Soundtrack of my Life

"Lose Yourself" Eminem (Tone)

 A wide variety of tones such as: nervous, hopeless, confused, motivated, anticipated and courage are used throughout the song "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. Using these specific tones to help give the listener a sense of the emotional roller coaster that he goes through from the beginning of the song to the end of the song.
       As Eminem begins the song using a nervous, hopeless and confused tone to show how he felt when he was trying to show everybody he has a musical talent. Having to stand on stage, competing in rap battles and having to prove everybody wrong. The stress and pressure that he experienced caused him to lose his first battle and make everyone believe he was a "choke artist" and wasn't ready to compete against these other rappers. Eminem found himself having to make a decision that impact his future. This decision was whether to compete in these battles, or continue to live the poor and unsuccessful life he was currently living in.
     As Eminem decides to go and compete in the rap battle, he shifts the tone to a more positive and motivated tone. This transition and shift helps the listener understand the necessity and importance of succeeding. If Eminem loses these rap battles, his chance to become successful could disappear and he will have to return to his normal life. He knows he only has "One shot" and he can't "miss his chance to blow, this opportunity only comes once in a lifetime".
      Describing Eminem's dominating performances in these battles, and how he quickly finds himself rapping in the championship battle against the previous rap battle king; Eminem once again shifts the tone to a adrenaline rushing and highly anticipated tone. This tone is the most important tone and thoroughly shows the listener that he has achieved his goal and finally accomplished his dream of becoming the "best rapper to ever live in Detroit". Eminem is crowned the king and new opportunities await him, as he can finally earn money and help out his Mother and daughter.
     The tones used throughout the song helps the listener understand how he feels. The struggle he went through, and hard work he had to put in was so significant in this song because he had to overcome so much fear and pressure in order to become successful. This song reflects his emotions and concerns that he faced before finally deciding that he needs to prove to everyone wrong and show how talented he is.

"Rock n' Roll Band" & "Have A Cigar" Dual Thesis

     Using a first person perspective and set tone to portray the lack of care a record contract label shows towards new and upcoming bands, "Rock n' Roll Band" by Boston and "Have A Cigar" by Pink Floyd both set a tone of sarcasm that offends and disrespects these bands as they understand how money is the only thing these record labels care about and not the talent.

                                                                                 -Ryan Landry

Portraying the hard work and dedication that both artists put into their careers in rap music are shown throughout  "Now or Never" by Kendrick Lamar and "Til I Collapse" by Eminem as they both explain that they won't give up.

Eminem "Recovery" Album Review

    In Eminem's album "Recovery", he uses a powerful mood, frequent metaphors, and wise similes. Using these devices, Eminem announces his "Recovery" after years of having an addiction to prescription pills. As Eminem explains his regret and sorrow to his fans, he continues to say "I'm back" to let his fans know his is sober again and back to the old Eminem. This album is a turning point in not only Eminem's life, but his career in rap music.

As he finally overcomes his addiction that has overpowered him for many years; Eminem had trouble releasing albums, songs, and content due to the prescription pills.

    The powerful mood and tone that is set throughout the album creates a sense of hope and helps show that he finally overcame his addiction. The powerful mood is a key aspect in the album due to it's importance in Eminem's life.The song “Not Afraid”, shows how Eminem isn’t afraid of anything and how is he is willing to take on anything that comes in his way.

Another song in this album “Going Through Changes”, has more meaning than any other song in this album. In the song, Eminem goes into details about how his life is changing, and how he can’t stand the struggle hes going through any longer. To the point where he is considering suicide as an option, because he knows he is slowly going down-hill.   

 Eminem constantly uses metaphors in his raps to help create a smooth flow and creative rhyme scheme. An example of these metaphors are: "I'm breaking out of this cage". By saying that, it shows how Eminem felt trapped all of these years and to finally overcome the addiction was like he broke out of the "cage" he had been trapped in. Also, Eminem says "The storm has passed", where he is comparing his life at that time as a bad storm. But now, the "Storm has passed" and Eminem can return to his sober and happier life again.

    Through out the album, Eminem uses creative similes to help the lyrics flow better. An example of a simile he uses is "Like a bee with no stinger", which helps the song flow better along with a great taste in creativity. These similes are very important in this album because it shows Eminem can use his powerful rhyme while combining his knowledge of poetry and the use of different devices.

     As Eminem explains his "recovery" and how he overcame an addiction, he has made his fans full of rejoice and reassured them that he is back to the original Eminem. This album is by far Eminem's most important and.meaning content. As he continues to release albums, Eminem has changed for the best and made sure his fans are as happy as they used to be. Recovery has made Eminem work harder, smarter, and realize how much his fans missed him over these last few years.

-Ryan Landry

Song Analysis 1; Hailies Song by Eminem

     Revealing a father’s frustrations in “Hailie’s Song,” Eminem uses mood, alliteration, and consonance to display his emotional roller coaster as he struggles to maintain his sanity without his daughter. Quite often in the song, Eminem says “It feels like the world’s almost over, but then she comes back to me”. The feeling of uncertainty and madness that Eminem shows  is explaining how it feels like the world is ending, but once he is reunited with his daughter, he feels normal and his life is better.

    Using mood to set a depressed and upset tone saying “Sometimes I think there’s nothing to live for/ I almost break down and cry”, describes the pain and agony he goes through for his daughter. The mood continues to switch from his painful, unhappy life; To his very happy, and joyful life with his daughter. Happiness spreads through him “But then I see my baby, suddenly I’m not crazy”, and suddenly he isn’t insane anymore.

    Alliteration is a large factor in the song while describing all of the stress being released “I got my baby, the only lady that I adore, Hailie”. He then shows how good it feels to be with her “And now it don’t feel like the world’s on my shoulders”. The powerful flow in the song is displayed when he uses alliteration describing his feelings.

    Occasional consonance in the song help’s with the smooth and strong flow by rhyming the last words of each line with each other. Describing his pain and stress by saying “It feels like the world’s on my shoulders, everyone is leaning on me”, he then uses consonance and says “This boulder on my shoulder gets heavy to hold, and I think my neck is breaking, should I just give up and live to these expectations?”.     

  Eminem uses these different devices to help create a strong feeling and rhyme throughout the song. The lyrics show the frustration and hecticness that he is going through. The sense of struggle is clear and sets a strong tone in the song. Using these devices, Eminem is able to display a knowledge of these devices, and also sending a powerful message to the listener.