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Reconsidering Rap's “I”: Eminem's Autobiographical Postures and the Construction of Identity Authenticity

2008; University of Toronto Press; Volume: 38; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3138/cras.38.3.351

1710-114X

Katja Lee,

Musicology and Musical Analysis

The discourse of authenticity in rap has been and continues to be bound up in the performance of self. This paper examines the extraordinary potential for playing with subjectivity already available in the genre in order to map Eminem's success in renegotiating rap's constructions of identity authenticity to make space for his white body and his success in posturing a multiple, subversive, sometimes fictional, and yet still autobiographical “I.” Eminem's seeming mandate to ensure that all modes of self-representation are equally valid necessitates a careful study of his response to how the media and his fans absorb, reflect, and imitate his performances of self. The malleability of Eminem's “I” allows us to chart the assumptions that govern contemporary rap's discourses of authenticity and truth-telling and to gain insight into what hip hop considers legitimate representations of selfhood.