Eminem's performance at the Shady 2.0 showcase (video)

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He doesn't really seem that comfortable on stage these days.

Well the sole reason he felt comfortable on stage back then was because he was high and just didn't care? he doesn't seem uncomfortable to me on stage these days....

And you can't really put the Lose Yourself song as an example, because that song is the vetry last of a 2 hour concert - naturally his voice fucks up and you can barely hear him anymore.

(1) I would put it the otherway around, the sole reason Em isn't comfortable these days, is because he isn't depending on the pills/alcohol for confidence & comfortness. He was - by a lot of people - considered one of the best live-performers in the early 00s. Which he, in my opinion - WAS.

(2) I choose that performance for exactly that reason. The reason you see his voice "fucks up", as you put it, is because of his delivery (the screaming, which people seem to like...). Em back in the day didn't have a problem with a 90min concert.

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I'm pretty sure he's able to spit full verses anyway...Porter isn't there to help him with his lyrics, he's there to be the hype man. If I can fully rap an Eminem verse, the man himself sure as hell can.

Isn't there to help him with the lyrics? Go watch a Youtube clip.


And as for you being able to "fully rap an Eminem verse"... Try that for 90 minutes (20 or so songs). And... most importanly, your delivery should be like that of "Love The Way You Lie".

As I said, I'm pretty sure he's able to spit those verses fully. The fact you added the 90-minute shit only reinforces my original statement about him being older and to cut him some slack. If it would be difficult for me to do (which it would) then it's gotta be very difficult for Em. Yet he does it anyway. I'm sure Em knows his lyrics. Yeah Porter's there to help out and fill in words, but I'm sure if Porter wasn't there Em would be able to rap most of his songs perfect. He might miss a word or two sometimes but that's not a big deal. Almost every rapper punches out at the end and lets their hype man finish lyrics. It's not like Em only does it. Em filled in words for 50 and 50 even FORGOT HIS LYRICS. Who cared? Not many.

My delivery while rapping to an Em verse is usually the same as Em does it. I know Celebrity word for word, and when he screams I scream. It hurts like hell but it's very possible to do. Throw It Up is mostly calm, so you go at it calm until he shouts.

My point is; it isn't sustainable for Em to scream verse after verse for a whole concert. The result you get is that "Lose Yourself" performance in Brazil.

As for cutting him some slack, as a 40 year old. What about Nas, Jay-Z... Then again, they don't have that agressive delivery...

My point is, to put it simply, take it easy with the screaming, instead, focus on breath-control and delivery.

[Kill You]

Sometimes you have to yell into the mic...did you hear Joe Budden during the performance? No? Exactly. Each member of SH had to get louder just to be heard. Sometimes ITS NECESSARY.

As for Tech, Nas, and Jay, you answered your own question...Em has an aggressive delivery and those artists don't.

[Chet Starr]

Who cares how he moves around? It only matters if you decide to head to his concert, right?

& it's not like the past eminem was that much better on stage. He would move his arms like he was doing speed sign language

(I'm not getting into the whole screaming debate)

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If you listen to him perform on the "Up In Smoke Tour" his voice gets fucked up really quick after performing. Especially in "Forgot About Dre" his voice fucks up like crazy.

I dont think I really added anything to the conversation at hand...just felt like saying that.

First, the performance you're reffering to, is - in my opinion - one of his best (of all-time). He fucking kills that performance, the energy, the acapella, not missing a word? without any back-up help to finish his verses.

[NextEpisode]

Sometimes you have to yell into the mic...did you hear Joe Budden during the performance? No? Exactly. Each member of SH had to get louder just to be heard. Sometimes ITS NECESSARY.

As for Tech, Nas, and Jay, you answered your own question...Em has an aggressive delivery and those artists don't.

Are you saying that we wouldn't be able to hear Em's voice through the speakers if he wasn't screaming? And as for comparing him to Joe Budden... Have you heard Joe Budden when he speaks normally?

"Em has an aggressive delivery"... Yes, that is what causes his voice to go soar. It isn't sustainable, that's my point.

[Kill You]

Sometimes you have to yell into the mic...did you hear Joe Budden during the performance? No? Exactly. Each member of SH had to get louder just to be heard. Sometimes ITS NECESSARY.

As for Tech, Nas, and Jay, you answered your own question...Em has an aggressive delivery and those artists don't.

Are you saying that we wouldn't be able to hear Em's voice through the speakers if he wasn't screaming? And as for comparing him to Joe Budden... Have you heard Joe Budden when he speaks normally?

"Em has an aggressive delivery"... Yes, that is what causes his voice to go soar. It isn't sustainable, that's my point.

