The Way I Am

Eminem


The Way I Am (Interscope)



Mr Mathers is angry. He's angry at you for bothering him, he's
angry at us for turning him into more than just a bloke who raps, he's angry at
the radio stations for playing his record, angry at them for not playing it and,
oh, did we mention, he's angry at you. He's in such a rage, he's even got
another poor tortured soul -Marilyn Manson himself - to scowl a bit in
his video. So, not for the sensitive types among you.

This is yet another
astonishing record from Eminem, though. The sheer, twisted brilliance of
his lyrics, an incisive, furious diatribe against the music industry, the media,
and the public presumption that comes with fame aren't beaten by anyone this
week. It's been written a million times before, but in lesser hands it sounds like
the whining of a spoilt, rich rock star tired of signing autographs. Here, it's a
slap in the face to anyone who's ever approached a famous stranger, ("Have the decency in you/To leave me alone/When you freaks see me
out on the streets") or gossiped over a tabloid ("In
the paper, the news, every day I am"). It spits and snarls and, frankly,
doesn't make for pleasant company of an afternoon. Consider yourself told in the
strictest sense.



Siobhan Grogan