SliK wrote:Remember when Em would say that he lashed out at pop stars because he didn't want to be labelled as one? So what does it mean when he starts collaborating with them?
Not just any pop stars though.
I'm not defending this song, of course, but that's an important distinction to make. The music that was coming out back then was so squeaky fucking clean and fake that it makes Rihanna and Bruno Mars look like death metal. He wasn't distinguishing himself from mainstream or pop music in general, he was distinguishing himself from what was mainstream and pop at the time.
Again, not saying anything about the collabs themselves. It's just that this sentiment comes up so much, and I really feel like it's missing the point of why he felt the need to distance himself from pop and the mainstream at the time. You would never have a pop star allow a verse like this on their album back then, and not due to the quality. The content would have been too edgy and offensive, and by today's standards it's obviously pretty tame.