hollywood billionaire

Chapter 419 The Chords of the Times

In his lifetime, Dr. Dre has only released three studio albums.

The Chronic in 1992, 1999 in 2001, and Compton in 2015.

After 55 years of professional career, what finally came together were only personal singles.

This also includes a break of sixteen years.

Judging from the accounts alone, Dr. Dre's title as the Godfather of West Coast Hip-Hop has absolutely no basis to stand up.

But fans who truly understand hip-hop culture know that Dr. Dre's influence is not only on the covers of his own singles, but also on the backs of other people's albums.

The father of G-Funk and gangsta rap, low-key hidden in front of the sound control console in the recording studio, used his craftsmanship and ingenuity to present the world with a mobile feast with the theme of West Coast hip-hop, which has lasted for more than 30 years and has never stopped.

Every dish served at the banquet is a traditional delicacy with great color, aroma and taste.

"Please listen carefully!
Please listen carefully!

Please stand up, real Slim Shady!

I repeat: The real Slim Shady, please stand up!"

After his initial success with "The Slim Shady LP" in 1999, Eminem quickly released his next full-length original studio album in the millennium - "The Marshall Mathers LP", which really brought him great success in both word-of-mouth and sales and made him a popular singer.

As the most famous promotional single in the album, "The Real Slim Shady" is not only Eminem's response to public expectations and self-identity, but also a bold mockery of pop culture and the entertainment industry. In the lyrics, he used a sarcastic tone to attack the hypocrisy of the entertainment industry and the society's lack of understanding of his unique style, and used the personified character "Slim Shady" to declare himself the only "real one".

"You act like you've never seen a white person.
Jaw dropped, just like Pamela who had just seen Tommy burst into the house.

He began to beat her, harder than ever.

Throw her into the pile of furniture, even though they were divorced a long time ago.

The much-anticipated return!

'Oh wait, no way, you're kidding me.

What he just said wasn't what I thought it was, was it?'
Dr. Dre explained:

He has no explanation, idiot! Dr. Dre is dead and his body is in my basement! Haha!"

If the song "My Name Is" introduced Eminem's alter ego Slim Shady to the world for the first time, then "The Real Slim Shady" is the "Dark Knight" of this virtual character, which vividly displays Eminem's genius and madness projected onto the dark side of the moon.

"Will Smith's songs don't have any curse words in them, but they still sell like hotcakes.

But so what? I'm going to say it anyway.

Fuck him, and fuck you too.

You think I care about the Grammys?
Half of the critics can't digest my lyrics.
Not to mention put up with me.

But Slim, what if you won an award? Wouldn't it feel weird?

Why give me the award just to trick me into coming here?
Sit me next to Britney Spears?

Oh, Christina Aguilera, please change my seat.

I'm going to sit next to Carson Daly and Fred Dest.
Listening to them discussing whose dick she sucked first…"

Hip-hop music is known for being outspoken, but most rappers, when showing off their wealth, power or sex appeal, rarely mention names or only target unknown people.

If you tell a story like that where you've slept with all the girls on your block, or that you just beat up the gangster boss at the nightclub down the street yesterday, this kind of story won't provoke any negative reaction. Everyone just treats it as fun and for fun.

Ordinary people struggling in American society need this kind of American-style refreshing writing as spiritual food.

Only a very small number of warriors would actually write about celebrities whom they see every day into songs - writing about them into songs here does not mean to flatter others without any shame like "wake up in the morning feeling like P.Diddy", but to really use the other party as the target of attack to ridicule and destroy.

Like Kanye.

After mentioning Taylor Swift in "Famous", he ended up having a complete feud with the latter, and she has been hunting him down in every way until now. This painful lesson is enough to make almost every rapper with a little fame stay away from this way of creation.

In Hollywood, a bad record is not a big deal. Even if you have been in and out of prison for three times, you can still make a lot of money by touring the world. Having a fight with your hip-hop peers is not a big deal. Many beefs are commercial hype that both parties are willing to have. Even if they are really blood enemies, it is usually a matter of the underworld. If you win, your status will be further improved. If you lose, you can find an opportunity to turn the tables.

Even if you get so angry with the other person that you ask someone to beat you up on the street, you can still win fame before and after your death as a tragic hero, just like 2Pac and Biggie.

