Music has the power to relay emotions, break down barriers, and tell a story. Rap is a genre that I find most fascinating, as rap artists continue to amaze me with their overwhelming raw emotions in their songs. Eminem, for example, is a rapper that has had a history of drugs, violence, and abuse in his life. After purchasing his most recent album Recovery, it was clear that amidst his tracks of excess partying and curse ridden raps, Eminem does have the power to break down his ice-cold persona and be genuine. The one track that continues to move me is “Spacebound”. It tells the story of Eminem feeling love for someone, but giving reason as to why he is so slow to trust and express his feelings to this other individual. He sings,
I'll do whatever it takes, when I'm with you, I get the shakes
My body aches when I ain't with you, I have zero strength
There's no limit on how far I would go, no boundaries, no lengths.
My body aches when I ain't with you, I have zero strength
There's no limit on how far I would go, no boundaries, no lengths.
Not just because I like this song, but I enjoy this blog because it explains how a medium can be used not only to form stereotypes, but also to disprove and break them. This is an excellent point that I believe has not been addressed enough in our studies.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering how exactly does this song break stereotypes? It sounds to me like many other cliche romantic love songs. You need to make this more explicit.
ReplyDeleteYour post raises the interesting question of: what counts as "genuine" or "raw" emotions? What are the criteria for judging "authenticity" in music? What's yours? What count as in-authentic music?
Also, most importantly, since your subject is rap, you need to focus on how the genre (the rhythem, the format)itself is more suitable for--instead of just looking at the surface meaning of the lyrics itself.
Overall, this is a topic with many potentials.
c.d.