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Timothy T. Everette Ms. Raymond Accelerated College Writing and Rhetoric 29 October 2013 Is Eminem an Artist? Eminem, or Marshall Mathers, comes from a very chaotic background. He is a rapper, producer, writer and actor. He was born October 17, 1972 in Missouri and was raised in Detroit, Michigan, in a majority black middle-class area. His music is known to be very controversial because of the explicit content within it. The source of this comes from the events in his life he has gone through. Eminem and his violent and almost too far lines are clever, funny and offensive. His ability to create and flow are a result of his life and mental health. In his adult life, hes been addicted to a pharmacy of drugs, and hes struggled with depression and angerHes married his high school sweetheart, Kim, twice. Shes attempted suicide. Theyve divorced. Hes been jailed for assault. Hell, hes been sued by his mother. (Clyman 1) He takes these raw emotions and portrays them through his music. One senses that Eminem is not performing as much as he is getting it out.(Clyman 1) Eminem, when in his less stable mental state, produces more negative and disturbing work. Eminem writes, Maybe you need to go back to anger management class. Because, obviously, I havent learned. Even now, part of me feels like Eminem, whenever you drink you get violent. Guns and violence have been around me my

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whole lifeIve just always had a fascination with themThats just how I was raisedSo I never really thought it was a problem, you know?(Mathers 1 ) This is the Eminem that is raunchy, ranting and angry. The mentally healthy Eminem raps about being a good father and a loyal friend. He talks about his own mistakes, admits to his insults, and is completely honest. Studies show that the exposure to violence in music has an effect on the listeners. The results showed that participants who saw the violent rap videos reported greater acceptance of the use of violence. In addition,they reported higher probability of committing similar acts of violence and greater acceptance of the use of violence against women.(Tropeano 1) For this reason parents and critics do not appreciate Marshall as an artist. Eminem has a love-hate relationship with critics. He is constantly being underappreciated with comments disapproving of his skill and success. For example, , Eminem has become an individual whose success has defied expectation. He should not be nearly as successful as he has been, (Clyman 1) Eminem is known for his lyrical talents and spontaneous creations. He made his big break through underground rap battles. His filter-less style of music was created here. He is not afraid to say anything and will even dis on himself. Nonetheless, Eminem is a creative and inspirational artist. He has been ranked in Grammys and Academy awards. Eminem has gone triple platinum and broke records for fastest selling album and single of all times. Also, he has been a Billboard Music Award winner. Marshall has proof of his talents but despite the awards and recognition, he makes music because of the love for it. Ever since he was a kid he has known a rapper is what he wanted to be. Eminem claims, when I was 9 years old my uncle put me on the Breakin soundtrack. The

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first rap song I ever heard was Ice-T, Reckess. From L.L to the Fatboys, and all that s***, I was fascinated. When L.L first came out with Im bad, I wanted to do it, t o rhyme. He was also a big NWA fan and beastie boy fan. He would never speak a bad word about them and collaborating with Dr. Dre helped blast off his music career. It was an honor to hear the words out of Dres mouth that he liked my s***. Eminem is liked and hated on at the same time. Though he disgusts many, he was recognized in the top 100 musicians of all time by Rolling Stones magazine. Just like many other artist, though disliked by some, his work and talent must be appreciated. Eminem is known as the King of Hip Hop and will continue to be an idol in the rapping scene.

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Work Cited Clyman, Jeremy. Reel Therapy. Psy. D in Reel Therapy. 17 July 2010. Web. 27 October 2013. Mathers, Marshall. The Way I am. Dutton, Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated. 2009. Print Tropeano, Eliana. Does Rap or Rock Music Provoke Violent Behavior?. Journal of Undergraduate Psychological Research 1 (2006):31-32.Print