But few people would target pop stars who represent popular culture. First, they won’t write songs to diss you back. One-sided verbal insults are not only meaningless, but will also be labeled a “bully” and lose the love and admiration of the audience. After all, the requirements that music fans have for rappers are similar to the standards that movie fans set for charismatic villains—you can be a villain, but it’s best to be a villain who only bullies other villains and don’t mess with good people.

P. Diddy is the best example. If the only bad thing he did was to hire a killer to kill his enemies, no one would look down on him even if 100 2Pacs died. Instead, they would put him on the throne of the hip-hop empire. But a video of him chasing his girlfriend in a hotel corridor and beating her up could end his career in an instant.

It is precisely because of such unspoken rules in the industry that the sudden emergence of Slim Shady shocked everyone.

He is really outspoken and daring. He can scold anyone he wants without caring about the consequences. He will kill anyone who stands in his way, even if it is a Buddha.

Most importantly, Slim Shady appeared in the 2010s, not the 9s when society was infinitely more tolerant and any absurd behavior could be defended by supporters, but the 11s when conservatism was still prevalent, the 2000/ incident caused the entire United States to turn right, and orthodox teenage idols stood at the top of the entertainment industry's food chain.

"Whether you admit it or not,
I'm more awesome than 90% of you rappers.
That's why kids are craving my albums like drugs.

At this speed,

When I was thirty,
I'd be the only one in the nursing home who still had the energy to flirt...

Everyone can be a Slim Shady hidden in society.

He probably works at Burger King and spits on your onion rings.
Or wandering in the parking lot,

Roll down the window and start the engine

Swearing loudly at you.

So please stand up, real Shady.
Put that finger of each hand up.
Then become proud, unbridled, and lose control.”

On the stage, Eminem, who had long lost his former arrogance, handled every verse with ease. When it came to the chorus, he would point the microphone in his hand at the 75,000 audience members on the dance floor, asking them to shout out Slim Shady's name.

He no longer screams passionately to summon his virtual personality, and there are no longer dozens of stand-ins with short blond hair standing behind him, waving their arms at the same frequency. Everyone understands that this successful middle-aged man in Las Vegas is no longer the out-and-out psychotic performance artist who shouted "I don't give af**k if this chick was my own mother, I'd still f**k her with no rubber".

With the rise of Marshall Bruce Mathers III, Slim Shady, living in the shadows, is gradually declining.

The only thing that can make people feel Shady's lively pulse is Eminem's singing voice, which lacks emotion but has the same texture, and the G-Funk accompaniment that dances happily behind the vocals.

Yes, until now, only a very small number of hardcore music fans can sort out this basic fact - Slim Shady is not only Eminem's artistic fantasy, but also a big tree carefully cultivated by Dr. Dre in the garden of West Coast hip-hop.

Marshall Bruce Mathers III provided the seeds that would bear abundant fruit, but Andre Young was the gardener who watered, pruned, and fertilized the tree day after day, eventually making it lush and shady.

Through his arrangements and musical style, Dr. Dre gave Shady a specific "shape" and "sound".

G-Funk—the signature style introduced to the world by Dr. Dre in the early '90s, with its clear melodic lines, bass synths, downtempo beats, and that groaning, chassis-vibrating feel of a vintage car—became the basis for Slim Shady's persona.

From the arrangement of notes to the progression of rhythm, Dr. Dre is consciously or unconsciously reminding the audience that Slim Shady is not a simply funny, pleasing, or secretly crazy and aggressive existence, but a complex personality that can resonate with most souls.

He is very peculiar and weird, but this peculiarity and weirdness happens to be a state that everyone can achieve, and sometimes even desires to achieve.

This clever duality ensures that the song retains enough depth to be remembered even after the refreshing first listen.

More importantly, this musical style tailored for Eminem by Dr. Dre injected unprecedented "universality" into Slim Shady.

Before this, the audience of hip-hop music was almost confined to a specific cultural circle. The collaboration between Dr. Dre and Eminem allowed this music form based on street culture to enter a wider range of white families for the first time.

The lyrics of "The Real Slim Shady" poke fun at the hypocrisy of pop culture and the entertainment industry. Through Dr. Dre's arrangement and production, the originally rough and confrontational rap expression is transformed into an artistic language that is both powerful and interesting.

