On Tuesday, Eminem released his newest album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2. It’s vintage Eminem, featuring magnificent wordplay, deft rapping, lyrics that are both juvenile and violent, and cultural references that make it seem like he just emerged from a frozen state, a la Austin Powers, which, come to think of it, is one of the few outdated references Eminem didn’t make on the album. The rap superstar also drops a few NFL names on the album. For The Win breaks them down.
1. Russell Wilson
On The Monster, currently the No. 1 song on iTunes, Em makes one of his few timely references on the album with a shout-out to the Seattle Seahawks second-year quarterback.
It’s payback, Russell Wilson falling way back
in the draft, turn nothing into something, still can make that
straw in the gold, chump, I will spin
Rumpletstiltskin in the haystack.
That’s a line that could have been written by any major rapper today. Take an undervalued player, compare the chip on your shoulder to the chip on his shoulder and, voila. As for Russell Wilson, he’s been name-dropped by one of the biggest rappers on the planet and gets love from fans of one of the biggest touring bands on the planet. Your move, RG3.
2. Brian Dawkins, the 2008 Detroit Lions, various NFL teams whose name have the proper accents and syllables to fit into this specific bar, the Body Bag game, Brian Baldinger
This one’s a little more strange. Okay, a lot more strange. It starts off normally — the Detroit-born rapper talking about how he’ll dominate like a great defensive player against the only winless team in the 16-game era. He identifies himself as Brian Dawkins, because Ronnie Lott, Mike Singletary and Reggie White don’t rhyme with “offense” and “Dolphins.” And then it gets weird.
Me against the world so what? I’m Brian Dawkins
Versus the whole 0 and 16 Lions offense
So bring on the Giants, Falcons and Miami Dolphins
It’s the body bag game [expletive] I’m supplying coffins
Cause you [expletives], a bunch of Brian Baldingers.
The body-bag game is a great reference for rappers. It’s evocative and can lead in any number of directions. Brian Baldinger? The man who had a fine, if nondescript, NFL career, then a fine, if nondescript, career in the Fox booth before moving to radio? The man who’s probably most remembered nationwide for his weird-looking pinky? That’s just weird.
On one hand, you have Eminem the virtuoso hip-hop lyricist, rhyming the name of a Hall of Fame safety with “offense,” “Dolphins” and “coffins.” On the other, you have him making what appears to be a juvenile joke about a former NFL guard and TV analyst. It’s Eminem’s gift and curse.
Then again, he also makes references to Lorena Bobbitt, the film Forgetting Sarah Marshall (twice!), Casey Anthony, Jessica Simpson and the Backstreet Boys. Maybe it’s best not to read too much into the rapper’s pop culture touchstones.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire