Link: Top 100 albums Damn I didn't see it, Hammer sold 10 mil too! Go Hammer, Go Hammer!...LOL Damn & he's still alive! Just barely but still here...LMAO.
The irony in all this is.........THIS IS WHAT MAKES EMENIM WHO IS. Just as we sit here and argue and debate it feeds the fire that has been EM's trademark. I'm sure a lot of his sales have come from all the hype the media gave him on how nasty and crude he is. You know what...if that's what sells then go for it. It's all business. 2 Live Crew did it, Eddie Murphy did it, Dice Clay did it, and so did Emenim. He says it in his owny lyrics, " You give me the fuel to feed the fire." My basis for saying he is one of the greatest is based on his ability to freestyle and do battles. It takes a tremendous amount of talent to take a bass line and create a rap on the spot. A good one at that. I'm not talking the crap from the movie. Obviously it's rehearsed. I was a fan before he broke mainstream. I downloaded numerous underground battles and freestyle competitions that he took part in. The boy is bad. No one can do it like he does. Jay-Z and NAS have a thing for each other. You can sit and write diss songs all day, come up with it on the spot with no fore warning. They can't. That's why Emenim is so talented.
Something you guys are forgetting on your numbers debate. These numbers are greatly reduced for new albums BECAUSE...... There was no Napster, Imesh, Winmx, or other MP3 trading software during these years. Look at the real stats. The album buying industry as a whole has suffered tremendously since these software programs have been out. Your not providing an accurate statistic by comparing a group before and after file trading was invented. Simple statistical rules. You have to have the same outside influences on both samples.....and you don't.
Your right of course. It shouldn't have turned into a numbers thing anyway, hell N Sync & Backstreet have sold as much as Prince! They don't really mean much, it was just used to prove a point. I listen to alot of jazz & I'll take Kurt Whalum, Bob James, Miles & crew anyday! And they can't sell records for shit! LOL
The word is "profitability" or "marketability" Are you so naive as to think that popular music industry really CARES about talent? Poluar music is a business, not an ART.
Even so, that means only he is a successful or popular musician, not a GOOD one. If we are judging on profitability, then don't mention talent, if we are talking about talent, then don't prove it by numbers. Large number of sales shows that people approve or like his recordings. Are common folks good judge of artistry? Tiger woods does play good golf for a black guy. To not admit that one's ethinicity play a role in what the person would mostlikely achievements would be naive and ignorant. We don't all come from the backgrounds and have the same influrence, and why would you judge all people with the same standard? Isn't why SAT is not fair? He is white. His family is white. He sees the world as a white man. His culture influrence would be partly from the white culture (if there is such a thing) So his art/music/creation is based from that. Rap is almost an ethinic artform. So white rapper would be like a Swedish Raggae performer. Or a British Chinese opera singer. There will always be that. And I meant what I meant, he is better than your average white rapper. In merit or in practicality. If you want me to comment on him just as a rapper? average with unique style and inspiration. While sells a lot of records, doesn't really prove merit. Just the fact that someone mentioned he is the only white rapper who is widely accepted by the black rap community means : he has been branded and marketed, and he has no competition. Thats why he sells. If you want me to not to put his ethinity into question, then don't mention that he has been accepted by black rappers. So are a lot of black rappers. And that proves what???