Dr. Dre's production technique makes the song's rhythm more distinct, suitable for mainstream radio broadcasts, while retaining enough original tension to prevent it from being mediocre. This "combination of tension and relaxation" musical language has become the key to the successful creation of the character of Slim Shady. He is not only an outlet for venting, but also a rebellious symbol full of entertainment value.

This is the decisive factor that makes Dr. Dre, despite having few personal works, firmly sit on the top of West Coast hip-hop and be admired by later generations.

Andre turned extreme rebellion into extreme mainstream, and the most outrageous offense into the most deafening aphorism. Most importantly, he infiltrated the African American community culture into the most basic circles of North American society through the mouth of a white man, and also seized the right to speak in the entire music world.

As the mastermind behind the scenes, Dr. Dre used Eminem, a face that was acceptable to the mainstream thinking at the turn of the century, to change the label of rap music as "exclusive to blacks". What is even more commendable is that in the following decade or so, not only was Eminem not excluded like Elvis and regarded as a "thief of black culture", but he also entered the pantheon of hip-hop music with one excellent work after another with excellent production, profound lyrics and clear intentions, and was also included in the candidate list of "Rap GOAT" that music fans talked about with relish.

"The tea is getting colder and colder, and I still don't know why.
I will toss and turn in bed...

The early morning drizzle misted over the windows...

Let me see clearly
Even if you try hard to distinguish, all you can see is darkness.

Besides your picture on the wall, it reminds me...

This isn't all bad.
It’s not too bad…”

“Dear Slim,

I wrote to you but still no call back.

I left my address, name and telephone number at the end of the letter.

I sent you two letters in the fall, but I'm sure you didn't receive either of them.

Maybe there was a problem with the post office or something.
After all, I sometimes write my mail addresses very poorly.

Anyway, how is your daughter?

My girlfriend is also pregnant and I'm going to be a father.

If it was a girl, guess what I would call her?
Bonnie.

……

I know you probably hear this every day, but I'm your number one fan.

My room is covered with your posters and photos.

I also love the song you did with Rawkus, it's awesome.

Anyway, I hope you can see this letter and give me a reply.

Just chatting, as your biggest fan, Stan."

The next song, "Stan", is a perfect display of Eminem and his mentor Dr. Dre's control over pop culture. The success of this single is precisely because it cleverly integrates the satire and criticism of hip-hop culture into a universal shell with profound humanistic care.

The narrative structure of "Stan" is very unique. It adopts the epistolary form rarely seen in hip-hop lyrics, and promotes the story through letters that gradually become extreme. The first part is a letter written by Stan to Eminem as a loyal fan, expressing his admiration for his idol and revealing the pain in his life. The second part is Eminem's response to these letters. At the beginning, he did not realize that Stan's heart had become so twisted and dangerous. In the end, the song ends with Stan's tragic ending, revealing his extreme admiration and mental breakdown.

This epistolary narrative style makes the song full of layers and drama. It not only breaks through the form of traditional hip-hop songs, but also makes the listeners empathize with them, as if they are in the song, experiencing the emotional ups and downs with the characters. The contrast between the loneliness, admiration, disappointment and anger revealed in Stan's letter and Eminem's response makes the emotional arc of the whole song reach an unprecedented height.

"Dear Slim, you still haven't replied to my letter or call me back, I really hope you can give me this chance.

I'm not mad - I just think it's too bad that you didn't respond to your fans.

If you don't want to talk to me outside of concerts, you can do this.

But you should at least sign Matthew.

That's my younger brother, only six years old.

We waited in the cold wind for four hours, only to receive a rejection from you.

That's too bad, man, you're his idol.

He wants to be like you, he likes you more than I do. I'm not that angry, I just don't like being lied to..."

Since its creation, the Slim Shady character has been focusing on exposing social injustice and criticizing the hypocrisy of the world of fame and fortune. Stan also inherits the characteristics of Eminem's virtual personality. It describes the crazy worship of an extreme fan, reveals the potential psychological harm of the entertainment industry to people, and the possible pathological psychology in the relationship between stars and fans.

“Remember when we met in Denver?

You said if I wrote you would write back.

You see, we are actually in the same situation.

I don't know who my father is.
He was always fooling around behind my mother's back and beating her up all the time.

I can see myself in your songs.

So on those really bad days,

I would drive alone on the streets,
Play your tape.

I'm alone, and only your songs can help me get out of depression.

I even got your name tattooed on my chest...

Sometimes I would cut open my body to see how much blood would flow.

