Apr 6, 2011

E is for Eminem

E is for Eminem


So, I was toying with so many ideas for today's "E" post. E is such an Easy letter! But I decided on Eminem because I've been meaning to mention these thoughts for some time now - and hopefully my post will be different than everybody else's!

Eminem is a genius. Music and literary industry. End of discussion.

And I'm not the only one who thinks this! Check out The Eminem Guide to Becoming a Writing and Marketing Machine to see how he can help you with your writing! Can't beat that.

Aside from being a music phenomenon, he is also well versed in the literary realm. Take apart any of his songs and you'll see what I mean. His words are delicately phrased to compose lyrical rhymes. They elicit an emotional response within listeners allowing them to feel such strong energy from him. He's powerful, relatable, amazing.



This isn't to say that he doesn't curse excessively or reference dark situations. Yet, his tone and message behind it are what makes it successful. He has such a strong and definite personality that it carries through beautifully. He is able to help people understand these sorrows through three minute songs.

One thing that gives listeners comfort and understanding is the stories his lyrics create. Eminem tells stories of loss, loss and growth. His brutal honesty is what may frighten potential listeners away, but the harsh reality that his words and correlating emotions display is what makes him so strong.

Rapping about having the most expensive car on the block or being decorated in diamonds has become cliched in the industry. Eminem hasn't bragged about these things, even though he could. He raps about life. And that's how it should be. That's what I love.

As a writer, you can learn much from him. By using his practices of honesty, clarity, and specific wording, your pieces will become much tighter and much more powerful. The biggest lesson to be taken from Eminem is to make every word count in a short amount of time.

Another quick fact of the day about Eminem: His name is practically the only rapper's name that makes any sense. If you sound "Eminem" out, it's "M n M." But this isn't referencing the candy. Eminem's real name is Marshall Mathers, m [and] m. It's his initials spelled in a unique way. How creative is that? I would have never guessed... 

 And a special surprise:

I am NOT at all a poet. I never have been, and I doubt I ever will be. I like stories. But it's National Poetry Month and what not, so I think I shall be a little spirited and share a poem with you.

For my creative writing class a few months ago, we had to write a few poems. The prompt of one of them was to take a character, real or imaginary, and write a poem from their perspective. I chose Eminem, because I am so very fond of him.

I included lyrics from three of his songs, "Beautiful," "Superman," and "No Love," and interweaved them with my own words of how he could potentially feel. I believe Eminem strives to be a real person with an honest attitude rather than a "know-it-all."

Disclaimer: This may or may not be how Eminem feels. This is my ATTEMPT at poetry. I know it's not great, I'm not claiming it is.

Here it goes:

Eminem

“I’m alive again,
More alive than I have been in
my whole entire life
I can
See these people’s ears perk up
As I begin”
They look up to me
And what do they see?
A hope of guidance
An idol
But I’m not liable
I’m “just plain old Marshall”
I’ve been walkin’ through the gates of
hell
Locked in my own mental cell
Wonderin’ if this song will even sell
But I’m really just a person
I don’t know why you think that
“I’m here to rescue you,”
Cause that ain’t true
Everybody’s gotta have their own life plan
And “I can’t be your superman”
You can’t be mine, and that’s just fine
I’m not any different from you
“I guess we would have to
Walk a mile in each other’s shoes
at least
What size you wear? I wear 10s
Let’s see if you can fit your feet”




About the A to Z Challenge: A challenge to write 26 blog posts in 26 days using all 26 letters of the alphabet. This accounts for every day of the month of April excluding Sundays. It's designed to encourage blogging, increase blog posting, and create friendships with fellow bloggers. Begins April 1st and ends April 30th. Join the friendly community of bloggers attempting this challenge, today!

1 comment:

  1. Okay, this really made me see Eminem (whose music I'm not a huge fan of, but who I now see as much more of a poet than I did before! :D) in a whole new light! Great post.

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