While album sales cannot be really argued with, we think the criteria should include mixtapes to the extent that that data can be made available. Weezy, for example, has been extremely prolific over the past few years and release several mix tapes, like ‘Sorry for the Wait’, which have been downloaded millions of times. This has to count for something but seems to be left out of the equation for some reason….Hmmm…comment below on what you think the reasons are! Read complete article here.
2 comments
We already know what it is. The Elvis Syndrome. (Shout to Thembisa for that one.) Eminem is an extremely talented MC but is given a pass across so many different outlets, his impact is greater than the rest of the hip-hop collective. (When’s the last time you heard Wayne or Jay-Z played on rock format radio? And Wayne made a rock album last year!)
Also, while Marshall is undeniably talented, he still has yet to make a bonafide classic. Of the MCs in the list above, Jay has made his share. So has Kanye. Snoop. It can be argued that Wayne has put out classic material. But what about Em? The closest most people will say is The Marshall Mathers LP or, if we’re just going for singles, “Lose Yourself,” and both of those came out about 10 years ago. Very little of Em’s catalogue has true replay value.
Finally, crazy sales aside, what is going to be Em’s legacy in the game? I don’t see the long-term effects of his career as an MC. I don’t view him as a pioneer. I view him as a hugely talented man that exists in a vacuum.
Elvis Syndrome is classic and so true. Growing up in the Black community, I can definitely say that the soulful or atypical white artist gets love if they show even the slightest bit of realness. We are not the biggest Eminem fans out there but I do think he has made some classic material. We dug Stan as well as most of his first album and come to think of it, have enjoyed his work with Dre immensely. Lose Yourself was a very solid record and a timely one at that, especially given his 8-mile foray into acting. Many described his last album as a classic. We did not spend enough time with it to really make a call on that one. I do think he is an extremely talented lyricist and a clever one at that. He clearly thinks about what he is writing and rapping as opposed to the hoards of so called MCs that claim the same.
I havent listened to a whole lot of rock radio recently but when I have, I occassionally hear a Wayne song and rarely hear Jigga, but have depending on the city. But, I certainly have heard Em on many of those stations so I completely agree with you there. I think he should be respected for his talents but we cannot co-sign on king status.