Something you forgot to mention further is the demographics of the buyers. Also the promotion/marketing budget. I bet more white buyers are buying his records than they did of the other rappers records. Another point you have to look at the profit of the records. Although we can't obtain them, we need to consider how much money has been spend to promote/market his albums. Rap was a specialty market genre just a few years back and it is mainstream now. But big $$$ has been spent to promote it, and the profit margin of today's rap record is not as much as before. Look at movies. a 100million movie sometimes doesn't make much money at all. so what it sold 15 million tickets, in the end it is a commercial bust at best. People today buy what they are told to buy. If you promote something right, people will buy a CD full of random notes. certainly doen't make good music, but it may go double platnium. (ok it is a little extreme, but didn't they lip singing records before?) commercial success is really no judge of what is good what is not. Otherwise we would have to praise Windows as the best thing that happened to mankind
I will agree he is "Marketable" as well as "Profitable" but I firmly believe that "Talent" can and will drive record sales. All the marketing in the world may push the initial sales of a product but what keeps the product selling. Word of mouth. This is where the talent part comes in. I do not stand here and claim to the world "He is the greatest" that would be absurd. I just think he is talented and has a very "unique" style all to his own. History has shown us most "white rappers" have come and gone and been an anomaly at best. Personally i think History is being re-written.
I never mentioned he was accepted by "Black" rappers. I mearly said he was accepted in the Rap community. I will admit that the "rap community" is largely black, But im not looking at it from a color aspect. I dont see him as a good "white" rapper or see DMX as a good "black" rapper. I see them both as talented performers, with very different and unique styles. I would rather the playing field be a level one.
I get to Richmond 2-3 times a week. I have a site there. Whenever you make a move west let me know, I can alter my schedule. Have your people call my people; we'll do lunch.
NO, I didn't forget to mention that. Your statement has no relevance or validity at the question before us. My comment was directed to the two individuals that were comparing success or talent strictly by numbers sold. It's basic business/marketing statistics rules. You can't use a rate of one, a statistic of another, or compare two when other factors contribute to a major disparity. Album sales pre-file trading days in no way shape or form can be compared to those of today and be considered a valid comparison.
first of all, arguing who is better is silly. you can't calculate who has more talent in music as you can say, on a racetrack. i say the guy is awesome. he's funny, and witty, and for my money the best guy out there. i also say the haters on here are just jealous because A: he is white, and B: he's kicking ass. it's alright, you won't sway me otherwise.
Brad, I'm starting to lose faith in you. These sensible posts almost have a defeatist air about them. If you're not gonna be insulting, crude and direct, you may as well start posting on the vintage page. BTW- I got that Vanilla Ice cassette you were looking for
Eminem is wack! His rhymes aren't even good. I heard him freestyle on a radio station a few months back... that boy says the same shit over and over.. no way no how is he even half as good as Snow. Now... Tribe Called Quest can rap... Too Short can rap..... Nancy Reagan came to my house to give me a blow job... she licked my dick up and down like it was corn on the cob.... Too short was off the hook!
this is for all ya'll. F$CK DAT SH^T B&TCH EAT A MUTHA F^CKIN D&CK CHEW ON A PR%CK AND LICK A MILLION MUTHA F%CKIN C*CKS FOR SECONDS I'D RATHER PUT OUT A MUTHA F%CKIN GOSPEL RECORD I'D RATHER BE A P&SSY WHIPPED B%TCH EAT P&SSY, AND HAVE P&SSY LIPS GLUED TO MY FACE WITH A CL&T RING IN MY NOSE THAN QUIT BRINGIN MY FLOWS QUIT GIVING ME MY AMMO CAN'T YOU SEE IF YA'LL WOULD LEAVE ME ALONE THIS WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE MY M.O. I WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO EANY MEANY MINY MO CATCH A HOMO BY HIS TOE MAN I DON'T KNOW NO MORE AM I THE ONLY FU^&ING ONE WHO'S NORMAL ANYMORE? i feel better. oh, and slim shady's da man.
But statistics without considering condition and base is useless. if you sell 5 million records in a 10 million people potential market, is is actually more successful than selling 10 million in a 100 million market. So unless you can tell me that the rap buyer market is the same number now as 5 years ago, maybe we can judge his success on record sales ALONE. What I was pointing out was, the market condition of today due to new media, changed perspective and better promoting causes more sales. It does not mean more success. Besides, success should be judged on profit, not gross reciept. In business, gross income is what you show others, balance sheet is what you judge success for yourself.
