Eminem questions his media image

A few years back, the academic world was abuzz with a theory called post-modernism. An assortment of French philosophers and pretentious authors were trotted out to shed light on a "new" idea: Identity is not stable. According to the theory, first come the labels (gay, white, black, etc.), thus follows the person.

It`s safe to say that Eminem didn`t have his head buried in some incomprehensible philosophical tome when he wrote the songs on "The Marshall Mathers LP." Nevertheless, these tracks are boiling with post-modern rants in which the rapper constantly riffs on his media image (as an offensive, obscene, poseur white rapper) vs. what he`s actually like. What makes this all decidedly post-modern? Eminem never settles the debate.

The rapper defines himself only in opposition to those he consistently disses: his mom; the mother of his baby; Christina Aguilera, `N Sync, boy bands, critics. ... The list is endless and the chip on Eminem`s shoulder is enormous.

Each song is a quasi-serious riff on his pop-icon celebrity. In "The Way I Am," he plays with his media image, rapping: "I am whatever you say I am/ If I wasn`t, why would I say I am?" The boy is clearly toying with us. Isn`t he? He`s constantly tearing into his reputation, while never actually breaking it down. In "Who Knew," he growls, "I make fight music for high-school kids." In "Criminal," he bluntly screams that he`s just a hood. Add to all this Eminem`s many aliases: He`s The Real Slim Shady, Marshall Mathers, and a few more I can`t remember.

Of course, seriously acidic and cleverly ironic lyrics don`t usually spell "bigger than Britney Spears." But somehow Eminem has managed to successfully cross the bridge between rap and pop in a way that is genuine: This is not Will Smith. The album is packed with brilliantly simple and catchy hooks, much like his last album`s hit single, "My Name Is." The single off this album, "The Real Slim Shady," is similarly unstoppably poppy.

Not every song is so upbeat. "Stan" chronicles a back and forth between Slim Shady and an obsessed fan. It`s an elegant, sad and eerily mellow track. "Who Knew" has a creepily sexy back beat, and the song on which Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre guest star is in keeping with a traditional Los Angeles sound.

And for all his clever identity play and personal revelations, it`s hard to know whether to applaud Eminem for brilliance or scold him for lyrics that are often painfully crude. As Kurt Loder has pointed out in a recent article, it`s hard to know when he`s joking. In the end, if the real Slim Shady actually did stand-up, chances are you wouldn`t recognize him.

"The Parlance of Our Time"; Elwood; Palm.

If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then there should be a long line of hip-hop artists waiting to shake Elwood`s hand. The tracks on "The Parlance of Our Time" are exactly what you would get if you crossed Beck with the Beastie Boys and sprinkled in a little Sublime and Everlast. Despite it`s unoriginal sound, the album is an impressive debut slickly produced with infectious grooves and laid-back rhythms that are pleasantly reminiscent of early `90s hip-hop.

At a time when rap is filled with the hard core and the angry, Elwood is a much-needed breath of fresh air. The first single of the album, "Sundown," is a remake of Gordon Lightfoot`s 1974 hit and rides a smooth wave of `70s nostalgia that was rendered brilliantly with Sofia Coppola`s in the recently released, "The Virgin Suicides."

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Author: Emily Friedlander