Be happy, don't worry

Be happy, don't worry

Misogynist, homophobic, obscene, abusive, yes. But irresistible and incredibly funny. That's how teeny boppers of today view rap singer, Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, who walked away with three Grammy Awards, including the Best Rap Album at the 43rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Who is Eminem? Why has he generated such widespread protests -- especially from gays, women right activists, and various religious groups? Even US vice-president Dick Cheney's wife, Lynne, is exercised over him. She exclaims: "This is a man who talks about murdering his own mother, he talks about murdering women generally. He talks about killing them slowly so you can hear them scream." The wickedly funny 27-year-old Eminem is blond, white, with a sociopathic attitude, from Detroit. He, like other white rappers, such as Kid Rock and Vanilla Ice, are middle class kids, who purposely pose as white trash to make fun of the prep school bred fuddy-duddies.

Eminem is an acolyte of the gangsta' rap and hip-hop music, a tradition which was pioneered by black rappers such as Public Enemy, Dead Prez and others. The black rappers, of course, saw themselves as ideological descendants of the Black Panthers and most of their music was essentially anti-establishment, preaching radical exhortations such as kill the copper (policeman). Eminem's songs are less politically radical but much more outrageous. He has distorted the tradition somewhat with his anti-happy family values, particularly his violent rants against his wife, mother and sister. Part of the reason is autobiographical. He was born to an unmarried teenage mother, when she was only 15. She was, he claims, on welfare and drugs. The latter charge has prompted his mother to sue him for defamation. He never knew his father and was a ninth grade drop out who worked his way as a restaurant boy and through lowly paid factory jobs. He grew up mainly in black neighbourhoods among automobile sector workers.

This foul-mouthed rapper today finds himself at the centre of a raging controversy over freedom of expression versus social responsibility of an artist. While conservatives think that he is misusing liberty as licence, liberals defend him on the ground that he has expanded the imagination of an artist to horizons normally considered out of bounds. Such debates generally create more heat than light. Additionally, they seem pointless given the fact that the purpose of music is entertainment. Although one might not agree with anything he says, he is unquestionably popular given his stunning skills on stage and the harmony between his lyrics and beats. Consider his soaring popularity -- his first album, the Slim Shady LP, sold 5 million copies and won him two Grammys last year. The Marshall Mathers LP which won him three Grammys this year is being hailed as the "first great pop record of the 21st century". Eminem's songs which honour the socially unacceptable by romanticising rape, homophobia, violence and evenmurder make him highly unpopular among concerned parents but, strangely, his strongest following is among the 14-year old boys just as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera are the darling of the 13-year-old girls. By honouring him, the American music industry has given acceptability to music which was at one time considered part of the lunatic fringe.