Eminem is given credit for “keeping it real” by kids from the projects because he is the embodiment of ideals. To them, he is the ideal child of an abusive parent. He speaks against his mother with such rage and brutality that he is praised for fighting against the abuse he endured. He is also praised as the ideal father for pledging his undying love and support to his daughter. These teens can identify with both the rage against an abusive parent and also with him as a father figure that they never had. For these he is praised for “keeping it real.”
However, real as he has kept it, Eminem is also a bit of a paradox. He has sworn to love and support his daughter in all things for as long as he is alive. However, at the same time he is spewing hate, anger, and rage against his mother for the upbringing he endured. These negative emotions coupled with the positive emotions of love will most likely be anything but helpful to his daughter in the future. What would a daughter think when her father is one minute telling her he loves her and the next minute rapping obscenities about his mother. It would be confusing, I’m sure. Aside from the confusion this type of contradiction can bring on a young mind, the kind of negative lyrics being rapped by Eminem are doing nothing but harming the youth of our society. His message is creating a world where it is okay to hate your family members and express intentions of doing them great harm. I wonder: Is this a world where Eminem wants his daughter to live? Would he ever want his daughter to express thoughts toward him similar to those he is expressing about his mother? I think not! If he truly loved his daughter in the way he has expressed it, would he be contributing to the moral degradation of the society in which his daughter will be part one day?
Just as Eminem has been praised for “keeping it real,” many other artists should be as well, or even more so. Reality inlyrics is absolutely essential for the song to have any real relevance to a life. Whether this reality comes in the form of life experience of the artist or simply a true principle being communicated through song lyrics, it must be present for a song to be impactful. For example, Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus is a song not grounded in reality. There is no principle being communicated, but is simply a fluff song. Some might say it’s a fun song and really like it. There is nothing wrong with that at all. They are welcome to like it, but it will not change their life. On the other hand, a song like Leave it Like it Is by David Wilcox carries a principle with it that has the power to change how somebody thinks about the world. It is grounded in the author’s understanding of life principles. He has “kept it real” and written a song that is not only musically entertaining, but lyrically poignant to the lives of his listeners. Eminem’s songs may be grounded in his feelings and life experiences, but I don’t think they offer anything constructive to society at all.
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I really enjoyed reading your post and would definitely have to agree with you on a number of key points. Yes, the fact that Eminem speaks out against an abusive parent is cause for credit for "keeping it real". We don't know how much of his lyrics are truth, or if they're just based on truth. I can see why listeners give him praise for supporting and loving his daughter. That's a truly important part of being a father that, unfortunately, far too many fathers neglect.
ReplyDeleteIt's really too bad that Eminem chooses to write such evil words when writing about his mother and wife, etc. I do agree that it's a horrible example for his daughter. Teaching children that vengeance and an unforgiving attitude towards people is okay just creates an angry and unforgiving person. That could definitely come back to bite him in the future. What if he doesn't give his daughter every thing she wants all the time, will she lash out against him in rage?
I agree that for lyrics to be relevance, they certainly must have some meaning to someone, whether the writer or just an experience that they know about. "Fluff" songs, like you mentioned, are just there to make people feel good, not change their lives.
I was curious about the song by David Wilcox that you mentioned, "Like it is". I had never heard it before until I googled it and listened to it. I really liked it, not only for the melody but for the message..."There's no point in killing eachother...". It's a sad breakup song but is a good lesson: There's no need to make eachother's lives miserable, sometimes you've gotta just move on and remember the good times.
Thanks for that! Really enjoyed your post and listening to something new and worthwhile!