Eminem keeps it up with 'Walk On Water'

Eminem, also known as Marshall Mathers, is always in competition with the ghosts of works past — and I’d wager that few genres are as intrinsically competitive as hip-hop. He first made his rounds as nothing short of a full-blown lyrical warrior, and in the twilight of his career, the writer has some poignant reflections on his new track, “Walk On Water,” featuring Beyonce.

Marshall Mathers was born 45 years ago in poor, working class Missouri. Though naturally a happy child, he would eventually suffer through an unstable and lonely childhood characterized by bullying and familial dysfunction — a story that would be orated and related to millions of fans all over the world.

Not too long after his birth, Eminem’s father left for California, and would proceed to never answer a single letter from his son. Eminem’s mother, a subject of much of his work, has been characterized as a less-than-ideal parent: citing drug abuse, paranoia and neglect among her many infractions. Both parents received these lyrics in his 2002 song “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” “My f----- father must have had his panties up in a bunch / Cause he split, I wonder if he even kissed me goodbye / No I don't, on second thought I just fucking wished he would die / Try to envision witnessing your momma popping prescription pills in the kitchen.”

Young Mathers, a pale, pencil-necked geek, faced much adversity when he and his mother moved to a black, working-class neighborhood on the west side of post-industrial Detroit. Any semblance of economic stability had long since passed, and desperation and death was the everyday reality.

Mathers always wanted to tell stories, at first through comic books, but ultimately through hip-hop, when his uncle showed him his first rap song, “Reckless,” featuring Ice-T.

In his adolescent years, Eminem started to do what nearly every rapper has done early on in pursuit of their craft: “battle rapped” other amateur rappers during school lunch, with one notable opponent being future friend and D12 protege, Proof.

Eminem’s brilliant rhyme schemes would garner underground respect, and in 1997, he would release “Infinite,” a smooth, spacey LP that was influenced by the likes of Nas and AZ. For a long time, the project was my favorite by Eminem, since I used to be repelled by what would later become his trademark angry delivery. Most Detroit DJs had the opposite take, and largely ignored “Infinite.”

This disregard for his work made the struggling Mathers, who had a newborn baby girl named Hailie and was washing dishes for minimum wage, abusing substances and quarrelling often with Kim (Hailie’s mother and a longtime passion-point), quite angry. This anger is conveyed in songs such as “Rock Bottom,” where he raps,  “Minimum wage got my adrenaline caged / Full of venom and rage / Especially when I'm engaged / And my daughter's down to her last diaper / That's got my ass hyper / I pray that God answers, maybe I'll ask nicer.”

Eminem’s balls-to-the-wall sense of humor and rage could no longer be denied or kept in check. He took hold of the fiber of his being and let who he was and how he felt ingrain in his music a sense of authenticity.

For that, his future seven albums, starting with “The Slim Shady LP,” would go on to sell a combined 155 million copies. His look and Slim Shady alter ego didn’t hurt his case either, as illustrated through the lyrics in “Criminal,” “You can't miss me, I'm white, blonde-haired and my nose is pointy / I'm the bad guy who makes fun of people that die in plane crashes and laughs as long as it ain't happened to him / Slim Shady, I'm as crazy as Eminem and Kim combined.”

Eminem would be featured on magazine covers, make incredibly popular YouTube videos, win countless awards and even star in “8 Mile,” a movie based on his own life. The film would have the second-highest opening ever for an R-rated film, and prominently feature arguably the most significant track he has ever recorded: “Lose Yourself.”

The track is so popular, and its opening lines so unforgettable, that it borders on comical. In August, former President Barack Obama could be seen bobbing to it before entering the Democratic National Convention for his speech.