By Staff Writer Dempsey Bilotta
Rapper Eminem may have dropped his first single “Berzerk” from his upcoming album “MMLP2”, but his interview on ESPN last week was a complete fumble.
Eminem represented himself poorly, and he did not prove his reputation as a successful and confident rapper. He was physically there, but mentally he was nowhere to be found. The look on his face did not just mimic a deer in the headlights; it was as if he was legitimately stunned that he sobered back in 2002. I for one, know I am.
Eminem appeared “8 Mile”s deep under the influence; he had no quality stance, no poise, and especially no clue what was going on. Then again, he was at a football game. I guess I could give him the benefit of the doubt; I never know what is going on during a game. Game aside, I really had absolutely no clue what was going on with Eminem’s head, and frankly neither did he.
Eminem’s first sentence was, “Live TV freaks me out a little bit.” He boasts such a high reputation in the public eye, though mostly for taking the crown as the king of rap and being on our iPods for years. He was on national headline tours and live broadcasted award ceremonies, but this live, three minute interview did not show what he has to offer as an artist in the slightest. Sports enthusiasts may not be his biggest fans, and now they certainly will not be. ESPN was not a good platform for him to promote his new album; it was the wrong audience and the wrong place. Eminem shares a single similarity with football players: Eminem’s music sound like he is constantly being tackled.
When Eminem talked, it mirrored a conversation with Snooki, ramblings with no actual words coming out . Eminem really brought the three “W’s” to mind: What? Why? And, when is this over? Actual verbal communication comes less natural to Eminem than his harsh, angry scream he uses to rap.
“Berzerk” has not left the top 10 on iTunes since it debuted. In fact, it has been bouncing around on the top 100 Billboard for the past three weeks. It should be safe to assume that he would be a little excited, but no. The interviewer asked Eminem what he was most excited for with his new album coming out Nov. 5th.
“Uh nothing… I’m probably most excited to just be done with it,” he replied.
If that does not sell his album, I really do not know what will. When finishing a project pride is often a sidekick to relief. It is almost like the gentle, near silence after finals: students share a collective sigh of relief. Eminem gave he impression that he never wants to step into a recording studio ever again, in the same fashion that a student never wants to see another Scantron come finals week.
From this beyond awkward and just a non-comprehensable interview, Eminem confused us more than he probably confused himself. Those three minutes did not reflect how we perceive him and had no relevance to the setting or viewers.
