Waking Up From His Coma: Eminem's RECOVERY

Waking Up From His Coma: Eminem’s RECOVERY

by: Brad Weisberg

Background

Marshall Mathers, better known by his stage name EMINEM has traveled a challenging road to stardom. Mather’s was brought up in a broken home; his father ran away soon after his birth and his mother was a drug-addict who could not hold a single job. His mother and him were forced to move around, from low-income neighborhoods every few years. Being a lonely Caucasian boy forced him to survive in a society that was based on black culture and values. His disruptive upbringing was the fuel that ignited his powerful songwriting and inspiration to set a precedent for other troubled and at-risk individuals. As a lyrical artist, Eminem’s music was unique and diverse. His first album featured top-selling singles like “My Name Is”.

Though his early material is playful, most of his music was focused on his alter ego “Slim Shady”. As he began to dominate the hip-hop industry, his material was more powerful and authentic. His artistry as a genuine hip-hop artist emerged out of his second album, The Marshall Mathers LP. Songs such as “The Way I Am” and “Stan” introduced us to the troubled life of Marshall Mathers. His next albums, The Eminem Show and Encore, were a continuation of his real-life narratives. Though as he evolved into a hip-hop mogul, he felt powerless, which was evident in the negative turn he took. His songs were reflective of his original material, parodies about society and degrading for gays, lesbians, women and other groups that were targeted. On the verge of death in both reality and the music-industry, Mathers knew it was time for a change.

RECOVERY is a symbol of Eminem’s resurrection as both an artist and person. At the surface, it may seem that the album focuses on Eminem’s comeback, but it provides much more than that. It provides truth and hope for society; for Eminem’s supporters and the city of Detroit, an honest depiction that infers that everyone goes through hard times and we can overcome, but it requires being true to ourselves and self-motivation and determination.

From Death to RECOVERY

Prior to recording RECOVERY, Marshall lost one of his best friends and was still fighting the lingering emotions from his damaging relationships with both his ex-wife and his mother. Suffering from psychological and emotional scars, he turned to prescription drugs. His recreational hobby became life threatening, when he was just two-hours away from death after overdosing on Vicodin. Mather’s took action; he went to a drug rehabilitation center in hope of becoming sober. In an interview with Skyrocket, Eminem asserts that RECOVERY was a growing experience for him; a token of his salvation.

RECOVERY was a complete turn-around for the image Eminem created for himself as an individual and rap artist in his previous album, Relapse. It is an album based on the mental and physical rebirth of one of the world’s greatest hip-hop artists. In the same interview, Eminem speaks of how he knows his material in Relapse was satirical and a vocal image of society’s problems, such as racism and prejudices for gays, lesbians, and women. Eminem attributes his material on RECOVERY to the beats of producers such as DJ Khalil, Just Blaze and Boi-1DA, which invoked his emotions for writing heavy and powerful songs such as “I’m Not Afraid” and “Love the Way You Lie”. These beats encouraged Eminem to look back at his older material like “White America” and “Like Toy Soldiers”, which spoke about serious problems and challenges of society. “I’m Not Afraid” was a marker for Eminem fans and society, to see that no matter who you are, we are all faced by problems. His admittance of his problem was a symbol of his courage and strength as both a top-selling artist and common person. Steven Smith, a music and pop-culture expert says, “Show your fans that you have a problem like they do”. “Love the Way You Lie” sent a message that rung true to the claim that any relationship has problems, maybe not to the degree of Eminem’s tumultuous marriage, but there are challenges that individuals must solve.

Another interesting parallel that was pointed out in an interview was while Eminem was recovering, so was the city of Detroit, his geographical birthmark. Soon after his performance in Detorit in 2005, Eminem cancelled his European tour and entered rehab. At the same time, Detroit’s auto industry took a nosedive, leaving 40% of the population below the poverty line. His opening concert on September 4, 2010 at Comerica Park is a staple to the RECOVERY for both Eminem and the city of Detroit.

Supporters and Those in Opposition of EMINEM

Over the years, Eminem has held onto a large fan-base but has also dealt with tremendous criticisms by large activist groups. His artistic talent attracts a wide-scale of audiences, from high-schoolers to troubled individuals, who are experiencing personal struggles like drug addictions, unemployment and abusive relationships. Eminem’s powerful words and stories are weapons for those living in low-income neighborhoods to make a change.

Though some of his previous material was threatening and damaging to certain groups such as GLADD (The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and feminist groups. These individuals feel that Eminem’s music is offensive and only further perpetuates problems and legitimizes prejudice for gays, lesbians, and other unconventional social-groups. In order to combat the lyrical styling of Eminem, protests were held outside of major venues like the VMAs. Eminem has realized that his attacks on select groups were unnecessary and his motives were not guided by his actual beliefs, but by other artists’ material. Nevertheless, he has backed away from his satirical rhymes on gays and women and focuses his music on his challenges.

On the road to RECOVERY

Eminem has utilized aesthetic practices such as “white-America freedom calls”, “trouble triumphancy” and “redemption music” to re-establish his image in the eyes of the media. Key players such as top-grossing producers and his manager, Paul Rosenberg, have played a crucial role in his recreation as an artist in the music industry. Through producing beats that invoked emotion, Eminem was able to relay his personal accounts in a creative, aesthetic style.

As a devoted fan and supporter of Emimen as an artist and a struggling civilian, I believe that he is a unique individual who uses his talents and own life account to help others; through giving a voice to low-income individuals to providing the strength to people in abusive relationships. His music is a symbol of his intelligence and forever fighting character.