Why has Eminem dissed the new rappers in his latest album 'Kamikaze'?
Marshall Mathers is truly the underdog in the game right now. In 2000, he played the underdog card like crazy. But that was when he was at his peak. Save for a couple SJWs and some crazy conservatives, the World was behind him.Now, come 2018, he truly is the underdog. He’s at the Rocky 3 of his career. Everyone’s panning him, everyone’s telling him the game’s run by the young pups. But he’s a fighter, he can still ball with them, and he’s ready to prove that on Kamikaze.The rap game is nothing like what it was when Slim came up. In his essence, Eminem’s a brawler, a battle rapper, a wolf, and he isn’t ready to call it quits and bow out like Jay or Joe Budden.How many times has Em been left for dead by the world after a dud, only to come back stronger than ever?He did it with Relapse. He did it a year later with Recovery. He did it again this year with the Chloraseptic remix. He always kills.Let’s look at one of his first comebacks.Relapse. Or more specifically, Forever.What did Eminem do on Forever, you may ask? He took three of the hottest emcees to come up during his hiatus, and he took them to the woodshed.That’s what he does best in his comebacks, he takes everyone who thinks they’re hot, and he proves he’s still on top by putting the newcomers in their place.That’s the formula, and that’s what he does on Kamikaze.Look at the hints he’s been dropping since revival.I’ll be back and when I am I’ll be at your throat like Chloraseptic.The boom bap is coming back with an axe to mumble rap, lumberjack with a hacksaw.She's tipsy, I'm soberSo she gets a chip on her shoulderSits on the sofa, I go to load aSlick Rick song or throw some Souls of Mischief onShe goes, "All that old school hip-hop is so fuckedThink that shit's got pneumonia"I told her, "Bitch now, just hold up"That's why rap needs a doctorOur genre's lymph nodes are swole upEverything he’s been doing really boils down to “let’s bring the old school back”Slim Shady does that best by bodying the youngins.And what easier targets are there than the Lils and the Yungs and the YBNs of today?I shit you not, FACK has more lyrical prowess than most of the Soundcloud rappers.Em’s fed up with a rap game where masterpieces like Castle, Arose, Framed and Believe get overlooked, only for critics to praise Travis Scott and Migos like they just dropped Enter the 36.So he takes his frustrations out with a pen and pad, on anyone who’s taking up the spotlight he deserved. And he does it beautifully.
Is hip hop bad?
What you think of the genre will be dependent on the lens you are looking through. In layman's terms, if you are looking for a reason to view it as bad, you'll find it. There are plenty of hip hop songs that are rife with negative messages, and if listened to enough, will probably cause the listener to glamorize its content. Human objectification, extreme materialism, drug addition, etc, are all commonly associated with Hip Hop, and I'd be lying to you if I said that those subjects were not present in the genre. They're quite common in every type of music, but for whatever reason, Hip Hop has almost become synonymous with those things. However, this view is one dimensional, and completely ignores what is so incredible about the music. If you don't know the origins of Hip Hop, I highly recommend divulging into it. It was born out of oppression and as a means of protesting the inequality of its time. Hip Hop told the stories that no one wanted to hear, but desperately needed to be expressed. People who had experienced things like racism and extreme poverty finally had something tangible that encapsulated their struggles, while also educating others who failed to see or feel the effects of those very things. It gave people artists and songs that they connected to, and related to in a time where it felt like there were none. It also inspired people to perservere through their difficulties, and work for change so that those things no longer existed. It still does, despite its negative connotations. Look up artists like Frank Waln, for example, who, through Hip Hop, have done a world of good in educating people on contemporary social issues. Waln was inspired to start writing by another Hip Hop artist, Eminem. While Eminem's music can be a bit more negative, there is also so much knowledge in it, and something that millions of people have related to. I see these things, and it is impossible for me to say that Hip Hop is bad. Nothing that gives people hope or a feeling of mutual understanding is bad. But, like I said in the beginning, it all depends on what you choose to see.