 |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|||
 |
||||
 |
 |
|||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
||||
 |
| 8
Mile: Lyrical and Lifting By DeShaun Snead As a rap star, Eminem is a long way from trailer parks and the realities of Detroit’s depressed inner city, but in 8 Mile, the recent blockbuster written by Scott Silver and directed by Curtis Hanson, the audience wouldn’t know it. Eminem plays Jimmy Smith, Jr., an angsty lyricist pursuing rap stardom. He’s urged to do this by gaining a reputation in freestyle underground battles in a club called The Shelter. The movie takes place in mid-‘90’s urban Detroit and spans a week. In this week, Jimmy (also called B. Rabbit) must redeem himself after an embarrassing Friday night scene in The Shelter where he chokes in a high energy freestyle battle. Jimmy has to move back into his mother’s trailer because he’s broke and gave his car to his girlfriend who says she’s pregnant. He and his “crew,” which includes actor Mekhi Phifer (Future), all aspire to leave Detroit and get their rap careers off the ground. Anyone who knows anything about Eminem will notice the biographical elements of 8 Mile. It wasn’t hard to be convinced by Eminem’s portrayal of stoic anger, explosive outrage and vulnerability. This movie is absolutely brilliant. It confronts issues of race, class and where rap is positioned in the lives of those that thrive in it. Additionally, the depression of the industrial city, Detroit, is exposed on the screen to a large audience. Despite all of this, it must be asked: What does it mean to be a white protagonist in a film that showcases a largely black musical art form? Are the black characters in this film marginalized because of Eminem’s starring role? Is Eminem appropriating now? To start answering the latter — Eminem doesn’t try to hide his position in the rap industry. He admits that he mirrors Elvis in the fact that he is making millions of dollars (or rather his label is making millions) from an art form that emerged from the African-American inner city experience. No matter how these questions can be answered, the truth remains: 8 Mile is a must see. It is a telling reminder of the relevance of rap. It provides a release for disillusioned youth everywhere. Rap relates what words continue to mean to those who hang up posters of Tupac in their bedrooms, scribble rhymes in notebooks and, as the Fugees said, “rip mics on the daily." |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||
 |
December 6 |  |
|
 |
|
||
| December 13 | |
||
 |
|
||
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|