The pieces most vital to the lifeblood of culture hardly ever get their fair share of credit when history is discussed. Sure, civil wars, technological inventions and diplomats are important, but the arts have a strong influence on the course of history, whether you choose to believe it or not. Anything one finds valuable or depraved about our generation can take solace in the fact that it all started with Em. Whether you were white, black, yellow, Puerto Rican or Haitan, you had the album. I remember sitting in class, on a dry, boring day sitting in Ms. Stevens (of course her name wasn’t Ms. Stevens, but I can’t really remember her name, as it was a long time ago and many drinks have been consumed since then) 5th grade Social Studies class at Angier Elementary. George Watson (same thing) soon spoke the words that would change my life for better or worse (probably worse). “I just bought the new Eminem album.” He showed me the album case. Sooner or later, everyone had the album. As a naive adolescent, grasping at strings of knowledge, naturally I had a slew of questions that needed answers: What is VD? What’s a c###? At what time, approximately, am I officially allowed to slap b######? Thank God that all of these questions were soon revealed to me, and I have Em to thank for that. 2. Kill You It’s weird to me now, but when first I heard Em say “Imma be another rapper dead for poppin’ off at the mouth at s### I shouldn’t of said,” I really believed it. I figured there was no way a person could get away with saying this type of stuff, and consequences must surely be in the foreseeable future. Fortunately Em is still alive, but when “Kill You” was first released, it commenced a tidal wave of controversy. In 2000, Em was even petitioned by Ontario attorney general Jim Flaherty to ban the rapper from performing a scheduled concert in Toronto and ultimately ban him from access to enter Canadian border lines. Citing “Kill You” as the main source, Flaherty stated: “I personally don’t want anyone coming to Canada who will come here and advocate violence against women.” After a much heated debate between Canadian legislators and free speech advocates, Em was granted access to the country and the right to perform. But the controversy didn’t end there. Writing for The Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, Edward G. Armstrong investigated the modern popularity of Gangsta Rap, and cited Eminem as the main culprit: “Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP became the fastest selling rap album of all time. Violent and misogynist lyrics are found in eleven of the album’s fourteen songs. Worse still, nine of the eleven songs depict killing women, with drowning becoming a new modus operandi. Comparing the lyric content of gangsta rap music’s foundational period with that of Eminem shows the following: In terms of violent and misogynist lyrics, gangsta rap music (1987-1993) scores a 22 percent while Eminem (2000) reaches 78 percent.” Aside from “Kim,” “Kill You” is Eminem’s most offensive song, especially with lyrics like: Put your hands down b####, I ain’t gonna shoot you I’ma pull YOU to this bullet, and put it through you Shut up s###, you’re causing too much chaos Just bend over and take it like a s###, OK Ma? “Oh, now he’s raping his own mother, abusing a w####, snorting coke, and we gave him the Rolling Stone cover?” Eminem- Kill You With all that said, it’s probably one of my favorite songs on the album. S###, what does that say about me? 3. Stan Later on in life, during my unfortunate path as English major, I would encounter much more tragic stories than this. However, as a ten year old, Em’s story of an obsessive fan named Stan, a playful change on the word “fan,” resonated with me in a strong way. Stan is dangerously obsessed with Em, so much to the point where he is willing to cut his wrists in a deranged attempt to be closer to the rapper. Things take a turn for the worse when Em, failing to respond to Stan’s fan letters in speedy fashion, he locks his pregnant wife in a trunk a proceeds to drive over a bridge. In the first three verses Em plays the role of Stan, only to address to Stan as himself in the last verse: I’m sorry I didn’t see you at the show, I must’ve missed you Don’t think I did that s### intentionally just to diss you But what’s this **** you said about you like to cut your wrists too? I say that s### just clownin’ dog, Come on, how f##### up is you? You got some issues Stan, I think you need some counseling To help your *** from bouncing off the walls when you get down some And what’s this s### about us meant to be together? That type of s### will make me not want us to meet each other Eminem “Stan” Clearly the story described in “Stan” is extreme, but it does shed light on a troubling issue: when fans mistake entertainers as their friends or long lost relatives. Sampling Dido’s “Thank You,” the song would eventually go on to win a Grammy. At the 2001 Grammy Awards, Elton John (possibly the most famous homosexual man in the world, thereby temporarily silencing the many critics of Em’s supposed homophobia) performed the song with Eminem in one of the most memorable music moments in music history. Aside from “Drug Ballad,” “Stan” is my favorite Eminem track. 4. Paul (Skit) “Em what’s going on, it’s Paul, uh…Dre gave me a copy, of the new album, and, I just…(sighs) f### it.” 5. Who Knew On much of the album, Eminem not only spends a lot time inciting criticism, but also defending himself. “Who Knew” is entirely made up of such contrast, with Em directly addressing the critics […]

