I recently finished watching VH1’s documentary on “The Tanning of America: One Nation Under Hip Hop”. And there is no doubt that Hip Hop culture has infiltrated and changed popular culture, in fact popular culture is hip hop. There was an interesting segment on the rapper Eminem. There is very little way to measure the impact Eminem has had on popular and youth culture. He is a house hold name and a person in recovery. I understand and know for fact that many, many young people have immolated Eminem, they have looked up to him as a voice, an ideology, a demigod…the offspring of Hip Hop. I have never purchased an Eminem album but I have been unable to avoid the wrath and influence of his music and persona. I have paid a lot of attention to his personal struggles with addiction and his journey into recovery. And I am proud of his humbling honesty and his compelling discourse on recovery. I wonder if anyone is listening. He has been conducting interviews and disclosing the personal struggles, he has been performing with an Alcoholics Anonymous logo on his chain, and his newest album is entitled recovery.
When I reflect on how Hip Hop has changed the landscape of culture, I think about how recovery has affected an artist like Eminem and what effect that has on his millions of supporters. Will young people look to him as a reason to get clean, to get into recovery, to continue to be like Eminem? I hope. I am proud of his voice, his bravery, his honesty. I hope others are watching, listening.
B
http://www.eminem.com/
http://eminem.tumblr.com/
https://www.facebook.com/eminem
http://www.vh1.com/shows/the_tanning_of_america/series.jhtml
