EminemBase wrote:
Well then if he wants attention or for people to focus on his material, how about trying to do something groundbreaking and creating something strikingly original that DESERVES attention rather than using a lame manipulation tactic to get on radio?
So no, they shouldn't release their stuff anonymously - BEING famous is nothing to be ashamed of, when it's an upshot. But why not think bigger, and instead of going "hmm, I wish more people would listen to my stuff... I know, get Bruno Mars on a hook and do a cliche emotional track!" why not think "hmm, I wish more people would listen to my stuff... fuck this, I'm going to create something that blows people's minds".
Stop making excuses for lame moves. There's no decent defense for getting Bruno Mars on a track for the sake of making a hit. It's a shitty thing to do. And not the move of a real artist.
In regards to Em and his singles, originally it was just luck that "My Name Is" was a hit. He wasn't trying to make a hit, it just happened to catch-on and then that became the formula for him. But Eminem was still being him and compromising very little in "The Real Slim Shady" and "Without Me", even lyrically. And they were still decent rap tracks.
And they were still original and fresh, and had little concepts to them. They only seem like Em 'going through the motions' in retrospect, because he played out his own formula. But Em making comedic singles with a more melodic focus, which are still lyrically tight, have little concepts and are decent rap is nowhere near as bad as slapping Bruno Mars on a made-to-be-a-stadium-cliche-track song, for the sake of pandering to audiences that probably don't even appreciate the genre.
PS. When did I ever say it was okay for Em to do that anyway? plus it's a separate issue / artist. Trying to justify it with "yeah but, he does it too!" is ridiculous.
First things first, Royce doesn't need to impress people that follow rap music because he's got a good following in that regard. It's the wider public - exactly the kind of people that Lighters will appeal to - that he needs to get the attention of. As far as I'm concerned, the rest of the album is what should get people onto Royce because he holds his own with the best rapper ever (in my humble opinion). In the event, it's probably going to be Lighters. Is that Royce's fault?
Also, Bruno Mars is a talented guy. Just because he doesn't appeal to you doesn't mean that it's a lame move. This cliche emotional song isn't even that cliche - it's a stadium anthem - that's a good thing in my book. Since when were rappers not allowed to show emotion, Eminem's made a career out of it (in some ways).
It's a good move for his career, for the EP, for rap music (if it'l get anyone new to listen to Royce, the EP etc) and it's also a good song if you see past your own personal dislike for Bruno Mars - who is really good at what he does.
On the Eminem subject, I'm pretty sure they knew the response My Name Is would get and I'm sure that was the aim. Em's said that himself, I'm sure. The point I was making was just that there's nothing wrong with trying to appeal to a larger audience as long as the music is good and you aren't sacrificing any integrity. Which applies to Em's singles and Lighters too imo.