I Have No Respect for the EMINEMS' of The World.

And what you left out is that the music of Eminem is widely accepted by the "White" Underclass as well. When I refer to the term underclass, I'm qualified to make the statement---not because men and women who rap are in fact underclass---but rather because I'm much more aware of the socio-economic framing conditions that have given the 'phenomenon' of rap life, movement, and being within the African American culture.

You in fact failed the first test. You accepted too easliy my statement of a Black Underclass even exisiting. That should have been a point of challenge.

It tells me where you are culturally.

I use'd to be of the admirin classes of him when he waz first comin out az a rappin white boy, not cuz of his music(hell, I cud never unterstand watt the hell he waz talkin bout); no sir I respect'd him a'cuz he waz alwayz wearing a clean wife-beater and him and Dr. Dre slapp'd sume purty good videOs togethur early on.
Now he jest iz mired up in that industry-crap and all that goes with it-(BIG-TIME label owner that he is!) I think he'd be a different person if'n he'd gone ahead and put wifey Kim in the car trunk like he talked bout doin in them songs.
No more problems with the missus, know watt I mean?

Adios Bob

I agree with ya man. He went and got big time. And you and I both know that it's all hype once you hit the big time. Hey, I like the trailer, now if Eminem moved back into the park with you...I might be down on the fella.

Thanks to you Sir for the commentin back bout the trailer; When we waz shoppin on the D-Bay it waz being advertiz'd as a duble-wide bumper pull trailerin unit; witch shud have raised up sume "red flags" but obliviously it didnt and I went ahead and used Kizzy's Mama's credit card and now we are stuck with watt we are callin the rollin-love-shack-casita- on-wheels!
Man if M&M did move here I'd be openin up an in-park sex-hostel like what Kid Rock and that fella who usta be singin for Creed got goin on!
That's workin out real good for them two "Trumpsters"cept for the cease'n and desistin thing.

Adios Bob

Got to readin your lil ol blog over to the B'Charm place and my, my , my you been purty busy over ther...apparantly, jest too dang busy to mention Ol Bob, butnot too busy talk bout all them uther more polish'd up writers and bloggers.
But I don't want you to go and be thinkin that your lil oversight iz gonna be resultin in Ol Bob dizzin you in the recently underdeveloped newly-lunched on-line newsletterin

The Ludlow Shouter and Swap-Meet Gazetter.

No sir Missy! I'll be a talkin you up real proud like.

PS- I M heading ovur to the Shooving place; I am considur'd to be bilingual in some parts of greatur Santa Mateo County and I cud get into the tranzmission thing. Thanks for the heads up on that!

Adios Bob

I saw the post:)

It makes him different due to the fact, that when he's done--he can remove himself from the genre. He may claimed to have it tough coming up, but the matrix in which he has life, movement, and being will always welcome him home. Understand, he's not doing anything different than the brotha's who put the genre on the table in the first place. He came in--got it---and is now riding the wave.

He can rap the poetry, but he can never truly understand it. This is the difference that makes all the 'difference'.... in the world.

Now imagine if you will, what his life will look like in 10 years! He may decide to stay in the rap business or not. But I guarantee you that he will have access in areas that will be off limits to many of the other rappers. And that access will always be based on race.

His response will be that he worked hard to get there. But think hard on this one! His meteor rise is largely due to race based factors.

In my opinion, the comparison of an African American rocker is invalid. You've missed the point. I'm saying that at the end of day....at the 12th hour....race matters.

Eminem will make the jump to safety soon enough...regardless of so-called lyrical content.

I believe you were previously corrected in making the statment that 'there is hope for rap'. There were no real dues paid by Eminem to get to where he is.

The Moor

Rock, Country Western, and pop music all have their life and being in the generalities of life. This is why these genres have such cross-over success. Jazz, the blues, and rap, came from an innate suffering of a culture that continues to this day. This could prove to be an excellent source of study for you.

I have no idea where in the hell that so-called hard look is coming from on that little Imp's face (Eminem)!

I'm just playing the devil's advocate so I have to ask....do you think that Eminem is making up his life story? I have met quite a few people of different races that have hard looks on their faces and not because they are in front of the camara., but because they are simply unhappy and still living in the past. I really have no idea what Em's true story is, but he may try to "look hard" because that's what his past has created in him....anyways, I'm not a fan of his so I really don't care what his future or past entailed....I just wonder what your opinion is. Do you think he has been "created" by the music industry?

I, personally, prefer to listen to non mainstream rap because of it's socio-political message. I don't care about the race of the artist, just what they have to say, maybe that's because of my love for spoken word. I agree that at the end of the day, a white rapper may have an easier time crossing over to a mainstream job, etc. But there are so many black rappers who are extremely sucessful in matters outside of their music but that is due to their drive and intelligence, not their skin color.

As for being previously corrected for making the statement, "there is hope for hip hop"....I wasn't corrected....one of the responses to my posting was written as if the person had merely skimmed through my writing which I always find amusing. My blog postings are based on my personal opinion, and you really can't correct a person on that. Just like none of us can correct what you feel about Em. We can just comment.

