hollywood billionaire

Chapter 415: Hip-Hop Spectacular (Part )

In this treacherous, dangerous, extremely bloody yet extremely attractive hip-hop battle royale, Eminem is an absolute outlier.

Until he had made a name for himself, he would attract defensive glances and hostile whispers wherever he appeared.

The reason is simple: this young boy named Marshall Bruce Mathers III is a white man.

In the American society alone, in most fields, white people usually have advantages over other ethnic groups. They are the absolute core of mainstream society, the original shareholders who founded the United States, and the rulers who control the lifeline of wealth and the right to speak. The "all men are created equal" written into the Declaration of Independence actually only refers to those Caucasian immigrants from the European continent.

In this country whose mission is expansion and conquest, white people are the Brahmins with clear destiny.

However, the absolute monopoly of the Caucasian race does not exist at all in the rap industry. It can even be said that this subculture space has a completely opposite ecology.

An ecosystem that is centered around the African American community and gradually spreads to other people of color.

The so-called "Hip-Hop" that sprouted in New York in the 1970s is itself a crystallization of multiculturalism. To be precise, it is a fusion of the music traditions of African Americans and the British Caribbean, and the dance traditions of African Americans and Latin America. Therefore, in essence, hip-hop culture itself is a tool for black and brown people living in American metropolitan areas to express their dissatisfaction and resistance. Through rhyming and memorable lyrics and strong rhythmic drums, it criticizes and criticizes the systemic racism, institutional group poverty, and deliberate police brutality that are rampant in the lower class of American society.

The inherent anti-mainstream tendency of rap music led to Eminem being met with suspicious eyes when he entered the industry. Hip-hop culture fans were worried that this white guy was a pawn sent by large record companies to make money, an intruder of subculture, a businessman who wanted to profit from black art forms but did not respect their cultural roots. It was no wonder that the African American community had such a reaction. After all, since the beginning of black music, white people have never stopped moving and plagiarizing these resources.

The so-called King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, his monument was built on the corpses of countless black music creators, some of whom were as famous as BB King, and the vast majority of whom were buried in obscurity in the long river of history.

So, it's only natural that the black community, suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, wants to shut Eminem out, forgetting that this kid from Detroit has nothing to do with the music industry giants hanging in the sky except for the color of his skin.

Born on October 1972, 10, in St. Joseph, Missouri, Marshall Bruce Mathers III was abandoned by his father before he was one and a half years old, and was raised by his mother Debbie alone. Throughout his childhood, Marshall shuttled back and forth between several cities and state borders, including St. Joseph, Savannah, Kansas City, Warren, and Roseville, rarely settling in one place for more than one or two years. It was not until he was twelve years old that they settled down in Detroit and put down roots.

He lived on a street called Eight Mile for most of his teenage years. This is a working-class, especially black working-class Detroit community. Marshall and his mother Debbie are one of the only three white families in the community. Here, Marshall is not welcome and accepted. The black hooligans wandering the streets beat him up almost every time they see him. For "white trash" like him, he can neither squeeze into the mainstream society of the Caucasian race nor be recognized in the subcultural space of African Americans.

He is a true exile wandering on the edge of every class, every race, and every settlement. This experience has also caused him to have a strong resonance with hip-hop music, which also exists as an "exile."

He does not need to rack his brains to find material. Every description of daily life is a bullet fired at the cold reality.

NWA became famous because of this, 2Pac became immortal because of this, and the same is true for Eminem, who was different from them but had the same goal.

Others use rap to prove the value of their existence, while the people mentioned above just want to prove their existence through rap.

With such a sincere heart, 14-year-old Marshall began to try rap with his high school friend Mike Ruby. They adopted the names of "Manix" and "M&M", which eventually evolved into "Eminem". They would sneak into other high schools and have freestyle duels in the school cafeteria. They would also go to the Hip-Hop Shop on West Seven Mile Street at night, the ground zero of Detroit's rap scene, to compete with various players from the Great Lakes on Open Mic, regardless of their parents' opposition.

Although many viewers initially thought that this child, who was so white and shiny in the spotlight, was just a humorous addition to the serious battle, Eminem soon proved that he was not an outsider trying to steal this musical genre. Eminem, who combines various rap abilities, has been recognized by the underground rap circle in Detroit, with complex word games and rhyme structures, autobiographical narrative skills, real emotions and vulnerability, sharp and humorous social criticism, dynamic expression, and of course, oppressive aggression and attack.

