Nov 11, 2017

so listened to walk on water again this morning and have some thots.

fans/critics that weren't there, it's hard to put into words how huge Eminem was in his prime. There's really been nothing like it/him since. Em has been referred to as music's last great superstar, and I think there's something there, his popularity underscored by the fact -- compared to many of pop's products these days - he remains an outlier. Maybe - to fully appreciate eminem, what he meant in 2002, to truly contextualize a tame, almost pitiful whimper of a song like "Walk on Water" - you need to have been in high school when "Without Me" dropped... taken a girl on a date to 8 Mile.

I'll always listen to the critiques of someone like @M Solo, who has struggled and persevered both in life and as a casual Eminem fan over the years... over the likes of the @Charlie Work work and @Vahn s of the world, glib and holier-than-thou. [edit -- def agree beyonce is misplaced in WOW. Elton John would've been way more interesting and apt.] If you don't remember driving to the mall when Cleanin Out My Closet was a HUGE hit on radio (so bizarre in hindsight) then its difficult to overcome the recalcitrance thats developed around him since Relapse.

perusing twitter, its almost like eminem has become a divisive, partisan issue lol. that debate is perhaps best encapsulated here, as sxn80 owes its origins to literally proof, name dropped in Walk On Water. On the one hand, the stans are nauseating, deranged, one of the worst fan bases out there. then, you have the cognoscenti. @WPG has been accused of many things, least of all being canadian... hes also been accused of poisoning the well. thats overwrought, theres plenty of easy evidence for why eminem sucks. and yet....

personally i think a lot of the contempt around him is misguided. as i alluded earlier, i think its best to think of eminem as one of musics remaining rock stars... who happens to rap. (in fact i think one issue may be he is clinging onto alternative definitions of himself, protecting "lyricism" or some old school approach to rap.) some of eminems best work, especiallly at his pop prime, are essentially rock songs no.... in spirit if not outright.

post-trump rant, i think eminem has never had more good will as an artist, or the ability to redefine who he is. ...at least since his peak but maybe ever. He can "seize the moment" and truly answer the doubts he grapples with in Walk On Water by embracing his working class guy roots. He prides himself on writing Stan (awful final moment btw).... I want more narrative stuff from the POV of the average guy. Kind of like that one song on the new Brand New album (@Swizz may know what i mean..) I was saying yesterday, post relapse -- eminem has made a concerted effort to stop rapping about kim, his mom etc. his major characters of his initial "trilogy" -----as evidenced by Walk on Water, the only topics seemingly still A-OK are himself (his self loathing)... and us. bring back b rabbit, so to speak, rap over a bob seger beat....something.

He's like Tarantino to me in a way. You always hear HIM when he's writing. Lost in his own voice. its tiresome--- even he's tired of it.

in short: i want the self awareness of records like White America and Sing for the Moment BUT also the bravado. there's actually a decent opportunity for him to make an album about today, about white anger. if he can just get over himself. @eminemsxn

 

Nov 11, 2017

stfu

 

Nov 11, 2017

why the f--- do you guys use this tag in these f---ing situation? i dont get it

 

Nov 11, 2017

Good read. While I don't agree with all of what you said I for sure applaud the effort. Thanks

 

Nov 11, 2017

Good read.. Just got out of federal prison a few weeks ago.. Been watching the site but hadnt posted but first think you need to take it back to 99 not 02.. MTV was giving him so much exposure back then that created the momentum for the run he and Shady Records had through 2004. But I def like Walk on Water and believes it served its purpose and got his point across. People seem to make it one extreme or the other like just take the song dor what it is and see what happens. If you dont like the song then cool but I dont think it was made to be a GOAT song in his catalog. It was obviously to let us and everyone else know where his head is at and how he feels now. I think since he got it off his chest its gonna free him up a little bit to where he just knows he cant please everyone and you either gonna like it or not from this point on. But glad to be back and out of the feds.. What up @M Solo. @Koolo. @Swizz @WPG. @Mano. And every body else thats been doin this since D12(RapBasement)

 

Nov 11, 2017

@Koolo I agree. This was tag worthy and a much needed read. If I was 16-18 and started listening to Eminem on Relapse or whatever I'd have loved to read something like this. Whether or not the idiots in this section actually have the attention span to do so is one thing but I'm glad they were made aware of it.

 

Nov 11, 2017

so do u like the song or not?

