Eminem Annotates His Own Rhymes
RAP: Rhythm and Poetry — meets Genius
As any hip hop head can rightfully gloat, rap is essentially poetry; an acronym for rhythm and poetry; which can be dissected and digested in a similar manner to literary poetry or prose. Website genius.com allows users to annotate rap lyrics in the new digital age. Verified accounts on Genius (formally Rap Genius) offer us personal insights into lyrics from the artist themselves and it’s safe to say in true Eminem style, Marshall Mathers’ candid humour prevails in his annotated rhymes.
On Genius, Eminem has annotated lyrics from his own catalogue, alongside select songs by other artists. Em gets candid on his life and career, touching on his pill addiction and often fraught relationships with his colleagues. His personal notes range from recollections on his mental state at the time of recording, to insights on the fruition of his more surreal quips. You can access Eminem’s verified annotations here. These are some of my personal best bits:
Whether you’re a rap fan or not, Eminem’s life story is an extraordinary rags-to-riches tale, against all odds. “60 Minutes” and CNN’s Anderson Cooper met up with Em in his hometown Detroit, in order to find out how a white kid who never made it past the ninth grade was able to propel himself to the top of a predominantly African-American art form.
Eminem’s love for words (in the above video) is the creative catalyst underpinning my own art form. Often, I am asked how I think up concepts for paintings. A concept for any painting of mine is initially conceived from words: be it from rap lyrics, song titles, a play on words, or a piece of prose. Prior to embarking upon the creation of any painting, it’s title must be jotted down in my notebook of ever amassing painting concepts — similar to how Eminem sporadically “stacks ammo”.
Traditionally, painters leave little to no afterthought in the titling of their pieces but I feel this is where we are collectively falling short. I’ve always felt words can paint a thousand pictures; from rhymes to oils.
Fun fact: Eminem’s classic hit, Stan, from The Marshall Mathers LP, proves just how much hip-hop continues to set trends and add to the culture. The term ‘stan’ which in short refers to an obsessed fan, was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016.
“Follow me as I put these crayons to chaos” ~ M. Mathers (2002)
Follow my own art instagram.com/rhymesandoils