The adrenaline rush, the pain was the escape I sought.

Look, everything you say is true, and I respect you because you are the poet who sings the truth..."

Eminem's lyrics do not just stop at criticizing the entertainment industry and star-chasing culture, but extend this criticism to more general human nature and social issues. Stan's paranoia, loneliness and despair reflect the extreme behaviors of many people in modern society when they are emotionally empty and hopeless in life. In Western society after the end of the Cold War, especially after the 9/11 incident, this sense of emptiness and loss is so common that it is palpitating.

The so-called "end of history" is nothing more than this.

Therefore, the connotation expressed by the song goes far beyond the framework of hip-hop culture and becomes an expression of universal human emotions.

The text world written by Eminem is vivid and moving enough, and the sound range framework built by Dr. Dre makes "Stan" even more appealing. Andre boldly chose Dido's slow-tempo pop song "Thank You" as the melody source of "Stan". This move is crucial, not only adding color to the emotional expression, but also playing a key role in shaping and consolidating Slim Shady's personality.

The vocal melody of "Thank You" is gentle, melancholic, and slightly soothing. Dido's crooning provides a unique background atmosphere for "Stan", which contrasts sharply with the pain and loneliness described in Eminem's lyrics.

Dido's melody presents the tender side of Stan's unconditional admiration for Slim Shady, while Eminem's lyrics reveal the growing distortion and pain in Stan's heart. This contrast makes the song more dimensional, no longer a one-way emotional catharsis, but an interweaving of different emotional levels, a profound analysis of loneliness, dependence, illusory worship and psychological collapse.

"Dear Mr. 'Never Talk to Fans'

This will be the last letter I send you, you asshole.

It’s been six months and I haven’t received a single word – am I unworthy?

I know you received the last two letters.

I wrote the return address clearly.

I hope you can listen to the tape I sent you this time.

I was in my car, speeding along at ninety mph on the highway.

Hey Slim, I'm on my fifth bottle of vodka, do you think I can still drive?

You know the song "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins?

It tells the story of a man who had a chance to save another person who fell into the water.

But the guy didn't ask for help. Phil saw the whole thing and found the guy who didn't help at a later performance?

It was the same situation then as it is now, you could have stopped me from drowning.

But it was too late now, I had taken a thousand sleeping pills and was already drowsy.

All I want is a phone call or a damn reply..."

The sample of "Thank You" is Stan's original idealized fantasy, his love and expectation for Slim Shady, but as the lyrics progress, this expectation is not responded to, and the emotions of the song gradually turn dark and distorted. Dido's voice in these changes is both a reflection of Stan's emotions and the background music for his final loss and collapse. In the end, Dido's powerless and soothing melody contrasts with Stan's tragic ending, strengthening the emotional impact of the song.

"I love you Slim, we were supposed to be together, think about it.

Now you've ruined everything, I hope you'll be awake all night over this, you'll definitely have nightmares.

When you dream about me, I want you to wake up and scream.

I hope your conscience will punish you, and you won't be able to breathe without me
Look, Slim... Shut up! Bitch! I'm talking!
Hey Slim, that's my girlfriend screaming in the trunk
I didn't slit her throat, I just tied her up, you see, I'm not like you.

Because death by suffocation would make her suffer more, and she would die soon

Okay, it’s over, I drove to the bridge.

Oh, shit, I forgot...

How the hell am I supposed to get this tape out there? Fucking hell."

Eminem's Slim Shady persona is known for his cold, rebellious and extreme personality. His lyrics are often angry, sharp and even aggressive, representing Eminem's unconventional, outspoken and fearless side. In "Stan", Dr. Dre uses the gloomy melody of "Thank You" after processing it and singing it in the rain, further strengthening Eminem's image as an artist with complex emotions and a deep understanding of his inner pain.

"Dear Stan, I meant to write you back soon, but I've been very busy lately.

You said your girlfriend is pregnant. Is she about to give birth?

I'm really, really happy that you named your daughter like that.

By the way, I also attached the autograph I gave to your brother.

Written on Starter's baseball cap.

I'm sorry I didn't see you at the concert, maybe I was just blind.

Please don't think I'm trying to make you angry on purpose.

But why did you say you wanted to cut your wrists? That's such a stupid thing to do!

I sang those lyrics just for fun.

Come on, what are you doing?
You've got a bit of a problem, Stan.