As his fame rose in the Great Lakes region, he attracted the attention of the famous Detroit local production duo, the Bass Brothers. In 1995, Eminem signed a contract with the Bass Brothers and released his first studio album "Infinite" the following year through the independent label Web Entertainment founded by the two.

The fledgling Eminem was so eager to succeed in the mainstream market and become a truly established hip-hop star that he put "radio friendliness" at the top of the album production factors. Eminem tried to make himself sound more like Nas and AZ, hoping to squeeze into the local commercial radio station in Detroit with such gimmicks.

With impure intentions and the fact that the album was still in the exploratory stage of artistic creation, the commercial failure of Infinite was predictable. The Bass Brothers pressed thousands of CDs for Eminem, but only sold about 70 copies in the end. Detroit commercial music radio stations, including WJLB, also ruthlessly rejected the album.

The voices mocking him were heard again in the Eight Mile community. Eminem's opponents laughed at him, saying that he should not stay in the rap circle, but should learn rock from Nirvana like other white trash of the same age.

Eminem, who finally stepped into the rap circle, was once again rejected by mocking eyes and teasing tones. His heart was filled with anger towards his enemies, confusion about the future, regret for himself, and guilt towards his family - at that time, he and his famous ex-wife Kim and his even more famous daughter Hailey lived in a neighborhood with a very high crime rate. Not only did he have to worry about going out every day, but even staying at home would cause burglary. The meager family assets he had saved with great difficulty could be lost overnight.

Extreme pressure brings sharp contradictions, sharp contradictions lead to desperate cries, and desperate cries fission a new personality. Disappointment with "Inifinite" prompted Eminem to create another self - Slim Shady. This word suddenly appeared in his mind, like an oracle, and became an outlet for Eminem to vent his frustration. After the first failed album, it took him less than a year to release his next album "Slim Shady EP".

Still a complete commercial failure, still selling less than a thousand albums, still being ignored by the mainstream market, but Eminem has found his own artistic style. Using his superb command of the English language, Eminem uses internal rhymes and vowel rhymes to create countless fascinating rhythms and word games. Under the gorgeous shell, his descriptions of difficult experiences, family troubles and personal struggles have resonated with an entire generation and established a deep emotional connection with them.

Eminem also makes no secret of his vulnerability, including his drug addiction, psychological problems, and the difficulties in his relationships. This authenticity creates intimacy, and this vulnerability also stands in stark contrast to the usual arrogance in hip-hop music, making his music seem more real.

At this time, Eminem had the ability to leave Detroit. He went to Los Angeles and participated in the most famous annual rap competition at the time, the Rap Olympics, and won the second place as Slim Shady.

His wonderful performance made the Interscope Records staff who were also at the Rap Olympics discover this hidden gem. The next day, "Slim Shady EP" was placed on Jimi Iovine's desk. Less than half a day later, Jimi took the tape to the Aftermath Entertainment recording studio and found Dr. Dre who was recording a new album.

When Dr. Dre later mentioned that day, he said:
"In my entire career, I'd never heard anything of value on a demo tape or a CD sent to me. But when Jimi played that album, I said to him, 'Go find him now.'"

The greatest talent scout in hip-hop music has found the most brilliant steed in rap music.

Next, with the Bass brothers, who were becoming more and more tacit in their cooperation, Eminem turned to Dr. Dre. The purest hardcore rap met the most relaxed G-Funk style, creating unexpected sparks.

On January 1999, 1, after months of careful polishing, Slim Shady returned with a bang. This time, the cautious "Slim Shady EP" became the domineering "The Slim Shady EP". The first promotional single showed the ambition of this golden triangle group to dominate the rap music scene in the new century.

My Name Is.

"Hi! Do you know who I am?
Do you know my name?
My name is...Slim Shady!"

“Hi, my name is, huh?
My name is，what?
My name is...chka-chka Slim Shady! "

This was the first verse Eminem sang when he appeared on the Mad City Festival stage, and it was also the beginning of his truly recognized career.

It wasn't until he met Dr. Dre that Eminem became Eminem.

A spotlight penetrated the darkness, illuminating Eminem in a black hoodie. He appeared beside Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, guarded by the two big brothers in the middle. The microphone hid his messy beard, but it couldn't hide his high-spirited voice at any time and in any place. This ultimate legendary reunion officially kicked off at this moment.

"Can I have the class's attention for a moment?"

"Can I have the attention of the class for one second?"

“Hey kids, do you like violence?

Want to see me drive a nine-inch nail through each of my eyelids?

Want to imitate me and do what I do?

Try LSD and end up in a worse situation than my current life?"

