Martial Mathers by Eminem; Song Analysis

There have been many song artists, especially in the rap element, that have a feud with one another. Either they rap each other out, call out their enemies through their lyrics, or sometimes things even result in violence. Eminem, rap artist also known as Slim Shady, has a feud with the band I.C.P [Insane Clown Posse] and it’s leading artists Violent J and Shaggy2Dope. [Background information: The lyrics I will be using is a response by Eminem from a song mocking Eminem, by I.C.P, called “Slim Anus”]. In the song “Martial Mathers,” Eminem’s profane and anti-gay slurs used to insult I.C.P contain the usage of rhyme, allusion, and alliteration.

As a rap artist, rhyming is essential. In the lines “Plus I was put here to put fear in faggots who spray Faygo Root Beer/and call themselves "Clowns" cause they look queer,” he rhymes “beer” with “queer.” In other parts of the song, he rhymes “nails” and “females,” or “wristwatches” with “nauseous.” Sometimes, he uses imperfect rhymes such as “started” with “garbage.”

His allusion to I.C.P’s song is very much in evidence; Eminem does no try to hide his allusion at all, as in evidence with the following lines: “Plus I was put here to put fear in faggots who spray Faygo Root Beer/and call themselves "Clowns" cause they look queer” or “’Slim Anus,’ you damn right, Slim Anus/I don't get f!!!!!d in mine like you two little flaming faggots!” Despite seeming rather homophobic and profane, it is very clear that he is referring to I.C.P’s Violent J and Shaggy2Dope.

Lastly, Eminem uses a great deal of alliteration to get his point across. He uses his alliteration, typically, with a great deal of slurs and swears: "fear in faggots who spray Faygo" has a series of the 'fffff' sound. Also, he says "'Clowns' cause they look queer," rhyming the 2 C's and the Q.

Perhaps Eminem isn't homophobic nor against gay rights. Then again, this isn't his only song that displays an advanced dislike for gays. In another defense, Eminem could be using these words [gay, faggot, queer, retarded, etc] in the way that practically everyone else uses them [despite the fact that it is wrong]; they are now considered mere insults, and he is trying to insult the members of I.C.P. Nevertheless, he effectively uses alliteration, allusion, and rhyme.

Martial Mathers by Eminem

"Marshall Mathers"

[Eminem]
You know I just don't get it
Last year I was nobody
This year I'm sellin records
Now everybody wants to come around like I owe em somethin
Heh, the f!!k you want from me, ten million dollars?
Get the f!!k out of here

[Chorus One: Eminem]

You see I'm, just Marshall Mathers (Marshall Mathers)
I'm just a regular guy,
I don't know why all the fuss about me (fuss about me)
Nobody ever gave a f!!k before,
all they did was doubt me (did was doubt me)
Now everybody wanna run they mouth
and try to take shots at me (take shots at me)

