Almost two weeks ago today, Proof—hip-hop artist and comrade of Eminem—lost his life to gun violence. This is, indeed, a tragedy. In a statement, Eminem expresses his deep sorrow by saying, “Without Proof’s guidance and encouragement there would have been a Marshall Mathers, but probably not an Eminem and certainly never a Slim Shady.” The statement makes me think: what. the. fuck? I don’t doubt that Proof was a significant force in Eminem’s artistic career; however, Eminem / Marshall / whatever-the-fuck-he-wants-to-be-called needs to get over himself. There were “Slim Shadies” before him, and there will certainly be others after him. Folks, gather round for an exploration of “The Evolution of the White Male Rapper”:
Beastie Boys
Beastie BoysBeastie Boys
Never before and never since have Jewish guys from Brooklyn been so cool. Anyone who lived through the 80s knows that their song, “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)”, literally changed the music of the decade. Although technically a combo of rock/punk/rap, these guys are probably the first official “white male rappers.”
Vanilla Ice
OMG! Where do I even begin with this guy?!?! Remember “Ice Ice Baby”? The song topped the charts in the 90s; however, eventually, the ice thawed and Vanilla became the butt of every joke about white rappers. The show In Living Color aired a parody of “Ice Ice Baby”, called “White White Baby”, featuring a young Jim Carrey as Vanilla Ice.
Snow
SnowSnow
Who knew Canadians came equipped with “12 Inches of Snow”? Honestly, that’s just too much; I think it would hurt. But, anyway … Informer. You know sa dada da da data daaaada a licky boom boom now! NO ONE knew the lyrics to that fucking song. (By the way, In Living Color also aired a Snow parody video as well.)
Eminem
EminemEminem
Five white rappers later, Eminem emerges. Although he isn’t the first successful white rapper, he’s undoubtedly the first one that ever gained even an ounce of street cred and respect. Hey, he’s from Detroit. I hear the folks roll hard in 8 Mile. And, when Eminem raps about how tough he had it as a kid, I believe him. (NOTE: I saw Eminem in concert a few years ago.)
So, there you have it. Everything that you ever wanted to know about the history of the American White Male Rapper. Eminem wasn’t the first and he won’t be the last. Even Eminem himself predicts that others will follow in his footsteps: “I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley / To do black music so selfishly / And use it to get myself wealthy / (Hey!) There’s a concept that works / 20 million other white rappers emerge.” Now, I’m not so sure about his math, but he may be on to something with this whole “20 million other white rappers” stuff. Hmmm, I wonder who’s next …
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PS: For your reading pleasure, this post is also available in “White Male Rapper Speak”. Click HERE for an automatic translation courtesy of Gizoogle.com … Word to ya’ mutha!
