illustrate Eminem’s rise to fame, as well as his unique and strong appeal, and consequential success. One topic it lingers on is Eminem’s Detroit heritage, a city the article I would argue fairly accurately describes as “ground zero of America's economic meltdown.” However, the article goes on to make the claim that Eminem was thus “the ‘other’ America, a gritty world of industrial decline and social decay rooted in his home town.” This Romantic view is not only held by the author of this article; as one paragraph states:

In one headline-grabbing endorsement, confirming him as the favourite cultural influence of the chattering classes, a white-haired Seamus Heaney declared him, in all seriousness, the savior of modern poetry. ‘There is this guy Eminem,’ said the Nobel laureate. ‘He has created a sense of what is possible. He has sent a voltage around a generation. He has done this not just through his subversive attitude, but also his verbal energy.’

Wow. I don’t think I need to do much more than highlight a few key phrases from that. “Favourite cultural influence.” “Saviour of modern poetry.” “Created a sense of what is possible.” “Sent a voltage around a generation.” Clearly these claims are expanding Eminem’s fame and talent to represent something far greater. If you question my doubts about Eminem’s status as “saviour of modern poetry,” just do a quick google search for “Eminem lyrics.” I would recommend reading “Kim” or “Cleaning Out My Closet.” No, I won’t include the lyrics here.

Another instance of Romanticism I found in this article was the inclusion of a particular passage to trying to paint Marshall Mathers III’s real character.

’I have one story that sums Em up,’ ventures a friend. ‘After his second album he was in the jewellery store. He really liked a watch, but was worried that he'd not be able to afford it, so called his manager, Paul Rosenberg, to check he had enough cash. The watch turned out to be $15,000. At the time, Em was one of the hottest artists on the planet. He was worth millions. So Paul told him not to be silly, and just buy the watch.
‘But Em was like, 'I don't want to run out of money, I want my daughter to be able to go to college.' That's really tells the kind of guy he is. I think fame surprised him.’

Again, I am not questioning Eminem’s love for his daughter or that he really does care that much, only the manner in which this passage is included and how many readers might take this passage. Keep in mind he’s also the lyricist behind a number of wildly offensive rap songs degrading women and homosexuals and vividly portraying violence before you start seeing him as just a humble little sweetheart.

Overall, while I really enjoyed reading this article and I highly recommend you read it, I believe the Romantic nature in which Eminem was portrayed took away from the writing. Because Eminem is such a popular subject of criticism, it is understandable how counter-arguments such as this would try to go the other extreme. However, as with many other such things, in order to properly combat fierce criticism, I believe it is important to portray a subject in a fair light, presenting both sides of the argument and not focusing on one or the other. Thus, as the article eagerly anticipates, the arrival of Eminem’s new album, Relapse, to be due shortly, should not be judged before it has been released. Sure Eminem hasn’t released an album in a really long time, and sure he’s been hard at work in the studio during his three-year hiatus from the public eye, but I wouldn’t, like so many fans and critics, claim that this will be a masterpiece before it happens. But, hopefully, it won’t be much more than a month before we find out, for real, if the Slim Shady’s back, back again…