By Drew Bartl
When Marshall Mathers, better known as Eminem, first took the scene in 1996 with his first album, the hip hop industry was a mainly African American influenced culture. He was constantly told he wouldn’t succeed as a rapper because of his skin color, but as well look back at his rapping career he has set numerous records that will be unbroken for years to come. For example, he was the first hip hop artist to sell over 1 million album copies within the first week, and he did this two times, back to back with “Marshall Mathers LP” and “The Eminem Show.” Even today, Eminem is often referred to as one of the hip hop greats and even as the original white rapper. Eminem brought the hip hop culture the white, middle American audience because he was someone they could relate and connect with because of his skin color. Eminem’s influence also helped other artists because when he released an album, many other hip-hop artists saw increased sales. This was because the white crowd Eminem brought to the industry would then explore to other artists newest content (Diverse Mentality, 2017).
Eminem as a Leader in Social Issues
Eminem hasn’t only stepped up in the music industry, but also has with recent social issues. On October 10, 2017 at the BET Hip Hop Awards, Eminem ripped Donald Trump with an aggressive freestyle as a featured performance. Many people supported him for taking a stand, but he also lost a lot of fans because of it (Kelley, 2017). If you haven’t seen the video yet, I’ll leave a video below as a reference point. A lot of hip hop artists have bashed Trump for his unusual presidential actions, but this time it was different because of Eminem’s skin color. Kendrick Lamar is one example, but “when [he] blasts Trump, he is preaching to the choir. When Eminem does it, there’s a good chance Trump voters are actually listening” (Weiss, 2017).
Again, Eminem’s white skin color allowed him to have a greater impact than other artists in the industry because of the whiter audience he attracts. Being a white artist in a predominantly African American industry, Eminem has a unique advantage to being the one artist that brought the majority of white fans into the industry. His music and influence is able to reach a crowd that other African American artists don’t have. Therefore, his recent outburst has caused far greater impact and resulted in much more heated discussion on the topics he covers in the freestyle. One ex-fan of Eminem had written online that “Eminem’s Trump Blast proves that he doesn’t make music for the masses, but for himself” (Karsen, 2017). But should this really come as that much of a surprise? Eminem has always been outspoken on how he feels and not worried about the backlash he may receive. He even has 21 million followers on Twitter, yet follows nobody himself because he “always [is] a leader, not a follower”
Controversy on Eminem’s Success as a Leader
Eminem’s impact on the hip hop industry can also be seen as a negative just as much as it can be seen as a positive. Some people see Eminem’s takeover of hip hop has a negative because he is taking the spot light away from other artists who are just as gifted just because of his skin color. Ryan Ford states that “the color of Eminem’s skin has given his career access to resources, opportunities and outlets that black rap artists who are just as gifted can only dream of” in his journal on Eminem’s impact on rap music (Ford, 2004). Ford’s comments play the role of devil’s advocate by claiming that other African American artists lose out on potential fans because of Eminem’s skin color and hidden racial tendencies to favor him over them and not because of their rapping skill. While I do see how this makes sense, I think because Eminem is white, he brings in fans that otherwise wouldn’t have come to the industry. Without Eminem’s influence, the hip hop music industry may not be as popular as it is and may have stayed as more of a subculture.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, as usual Eminem’s rap career is particularly controversial. Whether you support him or not due to his recent outburst against the president, you cannot deny that he has at the very least affected the conversation. His fan base and skin color in a predominantly African American industry has allowed his message to be heard and cause a larger impact that previous outbursts by other hip-hop artists. While some people will say he used this skin color as a crutch in his rapping career, I say he used it to his benefit and to change the hip hop industry for the better by bringing it to other audiences that were previously untouched.
Citations:
Diverse Mentality. (2017, July 21). How Eminem Forever Changed The Music Industry. Retrieved December 04, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHdh0bbYrXE
Ford, R. (2004). Hip-hop white wash: The impact of Eminem on rap music and music industry economics. Socialism and Democracy, 18(2), 127-134. doi: 10.1080/08854300408428403
Karsen, S. (2017, October 12). Are Eminem’s Conservative Fans Ready to Accept That ‘Line in the Sand’? Not So Fast. Retrieved December 04, 2017, from https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/lifestyle/7998387/eminems-conservative-fans-not-ready-to-leave-him
Kelley, C. (2017, October 11). Trump-Supporting Eminem Fans Express Outrage on Twitter Over Rapper’s Anti-Trump Freestyle. Retrieved December 04,2017, from https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/politics/7997498/eminem-trump-freestyle-fan-supporters-twitter
Weiss, B. (2017, October 11). What Makes Eminem’s Anti-Trump Rap Different. Retrieved November 07, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/11/opinion/what-makes-eminems-anti-trump-rap-different.html
Leadership and Music 