Gunslingers, Wordslingers

Far beneath the colorful array of popular music,

in which dwells the clichéd subjects of lost and
regained love and the details of ordinary society,
lies a darker layer. Subterranean themes and shadowy
sounds course below the songs of the mainstream world,
and in them is reflected the more somber tones of
human nature. The artists that bring these themes to
light may remain as obscure as the topics they depict,
or they may be more famous than many world leaders,
but the areas they explore are equally murky
regardless of their social prominence. The true
variance lies not in how well a musician is known, but
in how well they assist the listener in understanding
the subject matter. This is the only basis by which we
can judge a poet?s quality ? not by their fan-base,
but by their writing. This contrast is seen in the
works of the popular rapper Marshall Mathers (more
commonly known as Eminem) and the German metal
vocalist Hansi Kürsch. Both artists explore ?dark?
themes with deep intensity, subjects that do not dwell
on the surface of society, but the moodier,
mysterious, fantasy-oriented poetry written by Kürsch
is far more expressive, emotive, and moving than
Mathers?s violent, profanity-riddled, and drug-laced
verses.
To properly understand an artist of any sort, it
is important to know somewhat about their background.
Why do they speak about what they do; why are they who
they are today? Hansi Kürsch was born in Lank-Latum,
Germany, in 1966. He experienced a relatively normal
childhood, growing up as a Roman Catholic, and shared
a close relationship with his parents. His father?s
death prompted his writing of the song ?Ashes to
Ashes,? in which he explored the inevitability of
mortality and expressed hope that his father had
ascended to heaven. In 1984, Kürsch met guitarist
André Olbrich, with whom he became fast friends. After
a few changes in name and lineup during the first
couple years, they formed the band Blind Guardian. A
leading band in the European metal scene, but almost
entirely unknown in the United States, the band has
remained together for nearly twenty years.
In contrast to Kürsch?s comparatively docile
life, Marshall Mathers?s childhood was filled with
turmoil. His father left him and his mother when he
was only six months old, and his relationship with his
mother was turbulent at best. His early life was spent
being shipped back and forth between family members in
Kansas City and Detroit. As a result of his
perpetually shifting location, steady friendship grew
impossible. He started rapping as a defense mechanism,
an effort to fit in with the violent, ghetto culture
into which he was thrust, and to appear stronger and
tougher. Mathers struggled a great deal with poverty
throughout his early years and the formation of his
career, rapidly moving from one part-time job to the
next just to ensure his survival. Despite his initial
trials, however, he is now one of the leading artists
in the world of rap and hip-hop.
All art must come from somewhere; man is
incapable of creating anything completely original.
Therefore, in evaluating the quality of a poet?s
lyrics, inspiration is an invaluable region of
exploration. Kürsch?s verses are heavily influenced by
a wide variety of books, from fantasy to philosophy,
as one of his most prolific activities is reading. His
reading list covers a broad scale, evidenced by the
diversity displayed in his writing. Kürsch has based
songs on the works of classic authors such Homer (And
Then There Was Silence), Oscar Wilde (Dorian), and
J.R.R. Tolkien--an entire album was dedicated to the
father of fantasy (Nightfall in Middle-Earth). The
lives of famous historical figures, like Galileo
Galilei (The Age of False Innocence) and Friedrich
Nietzsche (Punishment Divine), serve as other
subjects. The song Imaginations from the Other Side
alone contains a vast list of tomes that have served
as inspiration. In such songs he takes the themes
expounded upon in the books and makes them his own,
positing forth the truth he gathered from his reading,
filtered through his original interpretations. Not all
of his poems are based on Kürsch?s reading list,
however. Many of his songs are products of his
imagination and philosophy; still others are built
around his experiences. One of these is Fiddler on the
Green, in which he transformed the horrible event of
witnessing two children, a girl and a boy, being hit
by a car into a tragic and moving ballad. Even in
these songs, though, he never makes himself evident,
but works his puppetry from the shadows. He allows the
reader to slip into the song and experience it from
his own perspective, thereby drawing the maximum lot
of learning.
In stark contrast to Hansi Kürsch?s literary
basis, most of Mathers?s lyrics dwell unrelentingly on
himself and his own past. He seems not to feel the
slightest inclination to conceal himself in the effort
to convey a more general concept, which would be
easier for the listener or reader to identify with.
