I'm Sorry If You Don't Like Eminem, But I Do

      I know, I know, another Eminem post? I apologize in advance to the majority of my very large audience that couldn't care less about Eminem/don't know who he is. I'm referring to my family here. Sorry. Just know that I give you permission to skip this post and pretend that your 18 year old niece/ daughter/ granddaughter/ cousin is not weirdly into inappropriate, offensive, and violent rap. 

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/

       With that said: the track "Headlights" is so unEminem and yet, my favorite on the album. I can't stop listening to it so I have decided to at least get a blog post out of this. You'll have to listen to it on iTunes as I've spent the last five minutes trying to find a link to embed but everything has been taken off youtube or altered due to copyright infringement. 
      It opens with Nate Ruess of the band fun. ("Some Nights" and "We Are Young"). Ruess' hook is beautiful and emotional. His vocals serve as a relevant (and stunning) background to a track that no one ever expected to hear. 
      But this really isn't about Ruess. It's about Marshall Mathers and I use that name on purpose. This isn't Slim Shady. This isn't Eminem. He's not in character and he's not making jabs at people. This is Marshall Mathers—the 41 year old man who has rapped at his mother's (and ex-wife's) expense over the last 13 years. This character is oddly self-aware and reflective. It's an apology song, something that nobody thought the rap god was capable of producing. He opens with this:

"I went in headfirst

Never thinking about who what I said hurt, in what verse

My mom probably got it the worst

The brunt of it, but as stubborn as we are

Did I take it too far?"

Later he raps:  

"But ma, I forgive you, so does Nathan yo
All you did, all you said, you did your best to raise us both
Foster care, that cross you bare, few may be as heavy as yours
But I love you Debbie Mathers, oh what a tangled web we have"

        Now I'm going to stop analyzing. I'm going to do something that my teachers have also said not to do. I'm going to say that the lyrics speak for themselves.