 

Nov 11, 2017

What I don't understand is...Eminem has referenced himself and been alluded to by others as a PERFECTIONIST and many times now even recently he said he would listen to his old albums and play them over in his car and try to recapture it. That he would take his new tracks and go bump them and pick them apart.

Is there not a light going off when he listens to a song like We All Die One day? He doesn't say 'huh, that's odd, I've not been f---ing doing this at all' ??

It's just too hard to believe. Idk what's going on.

 

Nov 11, 2017

some really good points @Papa Andy

if the Shady underlings are reading, I have a few thoughts of my own.

to me, and I think many other fans, the biggest flaw in his music post-Relapse has been his flow. From the early days of SSLP all the way to Relapse in 2009, his flow was so natural, liquid-like. Even with the degradation of his content over time, the flow remained intact, he could still ride a beat like no one else could and that gave his music (no matter how puerile it was) a degree of listenability. Relapse has gone from being outright panned to a cult classic (not only on S80 by the way). It was the last time he actually sounded as if he knew how to rap properly and i think its elevated status comes from fans realising it was probably the last time we’ll ever get to hear the 'real' canonized version of eminem

I think it all went to s--- after Relapse, when he did that double-time verse on Drake’s Forever, trying this utmost to outdo Drake, Wayne and Kanye. Ever since then he just hasn’t been able to stay on beat, whether it was the double time yelling on Recovery and that BME EP or the clunky syllable cramming on MMLP2 and the Shady compilation or now this new out of breath slam poetry s---, which is probably the worst of the lot.

I always have been a fan and always will be so its good to hear him focused on some interesting topics now (first Trump, now the critics) but what good is it if it’s unlistenable? Its a case now where every song he puts out just tarnishes his legacy further and what makes it worse is that he’s totally aware of it but simply unable to do anything about it. The poor guy sounds spent. Take a look through twitter and instagram, he’s a laughing stock. s--- is just sad.

anyways, rant over.

 

Nov 11, 2017

Depends on the timing

 

Nov 11, 2017

I was in 7th grade when The Eminem Show/8 mile came out. These kids really don’t understand how huge he was. He’s still big... but back then it was pandemonium

 

Nov 11, 2017

I need the drugs this guys on

 

Nov 11, 2017

You're old as s--- grandpa

 

Nov 11, 2017

idiot

 

Nov 11, 2017

Obviously he was hardly ever this good at flowing again but he was ACCEPTABLE on Recovery and h--- the sequel and stuff. He was on the beat, rapping relatively normal.

He started experimenting on MMLP2 and especially following the reaction from Rap God.

Now he's doing this spoken word word search Rubix cube thing and it (at least when I listen) appears as though he doesn't even care about the beat

 

Nov 11, 2017

That's like one time I forgot who it was, someone said 'guys I can't tag emsxn what's the deal?' And then someone tagged it to see if it worked for them and they got banned loool

 

Nov 11, 2017

i said its a rant not a review. also can u tag eminemsxn or whatever. i want all the stans to read this

 

Nov 11, 2017

@M Solo have you posted a review of the song yet? Curious as to what you think due to it being an odd choice for a single for him.. Like the content and believe it did its job. Not a GOAT song or one with a lot of replay value but really liked his honesty and what he was saying. Dont really have any comments about flow or beat really because they weren't meant to be a focal point of the song. Think he just saying he hears all the criticism but he cant please everyone. Also everyone talking about beat and flow and all that blows my mind because this song was made as it is on purpose. And not all songs require or need focus on all of that. Not trying to sway opinions or defend the song I just think as usual people are overanalyzing it and not taking it for what it is and I feel it definitely hit the mark for what he was trying to get across. Definitely has me excited for the album. Just wondering what you thought or if you had posted a review yet.

 

Nov 11, 2017

This. I think this comes back to @Papa Andy point of wanting him to go back to his “working class roots/POV from an average guy.” He may not be able to simply because he’s such a recluse/loner who stays locked up indoors. I mean at this point he’s been rich for what? Half his life? Everything pre-07 is a blur to him because of his drug addiction. The ONLY time I’ll anticipate Eminem music at this point is if we start seeing him make more frequent appearances places — not just when he’s about to drop an album. He needs to go out, experience life, see new things, get some inspiration from some where else.

 

Nov 11, 2017

Good little b----.