I'm saying that could be a reason why he yells on songs where he's not supposed to. Either that or he's very angry/has a lot of energy at the time.

I didn't compare him to Joe Budden, I said Budden could hardly be heard because he wasn't rapping loud into the mic like the rest of the members had to. Eventually Joe's tone increases so he can be heard, but the point in that was just to reinforce my argument that sometimes its necessary. Not comparing Em and Joe.

[NextEpisode]

Sometimes you have to yell into the mic...did you hear Joe Budden during the performance? No? Exactly. Each member of SH had to get louder just to be heard. Sometimes ITS NECESSARY.

As for Tech, Nas, and Jay, you answered your own question...Em has an aggressive delivery and those artists don't.

Are you saying that we wouldn't be able to hear Em's voice through the speakers if he wasn't screaming? And as for comparing him to Joe Budden... Have you heard Joe Budden when he speaks normally?

"Em has an aggressive delivery"... Yes, that is what causes his voice to go soar. It isn't sustainable, that's my point.

Could be the reason why he doesn't finish all of his bars when performing. His voice sounded rough as hell after he performed "Love The Way You Like Part 2" and "I Need A Doctor" performance at the Grammy's during Dre's verse when he was Dre's hype man.

But then you look at song like "Love Me", "Crack A Bottle" and the cypher - he looks smooth up there. I dunno.

Not sure I got your point, exactly.

But, your first two examples. LTWYL2 & INAD, are two prime examples of that aggressive delivery I'm referring to.

The last 3 of the songs you mentioned, neither of them require an agressive delivery, and all of them was performed when Em's voice was relatively "fresh" (i.e. he hadn't screamed for an hour prior to that). Thus he sounds smooth.

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That's what I'm saying. I'm speaking on behalf of his breath control, the songs with the aggressive delivery are possible to do without a hype man, but it fucks his voice up so it's probably why he has Porter finishing the last few words of each bar - unlike the latter three I mentioned.

Thus, wouldn't it be wise to take it down a notch, and only finish some bars (the ones where the lyrics express anger etc...) with an aggressive tone, like he used to do back in the days... ?

[Mr Change]

Eminem can perform exactly how he did in his prime. It's just now adays his age and movement factor into what he can and can't do. If he stood in one spot he would nail every word, but he can't do that now can he?

Plus I think it's all about his mindset. Back then what he thought before a concert had to have been "I'm going out there, and rapping my lungs out", which was when his face would get red and you could hear him say every word himself. Now adays i'm sure he has that mentality, just not to the same heights as before.

[_Hawk_]

He could never do TIC back when it came out.

This is where rumours start. What tangible evidence is there that Em couldn't do it? Is it the same way he couldn't perform Who Knew, or Rock Bottom..? Em never performs all of his songs from one album. I was always shocked that he didn't perform TIC back in the day, but there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that he couldn't do it.

Check his Grammy performance of Stan. His breath control was almost flawless back in the day (he can still do that track now, but we've never seen him do the whole thing. With this in mind, would you say he doesn't do the whole track because he can't? No, obviously it's because it would be boring to see him do the whole 6 minutes, but as I said: this is how rumours start).

[Mathers]

& it's not like the past eminem was that much better on stage. He would move his arms like he was doing speed sign language

[Elision]

Hey guys. Here's the thing. There are plenty of artists who have a delivery just as, if not more aggressive than Em. And they are able to do a full show without missing bars and a losing their voice after a few hours. Em simply isn't a great performer these days.

You stans can sit there and try to reason it out all you want, since you're built to do that, but it just makes you look narrow-minded in regards to hiphop as a whole. You're all just stroking eachother here and most of you have no idea what you're talking about -- dropping names of artists as if you actually know about them and watch them.

[EminemInsider]

Yeah, Eminem was on drugs during the 2000 MTV Awards performance...during the 2001 Grammy performance with Elton John.

He does appear to be on something in this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxHcnRoT4HI

Other than that, it's pretty rare to come across any performances from back then where he could have been on anything.

You want to see high Eminem performances, look for anything from 04-05...and of course, that BET thing he did in...06?

[EminemInsider]

Yeah, Eminem was on drugs during the 2000 MTV Awards performance...during the 2001 Grammy performance with Elton John.

He does appear to be on something in this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxHcnRoT4HI

Other than that, it's pretty rare to come across any performances from back then where he could have been on anything.

You want to see high Eminem performances, look for anything from 04-05...and of course, that BET thing he did in...06?

I don't think he's on anything there. He looks really bored though. So does Dido lol.

Judging from his eyes, he's either on some kind of depressant, or he didn't get any sleep the night before.