[Eminem]
Yo, you might see me joggin, you might see me walkin
You might see me walkin a dead rottweiler dog
with it's head chopped off in the park with a spiked collar
hollerin at him cause the son of a bitch won't quit barkin
(grrrr, ARF ARF) Or leanin out a window, with a cocked shotgun
Drivin up the block in the car that they shot 'Pac in
Lookin for Big's killers, dressed in ridiculous
blue and red like I don't see what the big deal is
Double barrel twelve gauge bigger than Chris Wallace
Pissed off, cause Biggie and 'Pac just missed all this
Watchin all these cheap imitations get rich off 'em
and get dollars that shoulda been there's like they switched wallets
And amidst all this Crist' poppin and wristwatches
I just sit back and just watch and just get nauseous
and walk around with an empty bottle of Remi Martin
startin s!!t like some 26-year-old skinny Cartman ("God damnit!")
I'm anti-Backstreet and Ricky Martin
with instincts to kill N'Sync, don't get me started
These f!!!!n brats can't sing and Britney's garbage
What's this bitch retarded? Gimme back my sixteen dollars
All I see is sissies in magazines smiling
Whatever happened to whylin out and bein violent?
Whatever happened to catchin a good-ol' fashioned
passionate ass-whoopin and gettin your shoes coat and your hat tooken?
New Kids on the Block, sucked a lot of d!!k
Boy/girl groups make me sick
And I can't wait 'til I catch all you faggots in public
I'ma love it.. (hahaha)
Vanilla Ice don't like me (uh-uh)
Said some s!!t in Vibe to spite me (yup)
Then went and dyed his hair just like me (hehe)
A bunch of little kids wanna swear just like me
and run around screamin, "I don't care, just bite me" (nah nah)
I think I was put here to annoy the world
and destroy your little 4-year-old boy or girl
Plus I was put here to put fear in faggots who spray Faygo Root Beer
and call themselves "Clowns" cause they look queer
Faggot2Dope and Silent Gay
Claimin Detroit, when y'all live twenty miles away (f!!!in punks)
And I don't wrestle, I'll knock you f!!!!n faggots the f!!k out
Ask 'em about the club they was at when they snuck out
after they ducked out the back when they saw us and bugged out
(AHHH!) Ducked down and got paintballs shot at they truck, blaow!
Look at y'all runnin your mouth again
when you ain't seen a f!!!!n Mile Road, South of 10
And I don't need help, from D-12, to beat up two females
in make-up, who may try to scratch me with Lee Nails
"Slim Anus," you damn right, Slim Anus
I don't get f!!!!d in mine like you two little flaming faggots!

[Chorus Two: Eminem]

Cause I'm, just Marshall Mathers (Marshall Mathers)
I'm not a wrestler guy,
I'll knock you out if you talk about me (you talk about me)
Come and see me on the streets alone
if you assholes doubt me (assholes doubt me)
And if you wanna run your mouth
then come take your best shot at me (your best shot at me)

[Eminem]
Is it because you love me that y'all expect so much of me?
You little groupie bitch, get off me, go f!!k Puffy
Now because of this blonde mop that's on top
and this f!!!ed up head that I've got, I've gone pop?
The underground just spunned around and did a 360
Now these kids diss me and act like some big sissies
"Oh, he just did some s!!t with Missy,
so now he thinks he's too big to do some s!!t with MC Get-Bizzy"
My f!!!!n bitch mom's suin for ten million
She must want a dollar for every pill I've been stealin
S!!t, where the f!!k you think I picked up the habit?
All I had to do was go in her room and lift up her mattress
Which is it bitch, Mrs. Briggs or Ms. Mathers?
It doesn't matter your [attorney Fred Gibson's a] faggot!
Talkin about I fabricated my past
He's just aggravated I won't ejaculate in his ass (Uhh!)
So tell me, what the hell is a fella to do?
For every million I make, another relative sues
Family fightin and fussin over who wants to invite me to supper
All the sudden, I got 90 some cousins (Hey it's me!)
A half-brother and sister who never seen me
or even bothered to call me until they saw me on TV
Now everybody's so happy and proud
I'm finally allowed to step foot in my girlfriend's house
Hey-hey! And then to top it off, I walked to the newsstand
to buy this cheap-ass little magazine with a food stamp
Skipped to the last page, flipped right fast
and what do I see? A picture of my big white ass
Okay, let me give you motherf!!!ers some help:
uhh, here - DOUBLE XL, DOUBLE XL
Now your magazine shouldn't have so much trouble to sell
Ahh f!!k it, I'll even buy a couple myself

[Chorus One (2X)]

Legands, Myths, and Oddities

Robert Johnson

In proof of Robert Johnson's song "The Crossroad" representing him selling his own soul to the devil, ties between the meaning of crossroads and Satanic figures were made. In research, the demonic god Legba was a deity whom was claimed to be the "trickster" of crossroads and entrances. Legba was a form of voodoo devil that represented Satan in many religions.

Therfore, the devil that Robert Johnson had theroetically sold his soul at a crossroad to was referring to Legba, the Devil of Crossroads.