There are some references to movies, television shows,
and well-known books in some of his songs, such as
Low, Down, Dirty and The Real Slim Shady, and there
are many allusions in Eminem?s writing to fellow
musicians and figures prominent in the media, either
famous or infamous. In fact, he does more than provide
them with a cameo appearance; he goes so far as to
attack other rappers with lines such as ?Will Smith
don't gotta cuss in his raps to sell his records; /
well I do, so fuck him and fuck you too!? (The Real
Slim Shady) This citation is one of the less vicious
examples. Even when he speaks about something outside
himself, though, the focus always comes back to center
on his ego. A huge majority of his lyrics speak about
his personal abuse of drugs and alcohol, beating
women, and killing people en masse, both premeditated
and on a whim. Mathers shows no remorse for condoning
such action, neither does he repent of the hideously
negative affect he has had on his audience, of which
he is well aware (I?m Shady and Who Knew).
Obviously, the most important aspect of poetic
value is the actual content of the lyrics themselves,
and in the case of music, this is coupled with the way
the words are put forth in the style of the vocalist.
As has been stated, in the case of Hansi Kürsch, many
of these lyrics revolve around fantasy and other
literature-based themes, with inspiration ranging from
Jesus Christ to Stephen King. Kürsch?s verses tend to
be vague and subject to a multitude of
interpretations, while remaining consistent and
coherent. They worm their way into the listener's head
and almost force them to think about what they hear,
to gather truths like rainwater collecting on the
ground. When added to the ambiguous yet powerful
subtlety imbued in the words he sings, Kürsch?s vocals
are phenomenal. He covers all aspects of the emotional
spectrum, shifting at once from a guttural growl to a
sweet, melancholy voice smoother than red wine.
Falsetto screams and low chanting come often into
play. Kürsch will frequently record multiple tracks of
himself singing and overlap the lines, layering his
voice into an overpowering army. During a close listen
to The Eldar, it can be difficult not to tear up.
Songs such as Thorn and Mordred?s Song are bitter
draughts, blending acrimonious sorrow with anger, and
a comparison of the two songs Down Where I Am and The
Maiden and the Minstrel Knight contrasts a horridly
depressed state with jubilant, victorious joy.
 While Mathers?s songs bear the same emotional
depth as Kürsch?s, it by no means shares the same
emotive range that makes the latter?s writing so
effective. Mathers rarely diverges from the same
hate-filled topics of misanthropy and self-loathing,
though when he does, as in the loving ode to his
daughter, Hailie's Song, it is a welcome and poignant
relief. His repeatedly violent and misogynistic lyrics
regarding women, specifically the female members of
his family, eventually caused both his mother and his
ex-wife to file suit against him (both cases were
unsuccessful). In addition to women, Mathers has
ostracized the homosexual community with his bigoted
words. For the most part, it is extremely difficult to
read through a verse without encountering at least one
obscenity, and if in fact there is only one, the
reader may count himself fortunate. Despite the
occasional glimpse into a plane of higher vocabulary,
Mathers seems to reduce himself to a near-perpetual
gutter-talk, spewing out profanity in a stream of
horrible grammar on his roller-coaster ride of rhyme.
It is clear that Mathers is very skilful at writing
and verse-composition, but in an effort to fit in with
the typical motif of his chosen genre he holds himself
down, seeming either too lazy or too afraid to reach
his true potential. Too entranced by the world of rap,
he does not seek to extend its bounds. It seems
paradoxical, even satirical to say this about the
self-termed Slim Shady, but Mathers is too
conservative in his writing.
Hansi Kürsch, almost entirely unknown by an
American audience, delivers an extremely powerful
product, overflowing with feeling due to his diverse
sources of inspiration and topics. Marshall Mathers,
insulting friend, foe, and fan alike in his
incessantly and intentionally offensive, monotonic
verses, is one of the best loved rappers alive.
Clearly, the popular consensus cannot be trusted as to
what constitutes ?good? writing. The writing itself
must be evaluated, and a conclusion must be drawn. No
one, therefore, should allow himself to be dictated
unto what is superior or inferior, what he should or
shouldn?t like, but should go out and determine for
himself his own preference.