Marshall Mathers took everybody�s money Superbowl Sunday. From his claymation ad with Lipton Iced Tea to being the face of Detroit via Chrysler, Mathers is staking his claim as one of the most visible and memorable emcees in Hip Hop. Mr. Marshall �Eminem� Mathers, I�m still trying to figure you out, sir.
I am not interested in debating Mathers� lyrical capability or talent. I�m more so interested in his (un)conscious role in negotiating whiteness and, more specifically, white masculinity in Hip Hop. Arguably the most commodified and consumed expression of the 21st century African American experience, Hip Hop is a space for hyper-performance of blackness. This makes Mather�s presence all the more visible and his active participation in rap music intriguing. Mathers isn�t, as Greg Tate points out, a �peculiar growth� out of Hip Hop as many manifestations of white rappers and consumers are deemed. Eminem plays the game, framing his narrative from his deprived social-economic upbringing on Detroit�s Eight Mile and pulling from a space of darkness and anger that is often reserved for black men. The difference, however, is that Eminem, regardless of his experiences, is not considered on the fringes of American society. He is able to seamlessly �crossover� between privilege and poverty, whiteness and blackness, enterprise and consumerism.
Mathers� performance personas are particularly striking when contextualized within this peculiar moment of American history. Unlike previous white rappers like Mc Serch or The Beastie Boys, Mather�s The Slim Shady LP (1999) ushered in the need for conversation about new considerations of whiteness and Hip Hop. The Slim Shady LP was released at the beginning of the dubbed postracial era, a social period where visible markers of race and identity began to drastically shift. Although open conversations about race are considered taboo, race and identity politics remain inextricably linked. This moment of odd racial American history is reflected in the marketing of Hip Hop as a color-blind space.
Aside from Mather�s talent, I�d posit that Mather�s longevity in Hip Hop lies in his ability to distance himself from the complexities of the 21st century black American experience. What is striking, however, is that in similar fashion to African American men, Mathers creates performance personas that cater to expectations of his identity and whiteness. These personas, Eminem and Slim Shady, cater to different purposes and audiences.
Eminem, a sober, cynical, and introspective rapper, illuminates Mather�s battles with inner and outer demons. Whether talking about the stress of family woes, substance abuse, or the hang-ups of the rap game, this dimension of Mathers spits hard, angry, and raw bars. Eminem sounds like an angry black man. For many of his listeners, white and black, Eminem�s delivery authenticates his experience, not his talent.
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