Shlep D-O Double Gizzle's Web Pizzle

Try and catch me BEEEITCH

So in my attempt to kill time between thesis sessions I wrote some music reviews of my favorite songs. I used to review music for my high school newspaper, so this my sad attempt at trying to recapture my youth

This also my first high post.

“Kim” by Eminem, from the Marshall Mathers LP:

The prequel to Slim’s wife murder fantasy “’99 Bonnie and Clyde”, “Kim” is a glorious and passionate chronicle of a man caught on the brink between love and madness. But where “’99 Bonnie and Clyde” was calm and understated, and addressed to Em’s daughter Hallie about why there was no more Mommy, “Kim” imagines the chaotic moments leading up to the murder. Almost all of the elements of the song mirror the explosive inner conflict between anger and sadness that a breakup causes. The song begins much like Bonnie with Slim baby-talking to his daughter, but then Em jarringly starts to scream at Kim. Pay attention. This is not your typical wife-murder fantasy hip-hop song.

The production is a finely layered mix of elements that suit the song perfectly. An elegant piano loop backs the main melody which is fluid, almost sweetly melancholic, while the hook deftly sums up the main conflict of the song, “So long/ Bitch you did me so wrong/I don’t want to go on/Living in this world without you.” All this is contrasted with and propelled by a maniacal bass line that pounds mercilessly as Em screams a deranged stream-of-consciousness rap. The effect is riveting as we realize that behind the intense anger there is a strong undercurrent of sadness, love and utter desperation. Em’s verses at first listen are just random and noisy, but true to form, they are actually constructed thoughtfully and rhymed with care. “Kim” didn’t do much to endear Slim to feminists and all of his other detractors, but it is an enduring testament to the dark powers of Eminem’s artistry.

Side note: To all my homeboys, you know that feeling right after you break up with your girl? That mixture of anger and despair (to quote another Em song, “Rock Bottom”: “Cause you mad enough to scream but you sad enough to tear ”). Well listen to this song. It’s cathartic; it will cleanse you. “YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LOVE ME! NOW BLEED BITCH BLEEEEED!!!!”

Side side note: Shlep does not ever condone the use violence against women. When he says riveting he does not mean empathetic. “Kim” forces you to feel what Em is feeling, but never really to sympathize with him. Let the record also show that Em himself has never been accused of hitting a female, only pistol whipping the guy that kissed Kim, but that’s another story.

Posted by sheelpi at April 24, 2003 07:01 PM