Ozzy Osbourne

Osbourne has reportedley torn off the head of a bat and a dove for entertainment and/or expression of potential insanity with his own mouth. The initial case, the bat, was for a concert in "a rock induced demonic state" to dazzle his peers and fanatics. In the secondary case, he had released two doves to start a peaceful meeting with CBS records; the third dove lost its head.

Abbey Road

Many believe that the Abbey Road poster has several signs indicating that Paul McCarthy is dead and has been replaced with a false Paul.

• Lennon is dressed in all white with long hair and a beard, indicating that he is God or Jesus
• Ringo Star has a very neat, black suit, indicating that he is the pastor
• Paul is messy as if he'd been in an accident
• Paul also has no shoes [in many cultures, one was buried without shoes]
• George is last and casual, as if he is the gravedigger
• Paul's ciggarette is being held in the wrong hand, for he was left handed

Electric Dylan

When Bob Dylan decided to go electric, he was booed from the stage. This is because he was seen as the immortal icon of folk music, and that folk music did not include elcretic intruments, rather a more earthy sound of acoustic pleasures. Nowadays, some refuse to refer to him as folk anymore because of his electric record "Bringing it Back Home" from 1965.

Led Zepplin's "Stairway to Heavan"

Many have been afriad of backmasking, especially since they could always find dark and satanic messages within the songs played backwards. Many joined the hysteria that the backmasked songs were going to force children to "commit sins and participate in risky behaviour." This song was no exception to that fear.

Sgt. Pepper Collaboration Album

3 People of who I am Unfamiliar:

• Sri Yukteswar Giri; Hindu Guru
• Tom Mix; Actor
• Mae West; Actress

3 People of who I am Familiar:

• Edgar Allen Poe; Poet and Short Story Writer
• Lewis Caroll; Author
• Bob Dylan; Musician

Born this Way by Lady Gaga; Song Analysis

The theory of "all men were created equal" has existed in this country since the US government first drafted the Constitution. But, not everyone thinks that this rule implies to all men, as the Constitution states. In the song "Born this Way" by Lady Gaga, element such as motifs, rhymes, slant rhymes, and puns are all welded together to create solid evidence that Lady Gaga is supportive of Gay Rights, as well as ethnic equality.

Lady Gaga uses one motif, "I was born this way" [evident in 11/19 verses], to illuminate and emphasize the fact that the way people are [in this case, ethnicity and/or sexual orientation/preference] is a genetic trait that is irreversible. She also uses a motif that indicates the crossdressing is not to be seen as a negative action: "Don't be a drag, just be a Queen."

Lady Gaga's persistent use of rhymes and slant rhymes are clearly evident throughout her song: "No matter gay, straight or bi/lesbian, transgendered life/I'm on the right track, baby/I was born to survive/No matter black, white or beige/chola or orient made/I'm on the right track, baby/I was born to be brave" and "Don't be a drag, just be a queen/Whether you're broke or evergreen/You're black, white, beige,/chola descent/You're Lebanese, you're orient/Whether life's disabilities/Left you outcast, bullied or teased/Rejoice and love yourself today/'Cause baby, you were born this way." These verses are not rhyming/slant rhyming by coincidence; she purposely rhymes/partially rhymes these verses because it brings a sense of unity. This unity she portrays does not just happen to be in the verses about being diversal, rather she rhymes/partially rhymes these words specifically to add another defining factor to the nature of her opinion; all the races and sexual orientations/preferences are unified [in life and in lyrics].

Lady Gaga uses the motif "Don't be a drag, just be a Queen" as a pun. The pun she has decide to use alludes to Drag Queens [male transvestites]. This pun is playing around with the term 'Drag 'Queen' to tell homophobes to, rather than be ignorant and cold towards gays [in simpler terms, 'a drag'], they should embrace them as who they are; people.

Lady Gaga isn't like the other excuses for pop artists; she has meaningful lyrics that are honest ans do not hide her opinion. She openly uses puns, rhymes, slant rhymes, and motifs to express her feelings for pro-equality. The song "Born this Way" demonstrates deeper intellect while still highlighting a thematic purpose; Lady Gaga supports Gay Rights.