I think you need some advice on how to stay strong when you're feeling down.

What did you mean when you said we would be together?
This kind of stupid talk makes me no longer want to meet you.

I think you and your girlfriend need each other.

And you should be nicer to her.

I hope you can read this letter.

Hopefully this letter gets to you before you hurt yourself.

I hope it makes you feel better.

Don't worry so much, I'm really glad I could inspire you.

Why are you so angry?
You have to understand that I really want you to continue to be my fan.

I don't want to see your crazy behavior anymore.
A few weeks ago I saw a piece of news that made me sick.

A guy got drunk.

The car rushed under the bridge.

In the trunk was his pregnant girlfriend.

In the car they found a tape.
Didn't say who it was for.

Let me think, that guy's name is...

It's you.

Damn it. "

Eminem performed the six-minute, 43-second track from beginning to end on the Mad City Festival stage. The rain never fell, but the lights were like flowing mercury, filling the entire stage.

Nearly 100,000 audience members seemed to be pulled into a deep and endless narrative by an invisible force. Every note and every line of lyrics seemed to become a pair of invisible hands, touching the softest corner of their hearts.

"My tea's gone cold, I'm wondering why..."

“I got out of bed at all…”

The chorus surged like a tide, with a gentle power. Tens of thousands of pairs of lips opened and closed, and the sound no longer belonged to individuals, but became a collective of some kind of resonance. The singing of the audience gathered into a torrent in the air, blending with the accompaniment. The combination of the slow melody and the white noise in the background was like rain soaking the dry earth, beating in the deepest corners of people's hearts, bringing an inexplicable sense of comfort.

Even the listeners standing at the edge can feel this power passing through the crowd and reaching their souls.

As the chorus gradually fades away, the low tone and calm narration replace the tenderness of the chorus, as if a bystander slowly tells a story from passion to destruction.

But there was no intense reaction to this part. The crowd held their breath, and their voices at this moment were no longer part of any emotional outburst, but a sea of ​​silence, as if they were using their ears to devoutly perceive every word. They watched Eminem quietly from the audience, and for six minutes, he seemed not to be a performer, but a witness - witnessing Stan's tragedy, witnessing the abyss of fan culture, and witnessing the complexity and absurdity of human emotions.

Without any guidance, the vast majority of the 75,000 arms rose slowly and spontaneously, as if to confide in someone or to hold a silent Mass. They waved the lights of their phones, swaying gently to the melody of the chorus, like fireflies under the sky, with stars telling the softest loneliness of human nature.

Eminem quietly looked at the starry sky that belonged to "Stan". At that moment, he was no longer Slim Shady or Marshall Mathers. He was just an ordinary person who created this song and witnessed it leave his hands and become something greater.

"You know I don't really like listening to rap music, Xiaoru. But there are two people whose works I really admire. They are a perfect combination of independence and popularity. From them, I can see the most ideal form of hip-hop culture."

"You mean Eminem and...Kendrick."

"Yeah. 'Stan' and 'Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst'. They were the two people who really changed the game in rap in the 2000s and 2010s, in my opinion."

"What you want to say is...the two of them have one thing in common, that is, they both have Dr. Dre as their mentor."

"Haha, it's really easy to talk to you. I only have to say half a sentence."

"That's right. If I don't know you, who else can? And I also know that this is why you asked Andre to help you run the company."

"So what do you think of my decision?"

"Of course, no problem. I...at least when it comes to doing things, I always trust your judgment. If you like someone, you will never make a mistake."

"Seriously?"

"Honestly! The CEO you want must be a master who can lead Han Music forward and help the company's artists build perfect careers. Andre has been doing the same thing in the past few decades. So... I like him very much. I think this uncle is very serious about his work. I don't know what his character is like yet, after all, I haven't met him deeply enough. But I can see that he needs such a platform. No matter whether he acts calmly or not, to be honest, he needs you, more than you need him."

"I have always believed in your ability to observe things and people. You rarely make mistakes."

"I'm really accurate, okay... No matter how well he does in other areas, in the final analysis, he still wants to complete the ultimate test of the music industry. After all, whether it's a singer, artist, producer, or boss, everyone who has achieved greatness in his or her field has a unified, unextinguished dream in his or her heart."

"What dream?"

“Dreams use their own melody to compose the chords of the entire era.”

(End of this chapter)