Eminem.Īfter releasing The Slim Shady LP in 1999 and The Marshall Mathers LP in 2000 – both received by some with serious controversy over lyrical content – Eminem waited a full 2 years to release Without Me as the lead single in 2002. a public dispute, debate, or contention concerning a matter of opinion. Because life “feels so empty, without ”.Ĭon-tro-ver-sy noun-plural 1. So he uses himself as target of the FCC and sensors to create some “controversy”. Without controversy, everything seems to be really boring in his eyes. But in this case he is channeling his inner Superman, since that is Clark Kent’s catchphrase when switching into the Man of Steel. He does this blatantly in the music video for “Without Me” when he dresses up as, of all people, Robin (Batman’s sidekick). This is just one of several songs where he’s made medical/doctor references, one notable being “I Need a Doctor”.Įm is casting himself as a superhero. This shows a total disregard for his own safety, which is pretty standard behavior for Slim Shady.
Since he has struggled with drug problems throughout his life, we have usually seen more of the “Shady” side of Marshall’s personality in his music :Įm reveals that his alter ego is really just his personality when he’s drunk and high (curiously, also the reason most Rap Genius editors write under a pseudonym)
Dre beats, nasally voice, and intricate lyrics, we know Slim Shady is back.Įminem is presumably consciously making a goofy, fun little rhyme with this line (he didn’t write it to be the epitome of lyrical ability, although he is an excellent lyricist), and he is perhaps making fun of advertisements that excitedly encourage you to “tell a friend!” about the product or service being advertised. Em’s previous album, The Marshall Mathers LP, was released in 2000, and The Slim Shady LP came in 1999. This song is the first single from the album The Eminem Show, released in 2002. The original lyric is “two Buffalo gals go round the outside”, which Em alters to reflect his white trash upbringing. Two trailer park girls go 'round the outsideĪ reference to the song “Buffalo Gals” by Malcolm McLaren, who was an early trailblazer for Caucasians in the hip-hop world, like Eminem is now.
It is good to note that the song before “Without Me” on The Eminem Show Drips, features Obie Trice on it. Proof then replied ‘naa, real name, no gimmicks.’ From then on, he went by Obie Trice. When Obie Trice performed once for D12 he introduced himself as ‘Obie 1’, roughly based off Star Wars character ‘Obi-Wan’. It’s also a promotion – Obie’s album was coming out soon and he was the next artist to be released on Shady. It’s a shout-out to the guy who was Eminem’s protégé at the time.
This is taken directly from the beginning of Obie Trice song “Rap Name”.