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Eminem and Kendrick Lamar – review Eminem and Kendrick Lamar – review
(6 months later)
It’s been 13 years since The Marshall Mathers LP offended practically everyone with its cartoonish violence, questionable misogyny, homophobic slurs, and dick jokes. And while Eminem is no longer the stuff of newspaper headlines, he’s lost none of the potency that made him such a revelation to teenagers coming of age in the early-2000s – and such an impediment to those coming out.It’s been 13 years since The Marshall Mathers LP offended practically everyone with its cartoonish violence, questionable misogyny, homophobic slurs, and dick jokes. And while Eminem is no longer the stuff of newspaper headlines, he’s lost none of the potency that made him such a revelation to teenagers coming of age in the early-2000s – and such an impediment to those coming out.
Headlining his very own five-act Rapture tour – which was less a festival, and more a half-day showcase of top-notch hip-hop talent – the 41-year- old rapper showed all of his sides in a scatterbrain 90-minute show at Melbourne’s 50,000-capacity Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.Headlining his very own five-act Rapture tour – which was less a festival, and more a half-day showcase of top-notch hip-hop talent – the 41-year- old rapper showed all of his sides in a scatterbrain 90-minute show at Melbourne’s 50,000-capacity Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.
He was “on” from the moment he first stalked the stage – and he really had to be following Kendrick Lamar. Having made one of the all-time great rap debut albums in 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d city, last year 26-year-old from Compton laid down the gauntlet to the entire hip-hop world on Big Sean’s 2013 track Control, and he lived up to every diss, put-down and all the braggadocio in that controversial verse.He was “on” from the moment he first stalked the stage – and he really had to be following Kendrick Lamar. Having made one of the all-time great rap debut albums in 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d city, last year 26-year-old from Compton laid down the gauntlet to the entire hip-hop world on Big Sean’s 2013 track Control, and he lived up to every diss, put-down and all the braggadocio in that controversial verse.
Live, Lamar made virtuosity look easy, spitting out those rapidfire syllables on Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe, while retaining a smooth, purposeful flow. In concert, the rich imagery and confrontational vignettes from good kid, m.A.A.d city were elevated to another level. The superbass literally pumped through the crowd’s chest, and when he dropped Swimming Pools (Drank) early in the set, the audience went nuts.Live, Lamar made virtuosity look easy, spitting out those rapidfire syllables on Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe, while retaining a smooth, purposeful flow. In concert, the rich imagery and confrontational vignettes from good kid, m.A.A.d city were elevated to another level. The superbass literally pumped through the crowd’s chest, and when he dropped Swimming Pools (Drank) early in the set, the audience went nuts.
good kid, m.A.A.d city, he said, isn’t just a reflection of himself, but “everybody out there who goes through shit”. And with that, thousands of smartphone “lighters” were raised in the air as Sing About Me brought the set to a poignant close.good kid, m.A.A.d city, he said, isn’t just a reflection of himself, but “everybody out there who goes through shit”. And with that, thousands of smartphone “lighters” were raised in the air as Sing About Me brought the set to a poignant close.
Poignancy isn’t what sold Eminem all those records, but that’s the difference between his hyper-real Slim Shady persona and the middle-aged rapper we see now. He still cuts a mean figure, with his ripped body and sleeve tattoos, and was ably flanked by his man mountain of a hype-man, ex-D12 member Mr Porter (who had his name, in case we forgot, tattooed on his arm). The pair’s “comedic” interludes were the only part of the show that came off as unnatural and over-rehearsed. Mr Porter would set them up with something like, “How many of you have been with us since [2010’s] Recovery?” And the rapper would respond with: “That’s a lot of people I’ve fucked up.”Poignancy isn’t what sold Eminem all those records, but that’s the difference between his hyper-real Slim Shady persona and the middle-aged rapper we see now. He still cuts a mean figure, with his ripped body and sleeve tattoos, and was ably flanked by his man mountain of a hype-man, ex-D12 member Mr Porter (who had his name, in case we forgot, tattooed on his arm). The pair’s “comedic” interludes were the only part of the show that came off as unnatural and over-rehearsed. Mr Porter would set them up with something like, “How many of you have been with us since [2010’s] Recovery?” And the rapper would respond with: “That’s a lot of people I’ve fucked up.”
Eminem kept the chainsaw at home for the cheery ode Kill You, but the jarring gunshot at the end of the track meant he still meant business. The spitfire verses on Rap God were delivered with AK-47 intensity, and he powered through a couple verses of Stan, before a medley of early hits like My Name Is and The Real Slim Shady (with a self-deprecating backdrop of his high school yearbook photos). Eminem kept the chainsaw at home for the cheery ode Kill You, but the jarring gunshot at the end of the track meant he still meant business. The spitfire verses on Rap God were delivered with AK-47 intensity, and he powered through a couple verses of Stan, before a medley of early hits like My Name Is and The Real Slim Shady (with a self-deprecating backdrop of his high school yearbook photos).
But for all his grimacing and those thousand-yard stares, Eminem may be a softie at heart. Love the Way You Lie, his 2010 duet with Rihanna (whose voice was mimicked/mimed by one of his back-up singers), was even prefaced by a dedication to all the women in the crowd, suggesting that even rappers notorious for their misogyny can’t keep it up all the time.But for all his grimacing and those thousand-yard stares, Eminem may be a softie at heart. Love the Way You Lie, his 2010 duet with Rihanna (whose voice was mimicked/mimed by one of his back-up singers), was even prefaced by a dedication to all the women in the crowd, suggesting that even rappers notorious for their misogyny can’t keep it up all the time.
He closed the set with two of his most rousing anthems: Not Afraid, which he offered to “anybody who lost someone to addiction”, and Lose Yourself, which really is the Eye of the Tiger of our time. Eminem may have built his myth on exaggerated violence and faux thuggery, but this is where the real Slim Shady’s at right now.He closed the set with two of his most rousing anthems: Not Afraid, which he offered to “anybody who lost someone to addiction”, and Lose Yourself, which really is the Eye of the Tiger of our time. Eminem may have built his myth on exaggerated violence and faux thuggery, but this is where the real Slim Shady’s at right now.