To respond to the "It is impossible to talk about Eminem without talking about contradictions, and I believe there is neither space nor time enough for us to address all the contradictions present in "The Death Of Slim Shady" point, I think that I personally feel a little differently! I don't think there are so many contradictions that it would be all that impossible to unpack. That's not to say (and as I'm sure you can tell from the piece), that he doesn't incorporate an incredible amount of wordplay, metaphors, and similes into each verse. I just feel as though the categories those fall within aren't quite as expansive as many rappers. As inventive as he is, I don't feel as though he travels far beyond the scope of his own life, problems, family, and why he's the GOAT.

This piece is over two years old an admittedly hasn't aged incredibly, but I explore some of my thoughts a little more deeply here: https://medium.com/@benulansey/how-rap-inspired-me-to-write-abf9d8a4d319 You'd certainly be able to see how the piece evolved over time into these latest two. No obligation to read, though!

When I compare Eminem to someone like Lupe fiasco or Immortal Technique, it's clear to me that his scope is a little more limited. His rap is obviously better, but I've always longed for him to explore deeper subject matter. I don't feel like I'm able to sit down and really analyze the layers and layers of meaning and contradiction. It's at least not as interesting or nuanced as it would be for a more poetic rapper like Lupe.

Anyway, back when I wrote that piece I shared above, I was convinced there was no one on this platform who cared about rap very much. So even if there's a bit of disagreement here, it's really nice to talk to someone else who cares about Eminem's music enough to be so vocal about their opinion. He was truly an enormous inspiration behind my writing.

Thanks for reading!