Despite -- or perhaps because of -- Eminem's recent encounters with the law, "The Marshall Mathers LP" stayed on top of the Billboard Top 200 charts for the fifth straight week, edging out Britney Spears "Oops! I Did It Again."
"Marshall Mathers," which has sold over five million copies in six weeks, is the second album from the white rapper from Detroit.
The follow-up release to "The Slim Shady LP" is even more outrageous than the first. Em takes shots at numerous music peers most often, 'NSYNC, and most maliciously, Christina Aguilera, in what he has called an attempt "separate" himself from the "TRL" -- MTV's daily countdown starring the one and only (Thank God) Carson Daly -- pop crowd.
Though the album goes over the top in its contemptuous references to the pop scene of now (i.e. "I'm sick of all you little girl and boy groups/All you do is annoy me/So I have been sent here to destroy you;" "Christina Aguilera better switch me chairs/So I can sit next to Carson Daily and Fred Durst /And hear'em argue over who she gave head to first."), its less overt political commentary is perhaps its most powerful.
The track, "Stan," juxtaposes the increasingly harsh letters of fictional fan Stan with the airy vocals of "Roswell" theme song diva Dido. The tune brings attention to the bane of many celebrities' daily lives -- obsessed fans. If Eminem hopes to prolong his existence in the ever-finicky music business, he should move more toward songs like "Stan."
On the track "The Way I Am," Em takes an controversial stance on the Columbine and other school shootings -- "When a dude's gettin bullied and shoots up your school/and they blame it on Marilyn and the heroin/where were the parents at?/and look at where it's at/middle America/now it's a tragedy/now it's so sad to see/an upper classity having this happening."
Another social exposition worthy of recognition is "Who Knew," which details more of Em's insights into the origins of today's youth problems. "You want me to fix up lyrics while the President gets his dick sucked?" "Get aware, wake up, get a sense of humor/Quit tryin to censor music, this is for your kid's amusement."
The song continues: "And last week, I seen a Schwarzaneggar movie where he's shootin all sorts of these motherf--ers with a uzi/I sees three little kids, up in the front row, screamin 'Go' I'm like, 'Guidance -- ain't they got the same moms and dads who got mad when I asked if they liked violence?'" referring to a line from "My Name Is" -- one of his most successful singles off his debut "The Slim Shady LP."
Maybe you don't agree with his views, but they're far more interesting than the repetitive derision of boy bands -- "Don't know you and no I don't owe you a motherf--in' thing/I'm not Mr. 'NSYNC and I'm not what your friends think/I'm not Mr. Friendly/I can be a prick."
Other less appealing aspects of the album include the non-musical interludes such as "Steve Berman" in which Eminem banters with a record producer who wants him to change the focus of his album from "homosexuals and vicodeine" to lighter subjects such as "big-screen TVs, blunts, forties and b--ches." Although I appreciate Eminem's attempts at rapping about tougher topics than other rappers, the unrealistic self-glorification is completely unnecessary.
Eminem is clearly not afraid of tackling controversial issues. Even the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation distributed a "GLAAD Alert" against the rapper.
"While Eminem certainly has the freedom of speech to rap whatever he wants, it is irresponsible for UNI/Interscope Records as a company to produce and promote such defamatory material that encourages violence and hatred. This is especially negligent when considering the market for this music has been shown to be adolescent males, the very group that statistically commits the most hate crimes," the statement said.
Eminem publicly commented that his lyrics were taken out of context and that he does not hate gays and lesbians. Still, Em has managed to get himself into other trouble outside of the music business.
Last Friday, Eminem appeared in Auburn Mills, Mich. court to face charges of assault and weapons possession stemming from an altercation on June 3. Eminem allegedly pulled a gun on Douglas Dale, an employee of the Insane Clown Posse. He will be arraigned on July 17.
The maximum penalty the court could hand down would be five years imprisonment for the felony and 90 days for the misdemeanor brandishing charge.
This was the first of several court dates for the rapper, who will return to court today for an unrelated dispute that also occurred the same night. Within hours of the Dale incident, Em reportedly assaulted a man he claims kissed his wife.
But despite Eminem's brushes and bumps with controversy, "The Marshall Mathers LP" remains atop the Billboard charts, six weeks and counting, and rightfully so. The quality of Em's rhymes for the most part make up for the fact that he his occasionally annoying. One can only hope that, should Eminem continue making records, he'll stick to political critique instead of outright peer bashing.