A voice that is no longer ostentatious, singing the most uninhibited lyrics, this bizarre sense of disconnection instantly brings people back to the eve of the millennium when Slim Shady was born like the Son of Hip-Hop.

Even in 1999, a year that was completely dominated by extremely violent gang rap, Eminem's lyrics were still shocking. Because this time, what vibrated in people's eardrums was no longer the cheers and shouts of the victors of gang wars, but the confession, self-reflection and redemption of a soul trapped in despair in the slums, which was full of twisted poetry.

The classic example of this view is the song "97 Bonnie & Clyde" in the album. Combining 2Pac's "96 Bonnie & Clyde" with Bill Withers' "Just the Two of Us", Eminem shows his almost pathological aesthetics of tragic violence. In this song, he calmly tells his little daughter how he killed the child's mother, her new boyfriend, and her stepson, as well as the end of it all.

You don't need to listen to the whole song, but this summary is enough to make people's hair stand on end. This is Slim Shady, Eminem's alter ego in music. He is a short, thin, pale and gloomy man with short bright blond hair and a crazy smile. He wears white T-shirts and blue jeans all year round, and has several devil-like tattoos randomly distributed on his arms.

He was born in a humble family, had no friends, and did not need friends. He was extremely violent, antisocial, and hostile to everything. He had an extremely high self-esteem and no sense of right and wrong. Although he still had sincere concern and care for his daughter, this love was also dark and even perverted.

He was created to offend as many people as possible. Ironically, this is also the reason why he is loved and admired by thousands of teenagers around the world. Slim Shady is the "clown" in the hip-hop dimension. He can inspire all the evil in your heart and use this method to eliminate all your impulses to hurt the world.

After all, the best way to reconcile with a miserable life is to watch someone else's story, one that is even more tragic, to the point of falling into eternal night and never seeing the light again.

Slim Shady is the original sin that most needs to be cleaned up, but is the most impossible to eradicate, in the American society that has become increasingly unbalanced since the Cold War.

"My head is heavy,
Trying to clear my mind and regain my spirit.

But I still don't understand.

Which one of the Spice Girls should I let get pregnant and become my sperm basin?

Then Dr. Dre said to me, Slim Shady, you are such an addict.

Why is your face red? Are you high on drugs?

Well, since I was 12, I've felt like a different person.

Because I have hung my old self on the upper bunk with a belt,

Became a ghost.

In my rage, I tore Pamela Lee's breasts apart,

He beat her extremely badly and made her wear her clothes backwards like Kriss Kross.

I smoked a pound of grass and then fell to the ground,
Faster than that fat bitch trying to sit on me

Come on over here, bitch.

'Shady wait, that's my girl, bro'.

I don't give a fuck, 'cause God sent me,
Just to anger the world!"

The provocative and playful tone and the direct and sensory singing set a cynical tone for the song "My Name Is", paved a humorous and satirical artistic route for the album "The Slim Shady EP", and also found a smooth path for Eminem, a loser who had failed twice in his debut and could only put on oil paint and a mask like a clown to play another personality.

His challenge to social norms and satire on violent culture have earned him, like Nirvana, the fanatical admiration of a whole generation of teenagers. They regard Eminem as a life mentor and spiritual beacon, and together with him they are excluded by mainstream society, lonely and angry, and spend their confused youth together.

This is why, even though he was standing next to the famous industry legend Snoop Dogg and his mentor Dr. Dre who personally trained him, the focus of the whole audience was still on him.

Talented people emerge in every generation, and the younger generation is better than the older generation. This has been the eternal truth of West Coast rap since NWA.

In November 2016, the new king Kendrick Lamar was still a fledgling and uncrowned king. The man who firmly held the throne of the West Coast was still this middle-aged man who dressed in a very simple and natural way and who would be mistaken for a homeless person if you didn't pay attention when walking on the street.

44-year-old Marshall Bruce Mathers III is the finale guest of the prime time of Mad City Music Festival. He is the top spot in the news releases that can surpass Kanye West. He is also the latest trophy in the music empire created by Han Yi.

And Eminem, the saint standing at the pinnacle of the hip-hop industry, the reason why he can stand on the stage in Las Vegas tonight, the reason why he is willing to change his team and join UTA, the reason why he actively negotiates with Han Yi and begins planning an unprecedented global tour... All these miracles are thanks to the "first female agent in the music industry" who is standing next to Han Yi, sipping strong liquor calmly, in sharp contrast to the revelers around her.

Kara Lewis.

(End of this chapter)