  By all indications, tonight will be a good one for Trey Barclay. Not only did he “rape” his organic chemistry exam, but he finally secured the phone number of his classmate, who, according to Trey, is one “bad b####.” Thankfully, Trey isn’t plotting the same sort of strategy he used with his exam, but rather a casual outing for drinks at Buffalo Wild Wings during the midweek. Plus, it’s hump-day, which of course is the precursor to Thursday, or what some folks refer to fondly as direct deposit eve. Trey’s dose of good fortune is a refreshing reminder that sometimes the various trials of young adulthood are powerless in halting good times. Currently, Trey’s entire posture resembles that of a man at ease, completely satisfied with life. Even as Trey sits on his plush couch with legs propped on his coffee table, watching Iron Man 2, his eyes twinkle with self-identification. Trey sees himself as the red and gold super-hero protagonist, beating the s### out of his enemies while mingling with beautiful women in the process, sitting on giant donuts while conversing with Samuel Jackson. It be like that sometimes, as the saying goes. Seducing the ever-fleeting goddess of good fortune is no easy feat, and when victorious, one wants to prolong such ecstasies. Because Iron Man 2 is showing on FX, there are more than plenty commercial breaks. During one such break, Trey saunters over to his fridge and takes out bottle filled to the brim with an airy pink liquid. He takes a sip, smiles, and walks back to his couch. By the look in his eyes, it seems that he has somehow defied all logic, and elongated not only his delight, but his day as well. 30 years ago, Robert Earl Davis Jr. had similar intentions of time manipulation. The son of a long haul- truck driver, Robert dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps as a young boy. The allure of the pristine Texas landscape floating in the rear-view during lengthy trips produced idyllic images in his youthful mental database, and the sense of leisure produced from winding through I-10 and I-45 while sitting passenger-side seemed to have no rival in the world. Of course, the foundations of youth are whimsical at best, and passions are subject to dissolve, especially via impressionistic mediums, like film. In 1984, a film entitled Breakin about the rise of the underground djing and breakdancing movement occurring in Southern California was released. Upon viewing the film, Robert’s grand truck dreams vanished in the light of musical pipe dreams. He realized that the turntable had a celestial aura about it, allowing a DJ (Disc Jockey) the ability to manipulate the sound of recordings based off the strategic placement of his or her fingers, a process known as “scratching”. With scratching, gifted DJs were able to dramatically alter the genetic makeup of a track, improving upon it by honing in on special moments and highlighting them through looped repetitions As Robert grew, so did his appreciation of the DJ, which in his teens could easily classify as mythological. Breaking and entering into house-parties and clubs widened his scope of the divine powers of the DJ. Robert quickly learned that with meticulous timing, ambidextrous hands, and an ear to the pulse of the crowd, a DJ controlled the vitals of every person in the room. He was a god.   But Robert’s musical tastes extended far beyond just scratching. Both music adorers themselves, his parents provided him with a plenitude of vinyl treasures around the household. Marvin Gaye. Sam Cooke. The Isley Brothers. An avid of fan classical music, Robert studied the piano for seven long teenage years, eventually achieving teenage prodigy status. However, the call of the scratch eventually drowned out the sonatas of Chopin, and he took up the art of DJing seriously in the late 80’s. At first, Robert mixed whatever records were at his disposal, such as the Johnny Taylor and B.B. King pieces of his mother’s collection. But when the thrill was gone from those experiments, Robert began experimenting with his own unique brand of mixing in 1990. As Michael Jordan was forever changing the face of basketball, Robert was changing the face of music by slowing down tracks, bridging out the scales, and chopping them. Initially, his off-brand of stylizing only lent itself to requests from friends, but as word spread, Robert soon had customers from all across Texas eager to purchase his slowed-down mixes of their favorite songs. The style of mix quickly became known in the South as “Chopped and Screwed,” and from then on Robert Earl Davis Jr. was forever transformed into DJ Screw. As anyone who has spent a significant amount of time in the American South knows, the territory is chock-full of stubborn do-it-yourselfers. No problem or dilemma is too intimidating for the average Southerner, as most classify as unofficial Macgyvers, willing and able to disentangle problems with whatever means are at their disposal. These means are often scarce, as, historically, many of the region’s residents come from poor upbringings. This same sort of predilection also lends itself to less noble endeavors, such as when poor Blacks in the early 70’s discovered that when mixed with promethazine, codeine-laced cough syrup produced a substantial, inexpensive high that seemed to slow down one’s perception of time. For the next two decades, the then nameless concoction was the best-kept secret in the South, with people mostly mixing it in with “light” carbonated drinks, like ginger ale or Sprite. It would soon be known to the world by a multitude of names, but most commonly referred to as “lean”, “sizzurp”, or “purple drank.” In the early 90’s, when hip-hop was making a commercial name for itself on the two coasts, Southern residents longed to carve out and define their own sense of identity and culture as it pertained to hip-hop. The g-funk rhythms of the West wouldn’t quite do, neither would the street peddler raps of […]