Al Wilson

Eminem Outline
MACO 330
10/23/18

1. Born Marshall Mathers

a. born in Ohio, raised in Detroit Michigan by mother Debbie

b. bullied as child

c. grew up in a trailer park, off of 8 mile road in Detroit

2. 2nd place in Rap Olympics in 1997

a. signed to Interscope Records under Dr. Dre

b. Dr. Dre was critiqued for signing a white rapper

3. “The Slim Shady LP” (1999)— Creation of “Slim Shady” a violent crazy alter ego that said

extremely vulgar and disgusting things

a. album was certified triple platinum by the end of the year

b. birth of Eminem as a national artist

c. The album immediately created controversy as songs detailed murdering his then wife

and disposing of the body, and encouraging a man to kill his lover

d. News media was not sure how to handle the vulgarity, especially from a white artist.

i. “Eminem is like a whole week of Jerry Springer shows, with slightly beat beats

and fewer exposed body parts” – Chicago Tribune 1999

4. The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)

a. Sold 1.76 million copies in first week, which was the fastest seling hip-hop album at the

time.

b. The Real Slim Shady

 i. filled with insults about celebrities, which aggravated celebs but fans loved the

disses toward other stars

ii. contained lyrics with heavy misogyny

c. Stan- universally recognized as one of the greatest rap songs of all time

i. Story of a crazied fan who wished to be Eminem

ii. Has become a cultural slang for a fan or something worth admiring

d. Cognitive Dissonance- People enjoyed the off the cuff remarks and satirical side of
Eminem and the fact it brought attention to the lifestyle many children were growing up
in. Eminem always blamed parents and past generations for the current state of
children

5. White America (2002) /Opposition

a. Song released in which Eminem thrashed culture of America and how he as a modern

white America was a voice to the generation in which he grew up in

b. Responded to constant controversy over his lyrics and that it was what others wanted to

say

c. Video was banned from Youtube due to imagery

d. Threated by Secret Service over threats to President

e. Pig in the Python: Fans already in love with Eminem continued to grow older and

support and share his music with others, regardless of violent lyrics

f.

6. Recovery (2010)

a. After several years battling drug and rehab problem released Recovery which promoted

rehab and a changed man who had grown from a childish phase

b. Lost his trademark blonde hair which was the look of “Slim Shady”

c. Second highest selling rap album, contained Not Afraid, Love the Way You Lie
 i. Both spoke to overcoming adversity, and fighting against domestic violence

7. Trump Controversy Freestyle

a. Eminem Freestyled a diss of Trump in 2016 BET Awards

i. Attacked over policys of gun reform, Puerto Rico, and stance on NFL Players

ii. Stated “ Im drawing a line in the sand, any fan of mine cant be a fan of his”

iii. Said he didn’t mind if he lost half of his fanbase over it

b. On Brand- this fit the way in which he has used contrevery to fuel the agenda

“And the connected with me too because I look like them”

- This quote from “White America” sums up Eminem. He knows his fanbase and what he can do

to influence them.

LIST OF PUBLIC RELATIONS PRINCIPALS USED BY EMINEM

Pig in the Python- As Eminem has grown older so has his fanbase, the kids whom blasted Slim Shady

are always loyal fans of his. His fanbase is called “Stans” after the popular song by him in 2004.

Spiral of Silence- The effect of Eminem being a white rapper created an atmosphere in which he was

able to say almost anything he wanted without consequence

Extraordinary Talent – Eminem is very similar to the Deflategate case, in the way in which he was able

to use his extraordinary talent and power to overcome any controversy. The way in which he was able

to use his connectional power, through his ties with Dr. Dre and NWA, along with his own record label

Shady Records, and expert power, as he is known as the greatest white rapper without question, forces

people to give him the benefit of the doubt

Universal Talent – One of the things that has helped fueled Eminem is the way in which he resonates

with both Whites and Blacks. This allows him to reach a wide fan base, and instead of being alientated

to only a certain audience he is able to resonate will all, which helps explain the popularity of his music.

Reverent Power – Though reverant power is extremely hard to earn, Eminem is one of the most

obvious people who have attained this. Everything he says is immediately on the agenda, or is

controversial. This just shows exactly how strong his image is. “When he speaks, we listen.”

Cognitive Dissonance- This is obvious for Eminem, as he has had a career based off of saying

inappropriate things and things that have upset some part of the country. The fact that with all he has

said and done and is still beloved by many shows just how strong the cognitive dissonance.

Agenda Setting- As soon as Eminem burst onto he was a hit and he has been on the agenda anytime

he has wanted to since. He has shown the media his ups, through his record breaking albums, to his

lows of drug abuse and rehab.

Political Correctness- Eminem is the opposite of this principal, he uses the way in which people try to

be politically correct and had an attitude of which he did not care what people thought of what he said,

which others wanted to be like and listened to his music to feel they were like him.

Sources

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6347737/ns/us_news-life/t/eminems-mosh-video-disses-bush/#.W9cF_y--

IWo

 Bozza, Anthony (2003). Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem. New
York: Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 1-4000-5059-6.

http://www.mtv.com/news/3060674/eminem-losing-fan-base/