This image is a picture of the famous rapper Eminem early on in his career. Throughout his career, Eminem has been very controversial in his character and his overall lyrics. He has never been the type of person to hide what is on his mind. That has led millions to love and also hate the top grossing rapper of all time.
This image is a picture of Eminem holding a gun that says “bang” during the photo shoot of his album Encore in 2004. The first point of analysis is the fact that he is holding a gun. Eminem is a rapper from Detroit’s 8 mile. Throughout his life he has experienced a lot of violence. Many of his friends and family members, including his best friend Proof, have been killed with gun violence. This aspect of the image symbolizes Eminem’s past and its role on his music. Gun violence is a very controversial topic; however, Eminem has not shied away from expressing how it has affected his life in his music. This has been very controversial over his career, as many say he glorifies the violence. His lyrics have talked about loved ones being shot as well as fictitious rampages of Eminem committing mass murder.
The second aspect to this image is that the gun says “bang”. This symbolizes Eminem committing suicide, and this is a very controversial aspect to Eminem’s career. Eminem himself is a recovered drug addict. At points in his career he said that he considered killing himself, and he has overdosed on drugs many times. However, the more controversial part to this is that Eminem’s lyrics are considered to be very violent. He talks about killing people including: his ex wife, Bill Clinton, and many others. Although these lyrics are not meant to be taken literally, they are very controversial. Eminem has also been blamed for the youth violence in America, with Bill Clinton citing his name after the Columbine massacre.
The final part to this image is Eminem’s blonde hair. When Eminem has his hair dyed blonde, he is known in the rap community as his alter ego “Slim Shady”. This “version” of Eminem is considered to be one of the most ruthless and brutal rappers of all time. This is what has led to Eminem’s widespread fame and hatred. The lyrics that he creates in this form are considered to be widely violent, offensive, and very witty. This has created a lot of controversy and garnered Eminem many awards. In the song “The Real Slim Shady” , Eminem slandered Christina Aguilera. However, later that year, Christina was forced to announce the award for best rap album to which the winner was Eminem. This of course is very controversial.
“The Real Slim Shady” is a very popular song that many enjoy, I did not know however, that Eminem though of him as his alter ego. This was very interesting and enlightening to read as I have learned somethings about this rapper that I never knew.