One more thing, how do you feel about Asian and Hispanic rappers?

Yes, I do believer that Eminem is a creation of the system. He has a talent, and that's obvious. But, simply as a stand alone voice, his is no greater than those that have in a sense paved the way. The fact that he could rise to such prominence, is the "mystery" that some of us understand beyond the rhetoric of such public forums. It's not a matter of whether his life story is true or not! What is paramount is that you arrive at an understanding that his choice of rap was not a live or die situation. Simply as a white youth, he would merit a wider array of options to choose from.

I'm a social scientist! And I observe things as they are. My intent is not to rile the forum, or bring up controversial subjects just for the adsense hits. As an example: A closer observation of your statement, "There are so many Black rappers outside of their music that are successful--and that being attributed to their drive and intelligence...and not their skin color", is at the very core of what I'm talking about. (My goal is not to pick apart every statement that you make. I appreciate the sincere interest:)

It tells me that you may not have given much weight to an African American's paradigm view of the socio-economic matrix.

"There are many whites that are successful outside of their chosen field, but that is largely due to skin color as opposed to outright drive and intelligence." A true statement in fact, and self-evident within itself. Moreover, your own words indicate you agree; that at the end of day, a white rapper will have an easier time crossing over to a mainstream job.

Here is a task! It's one you don't have to complete, but why is the above statment your unbiased opinion. What is it that you know about life that would allow you to make such an observation from your paradigm view? I'd like to open that up if you're up for it.

With respect to Asian and Hispanic rappers. The same opinion applies to them. I have no great respect for the attempt. Rap is not about the lyrics as James Champion so eloquently stated. It's about that intangible element called "soul".

I cut my teeth on jazz, and I can tell you that a Kenny G is widely accepted (not because of the riffs that emerge from his soul), but from the lyrical bent that he applies to everything. His music is extremely lyrical--and yet it lacks soul.

His enormous success lies within the fact tha he could be repackaged, and sold back to a world audience that can accept his cultural heritage more easliy.

It's not about race from the Black perspective so much as it is from the white perspective. An eminem can be accepted by so many blacks--simply because we are a forgiving and accepting culture.

I just did a CD of an extraordinary white female vocalist (Karen Blixt). She has depth and draws her energy from a different place and time. Her music is beyond reproach. I just purchased a off-the-beaten-path CD by a white group called "Jaga Jazzist". The CD is called "What We Must". This is music that fills the soul, and takes me to far away places.

At every stage of black creativity, an Eminem is created that will take the music to an eager and awaiting White America.

Please, in no way take this personal. It's simply a fact.

I actually enjoy having my intellect stirred, seeing as I spend most of my time home alone with a toddler! ;-)

I agree with a lot that you say, and always enjoy being a devil's advocate as well. I can definitely see where you are coming from....History does repeat itself.....Elvis, etc......

As for my interest in lyrics, I am just so tired of hearing the same old stuff....the beats may have soul, but that's it for a lot of current commercial artists. I was an English major in collge, I am a spoken word afficionado...therefore, although I love to dance to it, it's hard for me to really listen to lyrics that have nothing much more to say than "take your clothes off", "look at all my personal possesions", "i'm a thug" etc. That's really it for me. Everyone listens to music for different reasons, etc....that's mine.

I would like to hear what you think of the rapper that I wrote my last blog posting on. Moodswing . He is a white rapper, grew up in the ghettoes of Oakland and South Phoenix, so his trials are real. He happens to be my favorite at the moment since he currently lives in Portland, as do I, and I've had the chance to meet him and talk to him at length. His passion & respect for hip hop runs deep.

Oh, and I've never actually llistened to Kenny G.....so I can't comment too much on that one! LOL!

Hey there ModelMom! I really can't comment on Moodswing! I haven't been exposed to his unique "expression" yet. It would be interesting to actually meet this fella. I'd like to hear his take on the world.

I'm from a different time. Back in the day, music was universally accpeted in a different way. I could put on "Miles", and make the turn with McCoy Tyner or Chick Corea. Later on that evening, I could cut my teeth on Barbara Streisand or "America". We were able to see and feel the beauty of it all. We were all connected somehow differently. There was a feel and respect for decency. We could shake our butts all night dancing to good music:) White girls were sportin' fro's, and brotha's had long ponytails. I miss some of that:)

Time moves on though, and now we have this Sh** being blasted over the airwaves day and night.

Stay at home mom huh? Tell me, has anyone commented on your subtle loveliness? Well, of course not! And you wanna know why, it's because the forum is filled with knot-heads looking for Eminem to lead em' to the promised land...LOL

Blinded by the light of Eminem! Haha.........wheeeeeeeeee!

Stay away from that rap girl! It'll make you go crazy:)

Ps. I'm still in my forties:)

Your answers are going to have to be more in depth to gain any weight and respect on the subject. There are far, far, far better things for kids to do than fill their minds with the nonsense of an "Eminem".