Eminem is the best-selling musical artist of the 21st century. He is also one of the most contentious and most complex artists of our time. His verbal dexterity ranks him among the greatest technical rappers ever. The content of his songs combines the grotesque and the comical with the sincere and the profound, all told through the sophisticated layering of multiple personae. However one finally assesses his contribution to popular culture, there's no denying his central place in it.

This collection of essays gives his work the critical attention it has long deserved. Drawing from history, philosophy, sociology, musicology, and other fields, the writers gathered here consider Eminem's place in Hip Hop, the intellectual underpinnings of his work, and the roles of race, gender and privilege in his career, among various other topics. This original treatment will be appreciated by Eminem fans and cultural scholars alike.

Table of Contents

• Race … and Other Four Letter Words: Eminem and the Cultural Politics of Authenticity (Gilbert B. Rodman)
• Beats by Em (Ben Hoerster)
• The Fanatic Lyric: Eminem as Poet (Aaron Apps)
• The Black Vernacular Versus a Cracker’s Knack for Verses (Darin Flynn)
• The Melodic Nature of Rap and the Importance of the Phrase (Martin Connor)
• Somewhere in Between: Eminem’s Ambiguities (E Martin Nolan)
• Eminem 2.0: The Redemptive Subjectivity of Whiteness (Julius Bailey and David J. Leonard)
• The Farther Reaches of Human Proficiency (Steve Bramucci)
• The White Negro Gone Mad: Race and Pathology in Eminem’s Construction of Slim Shady (Miles White)
• Neither Black nor White: Poor White Trash (Sylvie Laurent)