by EminemBase » Mar 11th, '11, 15:36
Well there's a major contradiction in his argument here - he wants to be acknowledged FOR his past numbers, for his past success whilst at the same time he says people are caught up in the past, and that he's not acknowledged BECAUSE of that past.
So he's using his past image, and success as his argument for AND against himself.
Eminem and Jay-Z get acknowledged not because of sales, but because of influence and critical impact. He hasn't had either of those things, at least not in the sense of... high-culture. Ie. he may of inspired more wannabe rappers to strap bandannas around their head and rap with their shirt off but he's no way been a force of genuine debate or respect within hip-hop.
Shit rappers, and shit musicians can still sell. Sales are not indicate of quality and although Jay-Z has in the past had a collective success of sales and quality, they're not mutually exclusive. Just like you can have amazing albums that don't sell, and amazing artists that don't get any national or international recognition for whatever reason(s) - you can have shit artists and shit music, tacky music, that sells in huge numbers.
Artists like Eminem, that are of a high quality, that push boundaries, inspire revolutionary thought and debate, combine skill and genuine passion into the mixing pot and also are able to achieve massive sales, normally achieved by compromise are celebrated because of that also. Because they're a rarity. Not many can pull off that feat, that's why he's celebrated. Bow Wow is not a rarity. He's plain and what you'd expect, he's uninteresting and unimaginative.
Eminem doesn't get respect for his numbers. The Marshall Mathers LP isn't called a masterpiece because of how much it sold. That's a ridiculous argument.
Fuck numbers. If they happen to go alongside quality, then they can be induced as a positive point towards an artist's power and influence, but if they happen irrespective of quality material, critical respect and because of tacky hits and fads, that's entirely different.
Mentioned in the same breath? He doesn't deserve to be thought of in the same thought, or even accidentally coughed or dribbled out in the same breath. He's a fucking joke of an artist, he's tacky and treats the game like it's a popularity contest. That's why he's not in anybody's top fucking 50 list. He can change that, anybody can change it, but I doubt that he has the talent, skill or intelligence to do that, or he probably would have by now.