The Transformation of Slim Shady

Guest Blogger Anthony dissects the transformation of Eminem. I'm pretty sure I was in all Tony's classes in college and worked with him at the paper, and this might be the best thing he's ever written. If you enjoy music or rap, enjoy:

On May 4, 2009, we were treated to the fourth single from Eminem’s upcoming CD, Relapse, “Old Time’s Sake.”

In some ways, the title in itself is ironic. The chorus, which says, “I said one more time for old time’s sake,” is eerily reminiscent of the tone of the songs we’ve heard thus far.

Whether it’s “We Made You,” “3 AM” or “Old Time’s Sake,” there hasn’t been a great statement single from Eminem yet. In fact, it just seems like Relapse has been done for the sole purpose of old time’s sake.

I am an enormous Eminem fan. I’ve heard all the songs and memorized all the lyrics. I’ve listened to the new stuff so many times I already feel like I own the CD. But the truth is – and it’s hard for me to admit this – I’m just not that impressed.

And like I said, it’s not like it’s bad. In fact, the lyrics and beats are good. What they aren’t, however, is great.

Like it or not, if you’re an Eminem fan, you hold his material to a higher standard. He was one of the few people who said the things we didn’t have the courage to say. He was the first one who came out and said out loud that moms can be whack. He was the first one who stepped up for all the “scrawny white kids” and rapped about coming back to kick bully’s asses.

He rapped about killing his girlfriend, raping his mother, giving a girl too many shrooms and destroying the Insane Clown Posse. He hated Limp Bizkit and *N Sync and George W. Bush. In other words, he was every young white American. The difference was he spoke out against all the B.S. we see on an everyday basis. But he did it in a creative, tongue-and-cheek manner that made everyone love him and hate him at once.

The truth is, however, times have changed. When Eminem first rose to fame, I was in 8th grade. It was 1998 – and everything was different. The biggest scandal at the time was Bill Clinton getting head under the table from Monica Lewinsky. The economy was doing well, the internet was booming, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were “organically” hitting 500 foot homers and chasing Roger Maris.

Things were good, right?

Eminem set out to show you the dark side when everything else told you different. He opened a lot of young people’s minds and gave you music to “trash you room with.” He was 24 years old and his middle finger wouldn’t go down (how can I wave?). He just didn’t give a f**k. And we all loved it.

But as you look at the above paragraph, the only number that matters is 24. His gimmick was a young man’s gimmick; but the pattern of excellent rhyming, creative beats and ever-changing viewpoints gave him consistent credibility.

The scheme, as it were, was excruciatingly simple. Song number one was always the quirky, upbeat, make-fun-of-celebrities rhymefest with a catchy chorus. It would get overplayed on the radio, but the video always made up for overkill on your favorite hip-hop station.

Strategically, it made perfect sense. It brought him back into the fold with something guys could appreciate and girls would love. Then, he would win all his male fans over with his second song (think Guilty Conscience, The Way I Am, Cleaning Out My Closet, Like Toy Soldiers) and display his great rhyming capabilities along with a more violent theme.

Finally, with his third single, he’d usually step out on a limb. However, by this point, he usually didn’t even have to make another video. His album was already out in stores and selling huge amounts of copies. It was just a bonus.

However, with this album, the times – and Eminem – are different. With the new digital age, he’s pressured to force singles every week until the album’s release. And, as much as we all may hate to admit it, he’s rusty.

He’s stuck with the formula this time, but unfortunately for him, the formula is tired. “We Made You” is a pretty good song, if you ask me. I like the beat and the chorus, but I just have no idea which area it appeals to. It sounds like something you would put in a trippy drug scene in a movie, but certainly not something I’d play at a party to get it hoppin’.

“3 a.m.” is a decent song, but again, it’s not “The Way I Am.” Eminem as a murderer has been done again and again and again. Even “Old Time’s Sake” – Eminem and Dre passing the mic back and forth in a jovial pursuit of rapping excellence – seems contrived.

The one thing I personally always loved about Eminem was how he rose to the occasion. It seemed like in every album he tried to step out of the box. Even “Encore,” which probably sold more albums than it deserved, was a step in a different direction for the white rapper. In songs like “Evil Deeds,” “Yellow Brick Road,” “Like Toy Soldiers,” and “Mockingbird,” he tried to seemingly grow up and be an adult in his record. In some ways, “Encore” would have been a fitting end to his musical career.

But why was it worse? My personal theory – and I’m always one to dish out the blame to those who I don’t respect – is 50 Cent had a devastatingly negative effect on Eminem’s career. In my opinion, the signing of 50 Cent sent Em in a direction he never had to go. He tried to become a gangster and lost his sense of individuality.

If you think about it, the difference between Eminem on “Renegade” and “Smack That” is mind-boggling. It’s hard to believe it’s even the same guy. When he put “The Re-up” out, the first single was with 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks and Ca$his. It was a good song, but it wasn’t Eminem. He had become something entirely different.

The hunger just didn’t seem to be there. And now, on “Relapse,” the tracks seem to lack the same drive they used to have. It’s not just the accent (which clearly doesn’t help) – it’s the way it’s done. The beats are crisp, the choruses are OK, but it’s the verses.

Where’re the quotables? Think about the “Marshall Mathers LP.” All the memorable lines from the CD wrapped into a tight, 18-track CD that had every fan screaming for more. The new CD has us wondering what he even has left.

Even more than that, I think the departure to the post-50 Cent era has him dying to bring back Slim Shady. And this is where I think he loses it. The Slim Shady personality is the one who murders people and shits on celebrities and screaming “I don’t give a f**k” with his windows down and his system up.

But he’s just not Slim Shady anymore. And that’s the disconnect so far on Relapse. In the “Eminem Show” and “Encore,” he was Eminem or Marshall Mathers or whoever. But he wasn’t Slim Shady. And I think by trying to bring him back at an older age, it just seems, for whatever reason, not as real as it used to be.

It’s just hard to believe a 36-year-old is trying to nail Sarah Palin or is accidentally murdering people at 3 a.m. Unless, of course, they’re actually crazy. The tongue-in-cheek aspect is so much harder to pull off at his age.

So if you think about the album – the tracklist leaked last week – there’s 20 songs. You’ve now heard four of them (“Crack a Bottle” is on the CD as well) and “Beautiful,” the fifth single, leaks next Monday.

There’s also four skits on the CD (“Dr. West,” “Tonya,” “Paul” and “Steve Berman”). By the time the album comes out, you’ll have heard one-third of the songs on the record. I have no idea what kind of track “Beautiful” is, but my guess is it might be something about his daughter.

Not exciting.

So he essentially has 11 more tracks on the record to bring back the same excellence we’re used to. I never ever thought I’d say this, but I’m almost scared to hear what they sound like. For all the time and emotional investment I’ve had waiting for “Relapse,” I wanted it to be the old Eminem.

And there’s a chance it might be. But there’s also a frightening, nerve-wracking chance it might not be.

Am I still excited for the album? Absolutely. But do I expect greatness from Eminem anymore? No. He’s just not the same guy.